ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the relationships over time and place between the clustering of poorer children in areas or schools, and the poverty attainment gap for long-term disadvantaged pupils. It shows that the trends described so far in terms of segregation and the attainment gap cannot be explained by economic and related factors. Pupil Premium funding is a likely cause, at least in part. However, this applies only to the gaps when based on our stable comparison groups of the permanently disadvantaged pupils and the rest. The official attainment gap, based on either current FSM-eligibility or any FSM-eligibility over a number of years, is shown to be entirely explained by economic and related factors.
