Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have been left behind by social mobility initiatives for a very long time. Affected by the pandemic and isolation measures, students need far more support than scattered initiatives, and teachers have been left feeling frustrated at best by the way that ‘levelling up’ efforts have neglected education.
Though the Schools White Paper sets strong targets, there seems to be a distinct lack of funding (or, at least, vagueness) in the plan to deliver on these ambitions.
As the Patrick Morgan Foundation, we have worked hard to bridge the gap between underprivileged students and their desired careers through workshops, tailored talks, and mentoring; but the third sector cannot solve the grand issue of social mobility without reliable infrastructure. More must be done for young people aiming to capitalise on their motivation and potential. The education sector needs an overhaul and an influx of structured funding to execute goals we have been outlining for years now.