111 Upper Richmond Road Putney, London SW15 2TJ T: 020 8788

111 Upper Richmond RoadPutney, LondonSW15 2TJ

T: 020 8788 3223 F: 020 8788 3993 www.suttontrust.com Charity Registration No. 1067197

The Sutton Trust Annual Report 2010

Contents

What We Do 2

About Us 3

Chairman’s Message 4

Early Years 7

Schools 13

University 21

Access to the Professions 29

The Mobility Manifesto 34

Public Profile 35

Future Developments 36

Summary Financial Statement 38

The Sutton Trust Annual Report 2010

Sutton Trust Annual Report 2010

What We Do

The Sutton Trust was founded by Sir Peter Lampl to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage.

Since 1997 it has undertaken over 100 research studies, profoundly shaping education policy; but the Trust is also a “do-tank” that has funded a wide range of initiatives, from early years, through primary and secondary schooling and access to higher education and the professions. All programmes are rigorously evaluated, with successful ones proving to be cost-effective often used as models by others.

About Us

Trustees

Sir Peter Lampl (Chairman and Founder) Glyn Morris

David Backinsell

Adviser to TrusteesDavid Hall

Advisory Board

Sir Eric Anderson

Glenn Earle

David Gregson

Michael Oakley

George Walden CMG

Sir David Winkley

Supporters The Trust is grateful to the many individuals, foundations and corporate partners who have contributed to the work of the Trust and its grantees, including:

Allen and Overy; Arcadia; Boston Consulting Group; DLA Piper; Eversheds; Emma Warson; Freshfields; Glenn and Phyllida Earle; Linklaters; Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin; Lovells; Nancy Drucker and the Henry Drucker Fund; Perry Capital; Simmons and Simmons; The Lloyds TSB Foundation; The College of Law.

Staff

Director of Research and Policy Lee Elliot Major

Director of Projects and PolicyJames Turner

Early Years ManagerLaura Barbour

Trust AdministratorLaura Sparshot

Office ManagerAnna Fellows

Charity Address

111 Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London, SW15 2TJ

Charity Registration Number

1067197

Sutton Trust Annual Report 2010 3

I am delighted to report that in early 2011 the Government announced that it had awarded £125 million to the Sutton Trust as the lead charity in partnership with Impetus Trust to establish a new major programme to boost the attainment of some of the country’s most disadvantaged children. The winning bid was announced following an open competition involving 14 charities undertaken by the Department for Education.

The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) will over the next decade seek innovative proposals from schools, teachers, local authorities and charities to improve the performance of poor pupils in the country’s lowest

performing schools - creating a lasting educational legacy for 100,000s of disadvantaged children.

The Sutton Trust’s work has up to now been primarily focused on improving ‘top-end’ social mobility – ensuring that our most academically able children from all backgrounds access the country’s top universities and professions. But the country’s mobility challenge is as much about raising basic school results so the poorest children fulfil their potential and leave school prepared for life.

I see the EEF as a culmination of the Sutton Trust’s work. The Trust is primarily a do tank – we fund initiatives, evaluate them thoroughly and if they work persuade others, notably Government, to take them up. So we view the EEF as a gigantic do tank which by trialling and evaluating promising initiatives will have an unprecedented opportunity to inform and influence the way Government spends its billions on supporting disadvantaged children.

More details will be unveiled when the EEF is officially launched in July 2011. Meanwhile, the Sutton Trust’s core work I am glad to say continues to flourish, as this summary of activities during 2010 demonstrates.

I am often asked when abroad whether Britain remains a class-divided society. The assumption tends to be that in this country, more than any other, family background, rather than raw talent, determines success in life. The dramatic General Election results in May 2010 only fuelled these suspicions further.

The Sutton Trust’s analysis of the school and university backgrounds of the 650 new Members of Parliament revealed that the class of 2010 was indeed a highly privileged group. Over a third of MPs are from fee paying schools, which educate just 7% of the school population. Among the new MPs are 20 from Eton College alone.

Those holding high office are even more socially elite. Just under two thirds of the newly formed Cabinet went to independent schools, accessible only to those families who can afford school fees. The Prime Minister meanwhile re-established another academic tradition. Every former PM since the war (apart from his predecessor Gordon Brown) who went to university, attended one institution: Oxford. The Labour Party’s new leader, Ed Miliband, their future hope for PM is, needless to say, also an Oxonian.

Some British commentators would claim that just by recording

4 Sutton Trust Annual Report 2010

Chairman’s Message

these facts equates somehow to a crude ‘class war’. But what surprises those outside these shores is just how dramatic the figures are - and how easily accepted they seem to be in British life, as they are the way it has always been.

For the Sutton Trust, the changed political landscape of 2010 only confirmed the continuing need for its work to improve social mobility through education. So we were extremely pleased that 100 days after the Coalition came into being the Deputy Prime Minister announced in a major speech that the Government’s Number One social policy aim would be to improve social mobility.

The question of course is how to deliver on this deceptively simple aim. After 13 years of tireless work at the Trust trying to do just this, we are perhaps uniquely qualified to know that this is no easy task.

2010 was another hugely successful year for the Trust with exciting developments across the breadth of our work from the early years to university access. With our partners Impetus Trust, we unveiled a new major early years initiative to invest in successful interventions working with disadvantaged parents and their children aged 0 to 5 so that children from low income homes are equally prepared for

the start of school. Evaluation of our projects remains a key priority. The outcomes for our project offering private tuition in mathematics to 100-150 academically able GCSE pupils from non-privileged homes are eagerly anticipated.

Meanwhile 2010 witnessed another landmark for the Trust when we commissioned our 100th research project. Our research continues to have a huge impact on national debates on education. Just to highlight one example, an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for the Trust concluded that failing to improve low levels of social mobility will cost the UK economy up to £140 billion a year by 2050 - or an additional 4% of Gross Domestic Product. The waste of talent due to low levels of social mobility in the UK will cost us vastly in financial terms.

