2. 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.
3. • 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.
4. A ‘think tank’ Founded 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl
to 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?
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12. 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.
13. 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.
14. A recent German study meanwhile
showed that England had the
strongest
association between children’s
test scores at age 13 and family
background than any other
country reviewed
15. Children are now getting better GCSE
results, but as a result a key question
unanswered 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 background
and post 16 education attainment (A-levels
and degrees), and a strengthening
association for pupils not in education,
employment or training (NEETs).
16. 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 home
environment.
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…
17. 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…
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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 educational
backgrounds of candidates.
But this is largely due to the fact
that there will be more Conservative
MPs this time round.
22. • 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.
23. • 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?
