10. To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of recent trends in academic results in schools in deprived areas. (270741)

Over the past decade all groups of schools have improved their performance substantially—but schools serving the 10 per cent. most deprived areas of England have made gains twice as large as those in the 10 per cent. least deprived areas. Further details are set out in our recent document “Breaking the Link between deprivation and low attainment—Everyone’s Business”.

It is most encouraging that schools serving areas of social deprivation are making these disproportionate gains.