Another important study was our latest annual survey of attitudes of school children towards higher education. This found that less then half of pupils said they would apply to university if fees rose to £7,000 a year. It was partly on the basis of this evidence that the Trust made public its grave concerns about the Government’s decision to cut university teaching budgets by 80%, and allow universities to treble fees in England.

Most universities have subsequently announced that they will charge the maximum of £9,000 a year. English graduates will face two to three times the average debt of graduates in the US. An obvious concern for social mobility is that fees on this scale will deter many students from lower and middle income homes from higher education in general, and from the prestigious universities charging the highest fees in particular. We believe that our university access work, including the Sutton Trust’s flagship summer schools, will be even more crucial in the years ahead.

So while the social mobility challenge remains stark in the UK, it heartens me to say that the Trust is also booming. As always I am indebted to the small and dedicated team at the Trust, my fellow trustees and advisory board members, as well as all the experts we work with and our countless supporters.

The Trust is grateful to the many individuals, foundations and corporate partners who have contributed to the work of the Trust over the course of the year.

Sir Peter Lampl May 2011


Early YearsProjects

Room to Play *

Impetus – Sutton Early Years Initiative *

Family Links *

PEEP Transition Project

Research

Low Income and Early Cognitive Development in the UK *

A Cross-Cohort Comparison of Childhood Behaviour Problems

* Included projects and research

Room to Play

In response to research highlighting that the use of early years services like Sure Start is in inverse relation to need, policy in this area has become increasingly centred on developing services that are in line with the needs of isolated families. Evidence suggests that this vulnerable group is least likely to pursue offers of support and are younger, less well educated and in less stable relationships.

Room to Play is designed to provide much needed support to such “hard to reach” families, through drop-in style provision based in a shopping centre in one of the most deprived parts of Oxford. The service provides activities for the children, and particularly helps parents learn to facilitate their child’s learning through everyday play and interactions.

The Sutton Trust has supported the development of Room to Play, with partner funders, over a number of years, and the project was evaluated with positive results by the University of Oxford.

Impetus - Sutton Early Years Initiative

A child’s life chances are still heavily determined at birth. Disadvantaged children fall significantly behind their better off peers before they even start school. To close that gap, the Sutton Trust has partnered with Impetus to launch an initiative focused on working with disadvantaged parents and their young children, to tackle inequality at its roots.

The first years in a child’s life are crucial in laying the foundations for successful cognitive, emotional and physical development. Research clearly shows that negative behaviours can be engrained at a very early age – aggressive male behaviour (the single best predictor for violence later in life) is stable as early as age two; and cognitive development at 22 months correlates strongly to educational attainment in later life.

There are a significant number of interventions that have been proven to turn the tide – supporting the most disadvantaged families and their young children through those crucial initial years, making a significant difference to children’s life chances as they start school.

Projects

We continue to see the early years as critical in shaping the future life chances of children from non-privileged homes. Children from poor backgrounds are already one year behind their more affluent peers by the time they reach school age. Our main interest is in the concept of parents and carers as first educators - equipping them with the skills and knowledge to help their children develop and grow, particularly in the face of socio-economic disadvantage.


We want to support these programmes and ensure they reach many more children and families. To this end, the Impetus - Sutton Early Years Initiative is in the process of investing in successful early years interventions specifically working to close the gap in school readiness.

The Initiative is working with ambitious organisations that wish to significantly enhance and improve their impact. They will receive, over a period of 4 to 5 years, a support package comprised of unrestricted funding of up to £350,000 in addition to tailored capacity-building support from the Impetus investment team and network of consultants and advisers.

To date we have £1.5m of funding confirmed and are looking to make an initial three investments by June 2011. It is hoped that the size of the fund will grow over time, with other individual investors and grant-makers contributing both money and experience.

Family Links

The Sutton Trust is funding a pilot project with the charity Family Links to help train primary school Teach First recruits, equipping them with the skills to successfully engage pupils, including the most vulnerable. The initiative is an opportunity to combine the work of Family Link’s well-established Nurturing Programme with the Teach First’s mission of addressing educational disadvantage.

The main aim of the project is to raise awareness of the importance of emotional well-being in pupils and teachers, as well as exploring various behaviour management techniques with which to create a calm, purposeful learning environment. The pilot will trial Family Links materials and training with 20 student teachers, providing them and their tutors with support throughout the academic year.

An evaluation of the project is also to be put into place to monitor the effectiveness of the programme.

Early Years

Projects

To date we have £1.5m of funding confirmed and are looking to make an initial three investments by June 2011.


Low Income Families and Early Cognitive Development in the UK

Children growing up today in the poorest fifth of families are already nearly a year behind those children from middle income families in vocabulary tests by the time they are five, found research published by the Sutton Trust in February.

Good parenting and a supportive home environment emerge as the most important determinants of better test scores at age 5, according to the research. These two factors accounted for half of the explained gap between low-income and middle-income children.

The research was one of the most comprehensive studies so far on the factors behind the stark educational inequalities during the early years in the UK - based on 12,500 British five-year-olds in 2006 and 2007 in the Millennium Cohort Survey. It was carried out by Jane Waldfogel, professor of social work and public affairs at Columbia University and visiting professor at London School of Economics, and Elizabeth Washbrook, research associate at the Centre for Market and Public Organization at Bristol University.

It found that just under half (45%) of children from the poorest fifth of families were read to daily at age 3, compared with 8 in 10 (78%) of children from the richest fifth of families. Meanwhile, nearly half (47%) of children from the poorest fifth of families were born to mothers aged under 25; just under two-thirds (65%) do not live with both biological parents by the time they are five.

But the study also found that good parenting behaviour, such as reading daily to children or ensuring regular bedtimes, is associated with more advanced development at age 5 - whether children are from the poorest or richest households.

Research

Early Years

Only half the children from the poorest families were read to daily at age 3, compared with 8 in 10 of children from the richest families.


