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Hidden disadvantage: Students living in rural poverty

Many assume that students living in rural areas perform well in their academic studies and yet rural poverty is rife and has a huge impact on outcomes. School leader Debbie Tremble considers the challenges
Rural poverty: There is a consistent pattern of lower percentages of FSM pupils in rural areas of England, such as the Lake District, achieving Grade 5 or higher in English and maths - Adobe Stock

It has long been perceived that students in rural areas achieve higher GCSE outcomes than their urban counterparts, largely due to the assumption that rural populations are generally more affluent.

However, data suggests a different reality for disadvantaged learners in rural areas. Luke Graham’s The Grass Ceiling (2023) highlights this disparity, arguing that the diverse socio-economic make-up of rural populations has obscured significant hidden disadvantages.

In reality, GCSE attainment for those students in receipt of free school meals (FSMs) is highest in urban areas like Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Indeed, according to the Social Mobility Commission (2024), the West Midlands and the North West have “overtaken London as the region with the highest proportion of FSM pupils in their schools” and the West Midlands is seeing the “London effect”.

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