Schools Week and the Big Issue this week report on results that show that children in rural areas on free school meals score lower in tests than their urban peers on free school meals.

Pupils from poor families in rural areas achieved lower levels of attainment than equally disadvantaged pupils in urban areas according to research by the thinktank LKMco.

Loic Menzies, chief executive of LKMco, said that rural schools had ‘particular difficulty breaking the link between poverty and low pupil attainment’. He added: ‘It seems that low attainment in rural, high-deprivation secondary schools is not just about pupils having low starting points. Instead, there is an important link between school deprivation level and progress rates.’

School size, local labour market and wealth levels in the surrounding area all impact school attainment.

The report suggests that joining a multi-academy trust could benefit rural schools.

Full articles:

? Schools Week - Rural schools struggle to break poverty-attainment link

? The Big Issue - Rural areas with pupils on free school meals get lower exam results