Schools


Projects

Educated Pass *

One-to-one Tuition Pilot *

Future First *

Research

Choice and Selection in Admissions: The Experience of Other Countries *

Ensuring Less Privileged Pupils Benefit from the Government’s School Reforms *

Educational Mobility in England *

World’s Apart – Social Variation Among Schools *

Fee Remissions and Bursaries in Independent Schools

Projects

Educated Pass

Run by Edinburgh University, Educated Pass aims to address the underachievement of teenage boys by engaging young people with education through football.

Through a six session programme, the initiative stresses the importance of study and of considering future education and career options in the context of sport and professional football.

The Trust has supported this innovative and successful programme since 2008, and since then Educated Pass has seen involvement from more clubs and teams, and – most importantly - an increase in the number of participants from the most deprived areas of the city. It is also proving to successfully raise the aspirations of the boys it targets. In 2009, once the programme was over all the participants showed an interest in attending college or university (compared to 76 percent when interviewed beforehand) and an encouraging 88 percent felt they had the skills and ability necessary to succeed at college or university (up from 37 percent prior to engagement).

One-to-one Tuition Pilot

There is growing evidence of a burgeoning of private tuition in England, with almost a quarter of students in London receiving such help at some point during their school careers. The Sutton Trust’s concern is that this trend will widen still further the achievement gap between the haves and the have nots, with the children of families who can afford private tuition extending their academic lead over those from poorer homes.

With support from our partner, Greater London Tutors, the Trust is developing a pilot project which will offer one-to-one tuition in mathematics to 100-150 academically able Year 11 (GCSE) pupils from non-privileged homes who would not otherwise be able to access it. We aim to help those pupils with the potential to achieve A or A* grades in their maths GCSE, but who are at risk of not doing so, and will provide 10 hours of private tuition in the run-up to the GCSE exam.

We have approached a number of London schools serving areas of deprivation and have asked them to nominate pupils who meet these criteria. In order to evaluate the project reliably, half of the pupils put forward will receive the tuition and the other half will not.

The Trust aims for a school system in which young people’s achievement is not tied to their social and economic background. A priority for us is access to schools and combating the social segregation which blights the current system. We believe the intakes of the highest performing schools should reflect the communities they serve and that innovative models for addressing low aspirations and attainment in the poorest communities hold huge potential. We also recognise the importance of out-of-school activities in developing disadvantaged young people’s confidence, resilience and soft skills - important influences on future life chances.


Projects

Schools

All will complete questionnaires about their aspirations and attitudes to learning at the beginning and end of the process, and all will have their progress and performance in the exam tracked in order to get as complete a picture as possible of the impact of the tuition.

Tuition will take place within schools outside of school hours, through a programme of six weeks of one hour’s tutoring beginning in April 2011, followed by more intensive sessions as the exam approaches.

Future First

At a time when competition for jobs and university courses is so fierce, having access to networks to offer advice and support – as well as entry to work experience and internship opportunities - can be invaluable for non-privileged young people. Future First works to introduce alumni networks, which are commonly used in the independent sector, to state schools by bringing back former students to inspire, advise and guide current pupils.

The Sutton Trust began supporting the programme in 2009 and has funded its expansion to Feltham Community College in Hounslow, a school with over 20 percent of students eligible for free school meals. The programme aims to help students define their career goals and educational aspirations, as well as offering practical help, including putting together effective CVs.

The scheme has been able to support face-to-face alumni contact and the development of individual interactive alumni websites for each school. The programme also offers a range of work placements through its network, including over 50 days of work-shadowing opportunities with leading barristers.

of pupils say they have received private or home tuition at some stage in their education.


Research

Choice and Selection in Admissions: The Experience of Other Countries

In November a report for the Trust proposed a radical solution to bring England’s school system into line with international practice: undertake national examinations at age 14 instead of age 16, and offer pupils a set of distinct and credible educational routes thereafter.

The proposal that the GCSE should be adapted to become a national examination for 14-year-olds was made by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson of the University of Buckingham. The Sutton Trust commissioned their research comparing education systems in the 30 countries of the OECD.

Professor Smithers and Dr Robinson at the Centre for Education and Employment Research concluded that there were lessons for the new Coalition Government from international comparisons of admissions to, and the structure of, the ‘lower’ and ‘upper’ stages of secondary education.

26 of the 30 OECD countries have a clear array of pathways in the later years of schooling, spanning pre-university, technical training and preparation for

employment. England, the report argued, with its untidy mix in the school system is a conspicuous exception. The authors argued that the Government could make ‘education 14-19’ a reality by moving and adapting the GCSE to become the national examination for 14-year-olds. “This would then become the natural starting point for an array of awards taking young people in different directions. If these were sufficiently attractive, young people would want to stay on for as long as it took to gain a qualification and there would be no need for the sticks necessary to impose compulsory staying on.”

On admissions, the authors challenged the Government to decide how they want pupils to be distributed across secondary education.

Schools

4743

3723

In England 56% of children from degree-educated parents were in the top 25% of test scores at age 14, compared with 9% of children whose parents left school without O-levels. This gap of 47 percentage points is over twice the equivalent gap in Australia (23 points), and higher than the gap in Germany (37 points) and the USA (43 points).


Research

Education Mobility in England

Children’s levels of achievement are more closely linked to their parents’ background in England than in many other developed nations found a report published by the Sutton Trust in May.

The research investigated the latest international comparisons of education mobility, the link between the education attainment of parents and their children. Education mobility provides a good indicator of future levels of social mobility among a population.

The analysis suggested that there were signs of some improvement in terms of narrowing education gaps over recent decades, but stark inequalities remain.

The research by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University looked at the test scores of 15,000 children born in 1989/1990 and compared these to previous cohorts born in 1958 and 1970, as well as results from overseas. The findings placed England significantly behind similar nations, with 56% of children from degree-educated parents in the top 25% of test scores at age 14, compared with 9% of children whose parents left school without O-Levels. This gap of 47 percentage points is over twice the equivalent gap in

to increase school autonomy will lead to further social segregation among schools and hinder social mobility.

