An Analysis of Educational Achievement Across Social Groups in UK

This report examines educational achievement within the UK educational system, analyzing the performance of various social groups. It highlights disparities based on ethnicity (specifically Black and Chinese pupils), gender (with girls outperforming boys), and socioeconomic status (comparing pupils eligible for Free School Meals with their peers). The report references the impact of factors such as home culture, parental involvement, cultural capital, and the hidden curriculum on student outcomes. It also explores the influence of teacher-pupil relationships, financial incentives, and pupil subcultures. The report draws upon data from the Department for Education and references key academic sources to support its findings, offering a comprehensive overview of the complex factors influencing educational achievement across different social strata in the UK.

Running head: ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN UK
Achievement in Educational System in UK
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN UK
Educational Achievement of Different Social Groups
Class
The data collected from the Department for Education pointed out children from a
black background are among the lowest achieving group. 53.1% of pupils among the black
achieved at least 5 A* - C GCSEs grades in the subjects English and Mathematics. The
percentage is 3.4 point below the national average which is 56.6%. However there is gradual
improvement among them as the black pupils have achieved 75.5% in English and 68.4% in
Mathematics. Hyman has stated that the home culture plays an important role in convergence
of that of educational achievement between different classes. Hyman has stated that the
culture prevailing in home places the students who belonged to the working class at a
disadvantaged position (Hyman 2017).
Gender
Data that has been gathered from that of the Department for Education revealed that
girls had outperformed the boys by that of 10 percentage points in the year 2014. It was found
with the help of data that 61.7 % of the girls were able to achieve 5A*-C GCSE grade that
included English and Mathematics (Wals 2014). The boys on the other hand got 51.6 %. It
was evident that there was a gap of 10.1 percentage point.
Ethnicity
Chinese pupils were the best achievers. 74.4 % of the Chinese pupil were able to
achieve 5 A- C GCSE grade that included English and Mathematics. This accounts to be 17.9
percentage points above that of the national average that is 56.6 % (Bock 2014). It was found
that children who were from the black background were the ones who achieved the lowest.
According to Doughlas, this is owing to the fact that the parents of these children did not

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support the intellectual development of children. The Pupils who were eligible for that of
Free School Meals (FSM) were made use of that can help in highlighting those who had
come from household whose income was less than that of 16000 Pound. It was found that the
FSM pupils were 30 % point behind that of the non FSM pupil. Around 33.5 % were eligible
for that of FSM and they got 5A*-C GCSE grade that was inclusive of English and
Mathematics as compared to that of 60.5 % of the other pupils (Reynolds et al. 2014).
Different Relationships and Processes that have an impact on Educational Achievement
Teacher/pupil reationships
Financial incentives that are provided to the women account for the higher number of
women enrolling in the university. The inferior performance of the boy is due to the fact that
they do not study hard at the school and are more prone to spending time over that of the
internet. Study from that of the Institute of Education revealed that the people of 15 years
who were from Chinese families are equivalent to children of other states who were two year
ahead of them (Leyland 2016).
Pupil subcultures
Hard work and that of parental engagement are the major factors that led to their
superior performance. Children from that of the black background do not perform well
academically because they do not get guidance from their family and they are also not paid
proper attention by the teachers at the school.
Hidden curriculum
The pupil who were eligible for that of free school meal were much behind that of the
non FSM pupil because are deprived of suitable materials that has an influence on that of the
educational outcome (Phillips 2015).

3ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN UK
Organization of teaching and learning
It reduces the number in relation to educational resources that the family can provide
for the children. Ill-health and stress of family account for the poor performance of the pupils
coming from FSM back ground. The low level of that of parental education and low
aspiration are the major reasons why pupil from that of FSM background did not fare well
academically in United Kingdom.
Out of School Factors that have an influence on Educational Achievement
Poverty
Cultural Deprivation states that the members who belong to that of the working class
cannot get cultural capital easily that proves to be a hindrance in getting access to that of
education. Cultural capital proves to be advantageous for the pupils belonging to the middle
and upper class instead of that of the lower class as they have the resources that can help
them in educational accomplishment.
Language skills
There was a rising trend among the schools to teach new languages to the pupils.
Language learning has been made a compulsory part of the curriculum. Bernstein has talked
about how the language that was used in schools served as an advantage for those children
who belonged to the middle class as they were able to understand the elaborated code as
compared to the lower class people (Bernstein 2017).
Parental interest
Involvement of parents in children’s education is responsible for their better
achievement and reduced absenteeism. The children who come from the black background

4ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN UK
do not have the values that can facilitate in the process of educational achievement (Banks
2015).
Cultural capital
Cultural capital becomes a benefit for the middle and upper class because of the
norms that they have and it helps them in the process of employability. The education system
can assume the possession of that of cultural capital that makes it difficult for people
belonging to the lower class in UK to succeed in that of the educational system. Bourdeau has
stated that the social structures help in determining the chances of an individual by taking
recourse to cultural capital.
Positional theory
The education system in UK presupposes possession of that of cultural capital that
only a very few students have. It leads to inefficiency in the process of ‘pedagogic
transmission’ and the students coming from the deprived class in UK cannot understand what
the teachers are trying to convey (Dean 2016). The disadvantaged class in UK do not want to
reveal that they are ignorant which causes them to lag behind in terms of educational
achievement.

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References:
Banks, J.A., 2015. Cultural diversity and education. Routledge.
Bernstein, B., 2017. Language to Socialization. Social Encounters: Contributions to Social
Interaction, p.47.
Bock, R.D. ed., 2014. Multilevel analysis of educational data. Elsevier.
Dean, J., 2016. Class diversity and youth volunteering in the United Kingdom: Applying
Bourdieu’s habitus and cultural capital. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Quarterly, 45(1_suppl), pp.95S-113S.
Hyman, P.E., 2017. Gender and assimilation in modern Jewish history: The roles and
representation of women. University of Washington Press.
Leyland, P., 2016. The constitution of the United Kingdom: A contextual analysis.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Phillips, D., 2015. Policy borrowing in education: Frameworks for analysis. In Second
international handbook on globalisation, education and policy research (pp. 137-148).
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Reynolds, D., Creemers, B., Nesselrodt, P.S., Shaffer, E.C., Stringfield, S. and Teddlie, C.
eds., 2014. Advances in school effectiveness research and practice. Elsevier.
Wals, A.E., 2014. Sustainability in higher education in the context of the UN DESD: a review
of learning and institutionalization processes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 62, pp.8-15.