Disadvantaged pupils miss out on political activities and in-class debates

Research from the University of Roehampton and the UCL Institute of Education warns that students from disadvantaged homes are much less likely to take part in such activities – leading to political disengagement in later life.

Disadvantaged students also feel less able to contribute to open-minded class discussions than their richer peers, the research warns.

The research investigates the part schools play in varying levels of political engagement in the wider population and has been published in a book – Education, Democracy and Inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe (Palgrave Macmillan).

Researchers Professor Bryony Hoskins and Dr Jan German Janmaat say that, internationally, the disadvantaged and the least educated feel “alienated, powerless and distrustful of mainstream politics” and that this is fuelling the rise of populist campaigns, such as Brexit and Donald Trump. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in England, they add.