ABSTRACT
Can English schools balance out home factors and create high achievement for all through a more equitable curriculum? OECD maintains that ‘high performance and greater equity in educational opportunities and outcomes are not mutually exclusive’.
A reductionist binary model of reviewing attainment for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students is not helpful in relation to curriculum reform. Arguably a matrix of complex interactions between ethnicity, gender ‘home’ factors, familial values and aspirations relate to disadvantage and socio-economic status. This matrix is one of the prime influencers in educational outcomes. The importance of these factors is debated within the context of the variable rates of achievement for disadvantaged ethnic groups, including White British. Parental aspirations and the values they transmit to their children regarding education are key in either motivating them to succeed or , conversely, results in a negative impact on their children’s attitudes towards learning. The research on human and social capital gives insights into how we can turn the negatives into positives. This is necessary for implementing a curriculum that addresses ‘social disadvantage’