Apart from school admissions reforms, other proposals for a ‘high autonomy high equity’ school system covered: the use of the pupil premium; measures to hold schools to account; and the roles of Local Authorities.

The Trust outlined plans to develop a ‘pupil premium toolkit’ for schools. This will list approaches for teachers that are proven to improve children’s achievement as well as listing those that the research suggests are less effective.

Meanwhile, the Trust proposed that among the new measures to be used to monitor the performance of schools should be a measure showing the extent to which schools are narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils, both in terms of final examination grades, and progress made by children during their schooling.

Ensuring Less Privileged Pupils Benefit from the Government’s School Reforms

How do you ensure that less privileged pupils benefit from the Coalition Government’s school reforms? This was the question addressed by the Sutton Trust in a policy note published in August. It outlined a series of checks, balances and incentives in the school system needed to ensure that the current reforms benefit all pupils, not just those from privileged homes. Many of the proposals in the document were subsequently featured in the Government’s White Paper on education.

The Trust proposed a simple amendment to the existing Admissions Code to allow schools to give priority in the admissions round to low income children, in the same way as children in care are given preference. The Government now plans to consult on this.

The impact of school reforms on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils remains a key issue. Government moves to introduce more academies and create free schools aim to improve the overall performance of schools, and the educational opportunities for less privileged pupils in particular. Yet there are also concerns that these moves


Worlds Apart – Social Variation Among Schools

Comprehensive schools in England are highly socially segregated and the main reason for this is their admissions and selection processes rather than their location, according to a report published by the Sutton Trust in March. It also found that the country’s leading comprehensive schools are more socially exclusive than the remaining grammar schools.

The report - Worlds Apart - Social Variation Among Schools - was produced by Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, from the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham. The study investigated social exclusivity in secondary schools using IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), developed by the Department of Communities and Local Government. This method is much more sophisticated than that used in previous comparisons which have relied on the proportions of children in receipt of free school meals.

The researchers found that the country’s top 164 comprehensive schools took only 9.2% of children from income deprived homes although they drew pupils from areas where about 20% were income deprived. The 164

remaining grammar schools, also drawing their pupils from areas where 20% were income deprived, were found to be more inclusive, admitting 13.5% of children from poor homes.

Of the 100 most socially selective schools in the country, 91 were comprehensives, eight were grammars and there was one secondary modern.

The researchers argued that despite the Government’s Admissions Code being mandatory and painstakingly put together, “there is still wriggle room for schools that want to ensure a favourable intake to enable them to show up well in league tables”.

The report called for a fairer and less complicated admissions system to allocate places in schools with more applicants than places. It concluded: “Our view is that the principal means should be by ballot. It would be fair and lead to a more equitable education system … It could be used in conjunction with other criteria, for example ability, faith or location, but ultimately places should be settled by parental preferences with ballots where necessary. Do you agree?”

Research

Schools

Australia (23 points), and higher than the gap in Germany (37 points) and the USA (43 points).

In addition, an updated analysis of 20 countries looking at the relationship between the number of books at home (an indicator of parental education levels) and children’s test scores, placed England and Scotland at the bottom of the international ranking. Children from more highly educated homes in England, for example, were almost five times more likely be amongst the top performers in maths tests than their peers from poorly educated homes - double the equivalent figure in Belgium (at the top of the rankings) and considerably higher than in Australia, Canada and Italy.

A major obstacle to education, and consequently social mobility, was found to be the high levels of social segregation in English secondary schools.


University


Projects

Summer Schools *

Reach for Excellence *

Sutton Trust Academic Routes *

Cambridge Maths Mechanics Residential Course *

STEP Course at Cambridge *

The Subject Matters *

FE Summer School

The Corpus-Schools Focus Programmes

Imperial College Maths Summer School

Research

MORI Young People’s Survey *

Use of an Aptitude Test in University Entrance *

Sutton Trust: Initial Response to the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance

Increasing University Income from Home and Overseas Students: What Impact for Social Mobility?

Responding to the New Landscape for University Access *

Submission to the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance *

The Reach for Excellence Programme: A Summary and Discussion of Findings from the First Cohort of Students

The Social Composition and Future Earnings of Postgraduates

Access to higher education as a route to social mobility is a core concern of the Sutton Trust. Our focus in later age groups is on access to highly selective research-intensive universities and on ensuring young people make informed choices which are appropriate to their talents and aspirations. Increasingly, though, we are also working with younger children - and over a longer period of time - in recognition of the fact that the seeds of high aspiration need to be planted much earlier on.

Projects

University

Summer Schools

The Sutton Trust started its pioneering summer schools programme back in 1997, and thirteen years later they continue to be a widely sought after and valuable opportunity.

The week long summer schools are designed to give bright students from non-privileged homes a taste of life at a leading university, demystifying the university experience and providing information and insight into how to make high quality applications to prestigious institutions. Funded by the Sutton Trust with the generous support of its partners and host universities, the 2010 summer schools attracted over 4,200 applications for nearly 700 places.

Every year we try to reach more schools from which we rarely receive applications, as this is where aspirations towards the elite universities are likely to be particularly low and where advice on how to negotiate admissions arrangements is particularly needed. Indeed, one of the major successes of the programme is that it reaches those it is designed to help. Of the Year 12s who attended this year, all met at least one of the eligibility criteria, whilst 97 percent met at least two and three quarters matched three. Two thirds of the students

Projects

The 2010 summer schools attracted over 4,200 applications for nearly 700 places.

came from schools with a lower than average rate of A-Level attainment.

The summer schools are also highly effective in raising the aspirations of the young people who take part. UCAS tracking data indicates that Sutton Trust students were three times as likely to apply to one of the five summer school universities as applicants from the comparator group of students from similar backgrounds and with similar levels of attainment. Significantly, 6 in 10 students have begun their degrees at one of the elite Russell Group universities, and one quarter ended up at one of the five host summer school universities.

