'Education emergency' declared as Rotherham children left behind

Disadvantaged children in Rotherham are being left behind in the classroom despite a generation of warnings, councillors have heard.

A motion calling for an 'education emergency' to be recognised was passed at a full council meeting on Wednesday (November 4), amid concerns that poverty continues to shape children's futures.

Proposed by councillors Taiba Yasseen and Mick Bower, it highlights gaps in achievement which emerge before children even start school.

Figures cited in the motion show just 44 per cent of children eligible for free school meals reached the expected level of development at age five in 2024/25, compared with almost 65 per cent of all Rotherham children.

Nearly half (46 per cent) of the borough's children aged 0–15 live in income-deprived families, compared with 38 per cent nationally.

Coun Yasseen told the meeting: "This is not a sudden problem or a claim that nothing is being done."

She said the inequalities reflected decades of systemic policy failure, with existing efforts falling short of the action needed.

"Good work is happening locally but decades of evidence show it still is unfortunately just not enough."

She also spoke about growing up in Eastwood after arriving in the country as an immigrant with her brother, recalling the challenges of living in a deprived neighbourhood.

"I desperately want every child to have a fair chance to shape the future," she said.

Coun Bower drew on his own experiences of education, telling councillors he left Oakwood School in the early 1980s with just one O-level.

He recalled returning 22 years later as an English teacher, much to the surprise of some of his former teachers.

He said his experience in the classroom had shown him the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers on a daily basis, stressing the urgent need for action.

The motion also highlights national figures showing that just 13 per cent of white British boys eligible for free school meals entered higher education by age 19, compared with 28.6 per cent of eligible pupils nationally.

A proposed council review will examine whether the same pattern exists in Rotherham, with particular attention to boys and young men from lower-income families.

Coun Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people, acknowledged the work already taking place to tackle educational inequality.

However, she also pointed to the impact of 14 years of Conservative austerity, arguing that underinvestment had left many schools in poor condition.

The approved motion calls for improving educational opportunities to become a priority within the council's existing no family left behind strategy.

The council's scrutiny board will examine barriers facing disadvantaged pupils and consider targeted schemes to help close the gap.

Council leader Chris Read will also write to the Education Secretary calling for sustained investment and national action to tackle the impact of child poverty on learning.