Pupils in England who attend fee-paying schools no longer outperform their state school peers in core GCSEs once results are adjusted for socioeconomic background, according to a new study.
Researchers say the findings indicate state school students are making strong progress in science, maths and English, reflecting the past two decades’ curriculum priorities, but they still lag behind in the creative arts.
When it comes to music, drama and art, private school pupils remain ahead, achieving better GCSE results than their state school counterparts, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors, the University College London study found.
“It has long been assumed that the private sector outperforms the state sector at GCSE level and raw data indicates just that,” said lead author Prof Jake Anders, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities. “However, this doesn’t allow for the vast socioeconomic differences between private and state.”
His research found that before adjustment, private school pupils achieve on average four fifths of a grade higher across eight GCSE subjects. Once socioeconomic status is taken into account the difference is close to zero.
When just core subjects are considered, state school pupils do better, scoring on average two-thirds of a grade higher in maths, two-fifths of a grade higher in science and just under a fifth of a grade higher in English, after adjusting for socioeconomic factors.
In creative arts subjects, however, private school pupils scored just over half a grade higher, even after adjustment, raising concerns about the long-term impact for state school students who may not have the same opportunities in the creative arts.
Researchers used data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study to track private and state school pupils who sat their GCSEs in 2016/17, and examined the relationship between GCSE performance and social factors like family income and parental occupation.
According to the study, previous research has shown private school pupils, born around 1990, retained their academic advantage at GCSE, even after adjusting for socioeconomic status.
“Over the last two decades state schools have increased their focus on the core subjects to deliver results, which is reflected here,” said Anders. At the same time private schools have the resources to expose pupils to a variety of cultural experiences “which could go some way to explain why they produce stronger results in the creative subjects”.
Echoing research by the Sutton Trust earlier this month, Anders went on: “A small minority of children attend private schools in England, but these alumnus are particularly overrepresented in high-ranking roles across the creative industries.
“While it is positive for social mobility that state schools are producing stronger results in the core subjects, inequality still exists – and is arguably becoming more pronounced – in industries such as acting, music and art.”
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “While state schools strive to deliver high-quality arts subjects – and achieve some excellent results – they are affected by the relative shortage of funding and it is increasingly difficult to deliver some of these subjects within the existing financial constraints. The new government must address this issue.”
Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools Council, said: “Exam achievements by pupils from all types of schools should be celebrated. Families choose independent schools for a variety of reasons, including the extracurricular offer, the holistic education experience and the breadth of subjects available for young people to study.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said the government was committed to ensuring art, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few.
• The headline of this article was amended on 21 November 2024 to more accurately reflect the findings of the study.