In 2011 the Sutton Trust is looking to expand the number of places available at current partner universities, as well as exploring the possibility of replicating the summer school model at other institutions.


STAR is being rigorously evaluated by Durham University’s Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring through a randomised control trial – the first of its kind for a UK university access programme. This will be of great benefit to the higher education sector and to the government as future approaches to access work are planned.

Cambridge Maths University Residential Course

This project is aimed at likely applicants for Engineering or Physics at Cambridge and aims to foster the key skill of linking Physics and Mathematics in developing mathematical models and descriptions of physical situations. Too often this is lacking in those applying for these courses, particularily those from non-privileged backgrounds, despite being of great importance throughout the degrees.

Through an intensive residential course, Year 12 students from non-privileged backgrounds are able to participate in a range of relevant activities. This includes experimental work, enrichment visits and advice sessions on personal statements and interviews.

Projects

STAR

Concerned by the continuingly low proportion of non-privileged students at academically selective universities, in 2009 the Sutton Trust conducted a detailed review into innovative university admissions schemes, both from within and outside of the UK. Sutton Trust Academic Routes (STAR) was developed as a result of its findings and began in 2010.

STAR is delivered in partnership with Leeds and Exeter Universities and targets the top ten percent of bright but disadvantaged students in low progression schools in the vicinity of the two universities. Importantly it aims to engage all of those young people with the potential for university study, not just a self-selected group who come forward. It supports them over three years through a programme of advice sessions, taster days, study skills and residential events. Furthermore, by beginning in Year 11 STAR aims to help students with their A-Level and FE choices, minimising the barriers to accessing leading universities. At the centre of the programme is the possibility of participants receiving a lower A-Level offer to the university in reflection of their work and commitment over the three years.

Reach for Excellence

With funding from Lloyds TSB in partnership with the Sutton Trust, the University of Leeds has been running the Reach for Excellence programme for a number of years. This initiative, designed for local sixth-formers at schools and colleges with low higher-education participation rates, comprises two years of comprehensive guidance and support with the aim of raising the aspirations of disadvantaged young people with the potential to attend leading universities.

The National Foundation for Educational Research is evaluating the programme over five years, and the results have been very promising. The initial findings show that the programme is successfully reaching those it is designed to help, with 86 percent being first generation university applicants and 85 percent gaining between nine and 18 GCSEs graded A* to C.


In 2010 an encouraging 75 percent of participants went on to apply to Cambridge and seven were made offers. The Sutton Trust intends to continue supporting the project in 2011.

STEP course at Cambridge

The Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) is a requirement for entry to study Mathematics at Cambridge, but poses a considerable challenge for students from schools that are unable to offer Further Maths A-Level and intensive maths support.

This four-day residential course is designed to support state school or college sixth-formers who have received a conditional offer to read the subject at the university, boosting their likelihood of success in the STEP paper and therefore the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds studying maths at the university. In 2010, 24 students took part.

The Subject Matters

A number of the Trust’s research studies have pointed to the importance of students making well-informed subject choices at A-Level. All too often, bright pupils’ chances of accessing leading universities are reduced because they have taken an inappropriate combination of subjects at 16 - and this is an issue the University of Cambridge in particular has highlighted. With this in mind, the Sutton Trust is funding the university’s “The Subject Matters” sessions for Year 11 students and teachers in target schools, which are designed to support and inform this important decision making process.

The talks, held on Saturdays, are run by experienced admissions tutors and cover the impact of A-Level choices on certain degree and career options, as well as what else Cambridge tutors are looking for in undergraduate applicants. There is also plenty of opportunity for students and teachers to ask questions and to learn more about the university, its admissions process and outreach schemes.

The sessions have proved to be very popular, with almost 1,000 participants registering to attend the November and January events.

Projects

University

Privately educated students are 55 times more likely to go to Oxbridge than poorer students.


Research

MORI Young People’s Survey

A record proportion of secondary school pupils in England and Wales want to go to university, but the number of aspirants would drop dramatically if annual tuition fees were to rise to £7,000, according to the latest Ipsos MORI annual survey published by the Sutton Trust.

However the survey, carried out between January and April 2010, found that an increase in tuition fees from the current £3,225 a year to £5,000 a year would not have such a dampening effect. The survey also suggested that young people need better advice to make informed choices about their university futures.

Eight in ten (80%) of the pupils aged 11-16 at schools in England and Wales said they were either ‘very likely’ (39%) or ‘fairly likely’ (41%) to go into higher education. This is by far the highest proportion since the Sutton Trust first commissioned the annual survey in 2003 (71%) and is significantly higher than in 2008 (73%).

The 2,700 survey respondents were asked for the first time this year to rate their likelihood of attending university if tuition fees were raised. More than two-thirds (68%) said they would still be likely to go on to higher education

if fees were increased to £5,000. But only 45% would be likely to continue to university if fees were raised to £7,000 - and this percentage falls to 26% with a major hike up to £10,000.

Use of an Aptitude Test in University Entrance

Students from comprehensive schools are likely to achieve higher class degrees at university than independent and grammar school students with similar A-Levels and GCSE results, a major study commissioned by the Sutton Trust and the Government showed. This was one of the main findings from a five year study by the National Foundation for Educational Research tracking 8000 A-Level students to investigate whether the US based SAT could be used in university admissions in the UK.

A comprehensive school student with A-Level grades BBB for example is likely to perform as well in their university degree as an independent or grammar school student with A-Level grades ABB or AAB – ie one to two grades higher. Comprehensive school pupils also performed better than their similarly qualified independent and grammar school counterparts in degrees from the most academically selective

universities and across all degree classes, awarded to graduates in 2009.

The final report from the study concluded that the SAT results are a poorer predictor of degree results than A-Levels or GCSEs, and that the test does not identify academic potential among disadvantaged pupils that might be missed by A-Level.

