‘Rich Thick Kids’ Outperform ‘Poor Clever Children’

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The Education Secretary Michael Grove has made claims that children from wealthy backgrounds are outperforming more intelligent youngsters in education terms.

Research suggests that being born into a privileged family significantly increases the chances of achieving highly regardless of a child’s intellectual ability, which one again highlights the divide between the rich and the poor.     

Speaking at a Commons education select committee, he commented that the education gap grows as youngsters move through the school system. Mr Grove commented: "So, in effect, rich thick kids do better than poor clever children and when they arrive at school, the situation as they go through gets worse."

He said: "Schools really should be engines of social mobility that overcome the disadvantage of birth, but unfortunately, at the moment, despite the best efforts of many, many people, the situation gets worse. That's why we need early intervention."

Research conducted found that social class is still a significant factor relating to development of children in their early years. The Department for Education announced a new independent commission into early intervention to help youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds to prosper.

Graham Allen, the Labour MP for Nottingham North said: "I am taking on this added burden not for sectional interest or to score political points but to improve the life chances for people in constituencies like mine. Nottingham has proved we can intervene successfully. Now we not only need to prove we can take early intervention to a national level, we also need to find inventive ways to fund it in a time of economic drought."

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