Page 10 - Who is losing learning IPPR Briefing & Podcast March 2025

3. The Role of Accountability and Admissions:

•The report highlights that current accountability policies and Progress 8 measures can
create barriers to inclusion and incentivize schools to not admit or exclude certain students.
•It notes that high-achieving comprehensive schools often do not fully reflect their local
communities in terms of Free School Meal (FSM) populations, widening the national

attainment gap.

•Quote: "'We often treat selective schools, such as grammar schools, as though they’re
separate from the system when talking about representation. But it is crucial that selective
and grammar schools truly represent the diversity of their local communities – because, as it

stands, we are at risk of creating a two-tiered system.'" (Dan Moynihan, CEO, Harris
Federation)

•The report advocates for reforming accountability measures to better reflect the work done
by schools serving disadvantaged pupils, considering longer-term child outcomes, and

moving to a three-year rolling average for headline measures.

•It also calls for active intervention by the Department for Education and local authorities to
identify and improve non-representative schools and for greater scrutiny of admissions

policies.

4. Funding and Early Intervention:

•The report argues that funding for universal and preventative support has fallen, while the

cost of specialist support is soaring without necessarily improving outcomes.

•It emphasizes the importance of early intervention to prevent needs from escalating and
reducing the reliance on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and special school
placements.

•Quote: "Earlier intervention can prevent some special educational needs from escalating.
New independent modelling conducted by Alma Economics exclusively for this report found
that nearly 100,000 children per year could have their needs met more quickly by their local
mainstream school if the Department for Education properly funded inclusion.“

•The report recommends an additional £850 million of funding for whole school inclusion
over the next five years, which Alma Economics modelling suggests could pay for itself by

2030 by reducing the need for 35,000 EHCPs.

•It specifically proposes investing £77 million to train 90,000 teaching assistants to better
support children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) and Speech, Language
and Communication (SLC) needs, including a £1,500 pay increase for specialist TAs.