Responding to the New Landscape for University Access

An analysis published in December found that private school students are 55 times more likely to win a place at Oxbridge and 22 times more likely to go to a top-ranked university than students at state schools who qualify for Free School Meals (FSM). The Sutton Trust proposed that the Government’s new £150m per year National Scholarship programme should be used to expand proven outreach work and pilot new approaches – rather than being solely directed to financial support for students.

The report showed how the stark university participation gaps are driven by significant gaps in attainment at GCSE level and before: pupils at fee-paying schools were three-and-a-


Research

University

half times more likely to attain five GCSEs with grades A*-C including English and maths than the pupils from the poorest homes.

Only 2% (approximately 1,300 pupils each year) of the intake of the 25 most academically selective universities in England was made up of Free School Meal pupils, compared with 72.2% from other state school pupils and just over a quarter (25.8%) from independent schools. That means that independent school pupils were six times as likely to attend a highly selective university as those in state schools (the majority) not entitled to Free School Meals.

Submission to the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance

Ensuring non-privileged young people make the most of their talents and opportunities is at the heart of the Sutton Trust’s work, and so in early 2010 we welcomed the opportunity to contribute to Sir Martin Harris review on promoting access to selective universities.

The Trust is keen to ensure that all students who have the academic potential to thrive at

top universities have access to the advice, support and key skills to enable them to do so. It is also crucial they make qualification and subject choices which are valued by admissions tutors and which are suited to their education and career aspirations.

As part of its submission, the Trust reviewed a range of evidence spanning the last decade and found that the proportion of non-privileged students at the UK’s most academically selective universities remains depressingly low. While the number of young full-time first degree entrants to Russell Group universities increased by 18% from 2002/03 to 2007/08, the number coming from the four lowest socio-economic groups increased by just 16%. Similar trends exist for other highly selective universities outside the Russell Group.

The Trust made a number of recommendations to help address this state of affairs, including that additional student places should be created at selective universities for those on access schemes or from disadvantaged homes. We also suggested that more should be done in schools to foster the softer, non academic, skills of non-privileged young people, as these are becoming increasingly important in determining life chances.

In his report to Ministers, Sir Martin made particular note of the Sutton Trust’s work in this area, proposing that a number of our policy and project initiatives, such as our university summer school programme, should be taken on by the higher education sector and government.



Access to the Professions

Projects

Pathways to Law *

accessprofessions.com *

Research

The Educational Backgrounds of Government Ministers in 2010 *

The Educational Backgrounds of Government MPs in 2010 *

In a number of studies the Trust has highlighted how our most influential and sought after careers are dominated by those from privileged backgrounds. Our work has also shed light on the barriers that prevent bright children from non-privileged homes from entering the ranks of our leading professions. It is a priority for the Trust to address these obstacles, which are connected to attitudes and expectations, as well as educational access and underachievement.


Projects

Pathways to Law

Research undertaken by the Sutton Trust shows that the majority of the UK’s top judges and solicitors attended independent schools, even though only seven percent of the population attended such schools. Modelled on a scheme at the University of Edinburgh, Pathways to Law was developed to increase the diversity of the profession, and provides valuable opportunities for disadvantaged students interested in pursuing a career in law.

Funded by the Sutton Trust and the College of Law, with support from major law firms, this highly successful initiative is delivered at the LSE and the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Warwick, Southampton, and has now also expanded to the University of Bristol and UCL. The programme consists of a series of interventions over Year 12 and 13, continuing with support into the university years. This includes university-based sessions, including academic seminar discussions; careers and university advice; e-mentoring by current law students; a guaranteed work placement at a top law firm; a three-night residential conference; and the use of a library of law-related information and news.

Over the life-time of this programme at least 1000 students will benefit, and initial tracking of the first group of students suggests a significant impact – with half being successfully admitted to leading research-led universities and three quarters pursuing subjects which could lead to a career in law.

accessprofessions.com

With funding from the Sutton Trust and the support of a number of leading professional bodies, firms, third sector organisations and universities, accessprofessions.com is a web portal that matches young people with aspiration-raising opportunities in higher education and the professions, focussed particularly on students from under-represented backgrounds.

Although open to all young people, the priority is to support those groups which are currently under-represented in higher education and the professions. We know that these students are less likely to know about and apply for access programmes; that they tend to be more cautious; and hold preconceptions about pathways and choices which are ‘not for the likes of them’.

By providing a single point of contact, accessprofessions.com, which is completely free, aims to overcome many of these barriers. It makes communication with notoriously hard-to-reach groups more manageable and enables those organisations interested in fair access and widening participation to be proactive in encouraging applicants from non-traditional backgrounds to participate in their initiatives. The site will also become a powerful tool in tracking and monitoring the reach and spread of access programmes so that resources can be directed to where they are most needed.



Research

The Educational Backgrounds of Government Ministers and MPs in 2010

The proportion of new Members of Parliament attending independent schools has increased - reversing the downward trend during recent decades, a study by the Sutton Trust found following the General Election in May.

Over one third (35%) of MPs elected for the 2010 Parliament attended fee-paying schools, which educate just 7% of the school population. The proportion of MPs attending independent schools for the previous 2005 Parliament was 32%. A major factor behind the increase is the higher number of Conservative MPs - who are much more likely than their Labour peers to have been privately-schooled.

A subsequent Sutton Trust analysis found that those holding high office are even more socially elite. Just under two thirds of the newly formed Cabinet went to independent, fee-paying schools. The Prime Minister restored another academic tradition meanwhile: every former PM since the war (apart from his predecessor Gordon Brown) who went to university, attended one institution: Oxford. Labour’s new leader, Ed Miliband is needless to say, also an Oxonian.

The report concluded: “These results show clearly that the educational profile of our representatives in the 2010 Parliament does not reflect society at large. There are many factors that determine the make-up of Parliament, but one major obstacle to ensuring talented people from all backgrounds reach public office is the educational inequality that continues to hold back social mobility in this country.”

