What Is the Attainment Gap — and How Does Catch-Up Support Work?

The attainment gap is the persistent difference in academic outcomes between disadvantaged pupils — those eligible for free school meals or in care — and their better-off peers. In England it amounts to roughly 18 months of learning by the time pupils finish secondary school. Research by the Education Endowment Foundation shows it has barely closed over a decade.

How big is the attainment gap?

The scale of the gap is significant. The Education Endowment Foundation's Attainment Gap Report found that disadvantaged pupils in England are, on average, around 18 months of learning behind their non-disadvantaged peers by the time they leave secondary school. That figure has remained stubbornly persistent despite decades of policy effort.

Group | Average months behind non-disadvantaged peers
FSM-eligible pupils (end of secondary) | ~18 months
Looked-after children | Typically larger than FSM average
Pupils with SEND | Varies significantly by need type

The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse. School closures between 2020 and 2021 caused measurable learning loss across the board, but disadvantaged pupils — who were less likely to have reliable internet access, quiet study space, or parental support for home learning — fell further behind. Post-pandemic data from the EEF and the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) confirmed that the gap widened during lockdowns and has been slow to recover.

Which groups are most affected?

Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is the most commonly used marker for disadvantage in English schools, but the attainment gap is not experienced equally across all groups. Those most consistently affected include:

FSM-eligible pupils — the core measure used by the government and the EEF

Looked-after children — children in the care system, who face compounded challenges including instability and frequent school moves

Some ethnic minority groups — though outcomes vary considerably; some groups outperform their non-disadvantaged peers once other factors are controlled for

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) — where gaps can compound with existing learning challenges

Pupils in certain geographic areas — coastal towns, former industrial areas, and rural communities often see larger gaps than urban centres

It is worth noting that the attainment gap is not fixed within these groups. Many disadvantaged pupils achieve excellent GCSE results. The gap describes a statistical pattern across large populations, not a ceiling for any individual child.

What causes the attainment gap?

The causes are multiple and interconnected. Income is a factor, but it does not fully explain the gap on its own. Research points to several contributing elements:

Access to resources. Disadvantaged children are less likely to have books at home, access to tutoring, or devices for study. The EEF's evidence on closing the gap consistently highlights the role of the home learning environment.

Parental education levels. Children whose parents have higher levels of formal education tend to receive more informal academic support at home — help with homework, explanations of difficult concepts, and greater familiarity with how the school system works.

Summer learning loss. During long school holidays, disadvantaged pupils are more likely to lose ground relative to their peers, a phenomenon sometimes called the "summer slide."

School funding and quality. Schools serving higher proportions of disadvantaged pupils sometimes face challenges in recruiting and retaining experienced teachers, and may have fewer resources for pastoral and academic support.

Health and stability. Food insecurity, poor housing, and family stress can all affect a child's ability to concentrate, sleep, and engage at school.

What is catch-up support?

Catch-up support refers to any structured intervention designed to help pupils who have fallen behind reach age-appropriate levels of achievement. In England, the most prominent national scheme was the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), launched in 2020 in direct response to pandemic-related learning loss. The NTP funded subsidised tuition — both through schools and via approved tuition partners — for disadvantaged pupils in Years 1 to 11.

Research consistently shows that well-delivered one-to-one and small-group tuition is among the most effective forms of catch-up support. The EEF's Teaching and Learning Toolkit rates one-to-one tuition as delivering an average of five additional months of progress, and small-group tuition as delivering four months, when implemented well.

In-school catch-up interventions include:

Small-group withdrawal sessions focused on a specific subject area (often maths and English)

Reading recovery programmes in KS3

Structured in-class support from teaching assistants

Extended school day programmes in some schools

What is Pupil Premium and who gets it?

The Pupil Premium is additional per-pupil funding allocated to schools by the Department for Education for each pupil who:

Has been eligible for free school meals at any point in the past six years

Is looked after by a local authority (in care)

Has left care through adoption, a special guardianship order, or a child arrangements order

Schools receive the funding directly and have significant flexibility in how they use it. Ofsted inspects schools on how effectively they deploy Pupil Premium to narrow gaps. The EEF's Teaching and Learning Toolkit is the most widely used resource to help schools choose evidence-based approaches — it compares the cost and impact of dozens of interventions, from feedback and metacognition to tutoring and extended school time.

Parents cannot apply for Pupil Premium directly. Eligibility is usually confirmed through the school's free school meals process. If you believe your child may be eligible, speak to the school's admin office or pastoral lead.

What parents can do at home to support catch-up

Schools and government programmes play the largest role in closing the gap, but parents can make a meaningful difference:

Read together regularly. Even with older KS3 pupils, discussing books, news articles, or non-fiction broadens vocabulary and comprehension.

Establish a structured homework routine. A consistent time and quiet space makes it easier for children to build good study habits.

Ask the school what support is available. Many schools offer catch-up sessions, homework clubs, or access to Pupil Premium-funded tutoring that parents are not always aware of.

Use free online resources. BBC Bitesize provides free, curriculum-aligned content for Years 7–11. Some schools also provide free access to platforms like Sparx Maths or Seneca.

Consider low-cost or AI-assisted tutoring. One-to-one tuition is highly effective but expensive at £30–£60 per hour privately. AI tutoring tools can provide daily, adaptive practice at a fraction of the cost — particularly useful for KS3 drilling and GCSE revision.

Frequently asked questions

What is the attainment gap in simple terms?

The attainment gap is the difference in school results between pupils from less well-off families and those from more affluent ones. In England, disadvantaged pupils — typically measured as those eligible for free school meals — tend to achieve lower grades on average than their better-off peers. By the end of secondary school, this gap is equivalent to around 18 months of learning, according to the Education Endowment Foundation.

Who qualifies for Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium goes to schools for pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, children who are currently looked after by a local authority, and children who have left care through adoption or a guardianship order. Eligibility is assessed through the school's free school meals application process, not through a separate Pupil Premium application.

Did COVID make the attainment gap worse?

Yes. School closures during 2020 and 2021 caused significant learning loss across all year groups, but disadvantaged pupils were disproportionately affected. Without reliable internet access, quiet study space, or the same level of parental academic support, many fell further behind. The EEF's post-pandemic research confirmed the gap widened during lockdowns. The National Tutoring Programme was created specifically to address this, though recovery has been uneven.

What is the most effective catch-up support?

The EEF's Teaching and Learning Toolkit consistently rates one-to-one tuition and high-quality feedback as among the most effective interventions. One-to-one tuition is particularly powerful because it is fully adaptive — a skilled tutor or AI system can identify exactly where a pupil's understanding has broken down and address it directly, rather than moving at the pace of a whole class. Small-group tuition (two to five pupils) is also highly rated and is more cost-effective to deliver at scale.

For targeted catch-up support that adapts to your child, visit aitutors.me.