SocialMobility

What is Social Mobility?Movement of individuals, families, or groups through a system of social hierarchy or stratification. If such mobility involves a change in position, especially in occupation, but no change in social class, it is called “horizontal mobility.” If, however, the move involves a change in social class, it is called “vertical mobility” and involves either “upward mobility” or “downward mobility.

• The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education.

• It has published over 140 research studies and funded and evaluated programmes that have helped hundreds of thousands of young people of all ages, from early years through to access to the professions.

A ‘think tank’ Founded 1997 by Sir Peter Lamplto improve social mobility through education. Commissioning over 140 research studies, influencing Government education policy by pushing social mobility to the top of the political agenda.

The Trust works to combat educational inequality and prevent the subsequent waste of talent. Particularly concerned with breaking the link between educational opportunities and family background, and in realising a system in which young people are given the chance to prosper, regardless of their family background, school or neighbourhood.

What do they do?

Low social mobility and lack of educational opportunity is arguably the biggest social challenge of our times:The income gap between the richest and poorest in society continues to widen, while education opportunities remain overwhelmingly dominated by children from the most privileged homes.

The UK remains extremely low in terms of income mobility when compared with other similar nations. The UK and USA come bottom in a league table of 11 developed nations for which data is available.

To put this into perspective, social mobility (for those born in the 1960/1970s) is nearly half in the UK of that in Canada or Denmark.

A recent German study meanwhile showed that England had the strongestassociation between children’s test scores at age 13 and family background than any other country reviewed

Children are now getting better GCSE results, but as a result a key questionunanswered is whether good GCSEs will become a poorer signal of who prospers in later adult life.

Furthermore, research shows no weakening in association between family backgroundand post 16 education attainment (A-levels and degrees), and a strengthening association for pupils not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

A recent Sutton Trust study found that around half the gap in school readiness between poorer and better off children is due to parenting style and homeenvironment.

Parental attitudes are the most significant factor in students’ university choices. So parents are key, but it is often difficult to engage with them effectively…

The powerful analysis showing how early educational inequalities emerge –documented by Leon Feinstein for the 1970 cohort of children, but also shown for the Millennium cohort – reveals that stark gaps in test scores and the educational trajectories of children are present before school has even started…

Our series of surveys suggest that the proportion of independently educated people at the top of the professions has declined slightly over the last twenty or so years.

However independent schools still produce over half of leaders in most professions, even though they make up only 7% of schools.

The concern is that state schools may make up an even smaller proportion of the next generation of leaders.

Sutton Trust looked at younger leading lawyers (up to age 39) in our 2004 report, 71% were independently educated in 2004 compared with 59% in 1989.

Furthermore, when news journalists were surveyed, editors believed that journalism is becoming an increasingly privileged profession. There are many reasons for this:

• informal selection procedures;• fees for postgraduate courses;• low pay and insecurity during early careers;

• high living costs of London.

Interestingly new figures suggest that while 13% of all new MPs in 1997 went to independent school, the figure for 2010 could be as high as 38% when considering the known educationalbackgrounds of candidates.

But this is largely due to the fact that there will be more Conservative MPs this time round.

• Family background continues to influence access to opportunities.

• Despite popular rhetoric that hard work and talent determine success.

• Some professions may be becoming more elitist; Politics, The Law, and Journalism (However, even ‘trendy’ professions such as fashion and beauty may be becoming more elitist)

• Powerful and well-paid positions continue to be dominated by former independent school pupils.

• There are potential detrimental social effects for society that is not meritocratic - what might these be?

• There are potential detrimental individual and wellbeing effects for the individual who is unable to experience success through lack of social mobility – what might these be?