The study showed that 54% of Conservative MPs attended fee paying schools, compared with 40% of Liberal Democrat MPs, and 15% of Labour MPs. The review, which has gathered school information on 620 (96%) of the newly elected and re-elected MPs, also finds that there are 20 Etonians in the 2010 Parliament - 5 more than those who served in the 2005 Parliament.

The review documented how serving as a Member of Parliament has largely become a graduate profession. Nine in ten MPs in 2010 went to university - by far the highest proportion of any Parliament to date. This includes just under three in ten who were educated at either Oxford or Cambridge universities. Oxford has produced 102 MPs serving in the 2010 Parliament.

of MPs elected for the 2010 Parliament attended fee-paying schools.

MPs elected in 2010 had been to university.


The Mobility Manifesto

The key objective of the Sutton Trust has always been the promotion of social mobility through education. Since it was founded in 1997, the Trust has developed and promoted a variety of projects designed to increase opportunities for those from non-privileged backgrounds, as well as over 100 research reports in this area.

Enhancing social mobility is not, however, just a question of social justice but also one of economic necessity. With our strong commitment to achieving good value for money and to conducting rigorous research about the effectiveness of the programmes we fund and promote, in 2008 we asked the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to assess the relative cost-benefit of a number of our initiatives. Their findings, summarised in the report Investing for Impact revealed that for every £1 invested in Sutton Trust schemes, the financial returns amounted to an average of £14 in extra lifetime earnings for the individuals affected.

In 2010 we asked BCG to build on this work by looking at various innovative and cost effective programmes from all over the world which have the potential to improve educational achievement. Projects considered included extra-curricular activities linked

to school engagement, individual enrichment sessions for bright disadvantaged children, teacher incentive schemes and extending student finance to internships. The study also aimed to highlight to political parties in the run up to the General Election the value of investing in such opportunities, despite the downturn. Doing so will take political courage - the full economic benefits will not be seen for decades to come - but equally a failure to act would condemn the country to a less prosperous and socially just future.

The Mobility Manifesto also included an analysis of the economic benefits of social mobility in terms of GDP growth. Startlingly, this found that failing to improve low levels of mobility will cost the UK economy up to £140 billion a year by 2050 - or the equivalent of 4 percent of Gross Domestic Product.

We hope that the research underpinning the Mobility Manifesto will provide a useful framework for policy-makers to make the case for improving educational opportunities, from the early years upwards. From the Trust’s perspective, the analysis has already begun informing our work and shaping our priorities for the coming years.


Public Profile

The Sutton Trust continued to enjoy a high public profile in 2010 – with a series of Trust reports covered by the national broadsheets and national broadcast media, as well as mentions of Trust work in key Government and Parliamentary debates.

In total, the Trust was mentioned over 800 times in 2010 – including national and regional press as well as journals and mentions on news websites. This included 171 press mentions in the printed national press.

Reports hitting the headlines included the Trust’s study showing that children from the poorest homes are almost a year behind middle class pupils by the time they start school. In April there was coverage of the Trust’s latest research on international social mobility levels, concluding that England is still lagging behind many other developed countries.

The Trust’s analysis of the educational backgrounds of new MPs following the General Election attracted widespread coverage and comment in May.

In the summer meanwhile, announcing the Government’s intention to publish a social mobility strategy (eventually published in April 2011), the Deputy Prime Minister,

Nick Clegg, alluded to the work by the Boston Consulting Group for the Trust estimating the national economic gains that improved social mobility would bring to the country.

The BCG report, which assessed the cost-effectiveness of education interventions to help non-privileged children from the early years to access to the professions, drew interest from Whitehall during the Coalition’s spending review discussions. The Trust and BCG briefed Government officials on the report at the bequest of Universities Secretary, David Willetts.

The Trust’s research director, Lee Elliot Major, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on several topics during the year. In one discussion, he discussed why children of richer parents tend to end up in better state schools than those of poorer parents.

This was on the back of a Sutton Trust submission to Education Secretary Michael Gove on the checks and balances needed alongside the school reforms to ensure that all pupils benefit from them. Among the proposals were that schools would be expected to give priority to poorer children when admitting new pupils and judged on the extent to which they narrow the gap between

disadvantaged youngsters and their better-off classmates.

In September, the Trust’s research director was featured on a BBC TV programme presented by John Humphrys. ‘Unequal opportunities’ investigated the stark and continued attainment gaps between poor pupils and their more privileged peers.

Meanwhile in October, the Trust’s chairman Sir Peter Lampl, wrote an impassioned opinion piece in the Times highlighting the Trust’s fears that trebling of fees would alienate low and middle income children from English universities. The article concluded: “The double whammy of major cuts to state funding of universities and higher fees is inequitable and is sure to freeze social mobility. That is a bitter legacy for any politician.”

The article was subsequently referred to in the Parliamentary debate over the introduction of higher fees. Shadow Business Secretary, John Denham, said: “The whole House knows about the work of Sir Peter Lampl of the Sutton Trust. No one outside the education establishment has done more-or, indeed, been prepared to invest more of their own money-to campaign for fair access for students from low-income homes.”


Education Endowment Fund

The Sutton Trust, as the lead charity in a partnership with Impetus, has been chosen to administer the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) - an unprecedented opportunity to improve the achievement of the country's poorest children. The EEF received a £125m arm's length grant from the Department for Education and will run over 15 years.

The EEF, which will be housed in a dedicated charity, will be used to initiate grants and seek innovative and bold proposals from schools, teachers, local authorities and charities to boost the achievement of disadvantaged pupils in England's lowest performing schools. It is hoped that these projects, which will all be rigorously evaluated, will narrow attainment gaps in the classroom and create a lasting educational legacy for hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged children. It is envisaged that as much as £200 million will be allocated in total over the 15-year lifetime of the programme - with the extra money coming from fundraising and investment returns. Both the Sutton Trust and Impetus are also committing funds to underpin the administration of the programme and contributing significant staff time and other in-kind support.

