Children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and those with special educational needs (SEN) face disadvantages across health, wellbeing and learning from the start of primary school, according to the first findings from Five to Twelve, a major new longitudinal study led by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), funded by the Department for Education (DfE), and supported by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB).
Key findings
- Inequalities emerge at the very start of primary school, with children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and those with special educational needs (SEN) experiencing disadvantage across multiple areas linked to later educational outcomes.
- Children eligible for FSM, those with SEN, children from lower-income households and those with less well-educated parents were more likely to have longstanding health conditions
- Children with SEN were less likely to have regular bedtimes or exercise daily, slept fewer hours on average, and were rated by teachers as having less developed motor skills. Children eligible for FSM were also rated as having less well-developed motor skills.
- Family circumstances differed markedly by disadvantage. While 78% of children lived with two parents, nearly six in ten FSM-eligible children (59%) lived in lone-parent households, compared with 13% of non-eligible children.
- Most families (83%) took part in home learning activities at least a few times a week, but participation was lower among FSM-eligible families, lower-income households, families with lower levels of parental education, and children with SEN.
- Three-quarters of children were predicted to meet expected Key Stage 2 standards in maths (78%) and reading (77%), but children eligible for FSM, those with SEN, children from lower-income households, and those with less educated parents were less likely to be predicted to reach these standards.
- Cognitive skills were strongly linked to socio-economic circumstances. Verbal skills, non-verbal reasoning and working memory were all associated with parental education and socio-economic status, while children with SEN scored lower on average.
The gap is stark. Disadvantaged children are already falling behind by Year 1, potentially having a lasting impact on their education and outcomes. That's why we're acting early, getting children ready to succeed in school through Best Start Family Hubs, free school meals for hundreds of thousands more children, specialist SEND support and raising standards through our RISE teams. This is support that arrives on time, not after families have had to fight for it. We’re working closely with families and teachers to halve the attainment gap, because every child deserves the chance to thrive, whatever their background.
Georgia Gould OBE MP
Minister for School Standards, Department for Education
By following children over time, through regular engagement with them, their families and teachers, this study will generate rich evidence on how early experiences shape later outcomes. This new study brings together leading expertise in social research, education and special educational needs, ensuring the evidence produced is robust, multi-disciplinary and ready to inform policy and practice that can make a meaningful difference to children’s lives
Jules Allen
Research Director, NatCen
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Notes to editor
About Five to Twelve
Five to Twelve is a longitudinal study funded by the Department for Education (DfE) that follows children through primary education in England during the 2020s. The study aims to understand educational and wellbeing outcomes and how they are linked to social inequalities.
Methodology
The cohort consists of children in Year 1 (aged 5-6 during the 2023/24 academic year) attending state primary schools in England. Participants were randomly selected from the Department for Education's National Pupil Database, with an additional boost sample of children eligible for Free School Meals.
Survey interviews were conducted with 8,632 families in their homes between November 2023 and August 2024, achieving a response rate of 47%.