In many ways the EEF represents the culmination of the Sutton Trust's work over the last fourteen years: a chance to build on the innovative 'do-tank' model, linking research, projects and evaluation; piloting new ways of addressing educational inequality; and ultimately influencing public spending on education. So while the Sutton Trust will continue as an independent charity, the EEF represents an exciting and unique opportunity to extend our impact in improving the life chances of non-privileged young people.

ARK Schools University Project

The Trust is working with the academy chain ARK to develop a programme of higher education access and aspiration initiatives, from primary school upwards. The programme is likely to include a package of primary school work, subject advice days, summer school places, a sustained and intensive access initiative over a number of years - as well as resources and advice sessions for teachers.

ARK academies serve areas of deprivation and their pupils overlap substantially with the Trust's target group. The Trust sees great potential in developing and testing the impact of a sustained programme of support for non-privileged young people, gaining feedback from pupils and staff along the way.


Future Developments

Summer Schools

In an uncertain environment of more competition for places and substantially higher tuition fees, it is more important than ever to ensure that bright non-privileged young people make well informed university choices, suited to their talents and aspirations.

As mentioned on page 23, the Trust will therefore be expanding the number of places on its flagship summer school programme in 2011, including through a pilot programme at Imperial College. In the medium term the Trust is looking to bring on board further research-led universities - and to explore the possibility of widening the scope of the programme to include advice and guidance on applying to elite US colleges.

Free Schools Evaluation

The Trust has had an established interest in the potential of schools modelled on the US 'no excuses' approach to improve the education of low income students in the UK. Charter school chains, such as KIPP and Uncommon, have produced excellent results in raising the aspirations and achievement of disadvantaged pupils in a number of American cities.

In this context we are evaluating the impact of two new free schools in London. Both are primary schools run by ARK with an emphasis on high expectations and achievement in core academic subjects. The research study will examine the impact of the schools in their own terms, as well as in the wider context of their effect on neighbouring schools and the community. It is hoped the study will help to shape the future provision of free schools and clarify the applicability of the 'no excuses' model to a wide range of other English school environments.

University Destinations by School

During the year the Trust will be publishing data on the university progression rates of all schools and colleges with sixth form provision. This will include figures on what proportion of students continue to higher education in some form - and to highly selective universities in particular.

The study is intended to encourage schools and colleges to look beyond examination results and to focus on actual outcomes for students - something which the best state and independent schools have done for some time.

Latest International Education Mobility Comparisons

Previous research has revealed that England has one of the lowest rates of social mobility in the developed world, and in 2011 the Trust will be working on further comparisons of mobility in different countries. The study will investigate the various factors that impact upon children’s levels of achievement and how these vary from country to country. It is hoped that this will provide a deeper understanding of how social mobility can be improved in the UK.

PISA and Policy

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests are conducted every three years to assess the educational achievements of fifteen year olds across the world. The Trust is commissioning research into the impact of these tests, examining for example the link between performance in PISA and particular approaches to and systems of education, as well as how the PISA results compare to other contemporary surveys. The study will also highlight how PISA has influenced education policy and aimed to address underachievement.

Future Developments


Unrestricted Funds 2010

£

Restricted Funds 2010

£

Total Funds 2010

£

Total Funds 2009

£

Incoming resourcesIncoming resources from generated funds:

Voluntary income - donations 1,390,746 1,390,746 1,643,729

Investment income - bank interest 987 - 987 4,596

Other incoming resources:

- foreign exchange gains 1,243 1,122 2,365 -

- other miscellaneous income 3,812 - 3,812 1,350

Total incoming resources 1,396,788 1,122 1,397,910 1,649,675

Resources expended

Costs of generating funds - - - -

Charitable activities:

Cost of grant giving 1,337,505 6,551 1,344,056 2,099,496

Governance 25,461 - 25,461 29,332

Foreign exchange loss - - - 7,425

Total resources expended 1,362,966 6,551 1,369,517 2,136,253

Net (outgoing/incoming) resources in the year 33,822 (5,429) 28,393 (486,578)

Funds brought forward at 1 January 2010 838,295 25,608 863,903 1,350,481

Funds carried forward at 31 December 2010 £872,117 £20,179 £892,296 £863,903

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.All incoming resources and resources expended derived from continuing activities.

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year ended 31 December 2010


Summary Financial Statement

2010 2009£ £ £ £

Fixed Assets 64,161 85,195

Current Assets

Debtors 162,745 271,563

Cash at bank and in hand 803,522 847,578

966,267 1,119,141

Creditors - amounts falling due within one year (138,132) (340,433)

Net Current Assets 828,135 778,708

Total Assets Less Current Liabilities £892,296 £863,903

Funds

Unrestricted Income Fund 872,117 838,295

Restricted Income Fund 20,179 25,608

Total Funds at 31 December 2010 £892,296 £863,903

Balance Sheet at 31 December 2010

Report of the Auditors to the Trustees of The Sutton TrustWe have examined the summarised financial information on pages 38 and 39 which, in our opinion, is consistent with the full financial statements prepared for the year ended 31 December 2010. The full financial statements set out the respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Auditors. On 6 May 2011 we reported, as Auditors of The Sutton Trust, to the Trustees on the full financial statements and our report was unqualified.

Rawlinson & HunterChartered Accountants and Registered Auditor, Eighth Floor, New Street Square, London, EC4A 3AQ6 May 2011

Trustees’ StatementThe summarised financial information on pages 38 and 39 is extracted from the full financial statements which have been audited and on which an unqualified auditors’ report was issued on 6 May 2011. The full financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 6 May 2011 and a copy has been submitted to the Charity Commission. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman


111 Upper Richmond Road Putney, London SW15 2TJ T: 020 8788

Documents

Transcript of 111 Upper Richmond Road Putney, London SW15 2TJ T: 020 8788