external

• material deprivation is when a pupil is unable to afford the fundamental learning materials, such as textbooks, stationary etc, need to thrive academically
• material deprivation typically hinders a pupil's chances of reaching their full potential, as they lack the basic resources to do so
• Howard suggests that a poor diet leads to a lower intake of crucial vitamins, which leads to ill health and by extension poor attendance, resulting in a pupil falling behind in school work
• Waldfogel and Washbrook suggest that poor living conditions, such as dampness, overcrowding or a lack of privacy to study are likely to affect w/c pupils, who may come from families who are unable to afford better housing
• Tanner suggests that pupils who come from low-income households are more likely to underachieve, high costs of uniform and learning materials disadvantage w/c pupils
• Bernstein & Language Codes

  • suggests that m/c families are more likely to communicate in the elaborated code, which uses complex sentences and rich vocabulary
  • this elaborated code is mirrored by the education system, through the teachers and in textbooks and exam papers
  • on the contrary, w/c families are more likely to speak in the restricted code which uses simple and gramitically limited language
• poorer w/c parents are less likely to be able to afford pre-school or nursery facilities, such as Sure start, this may affect their child's development compared to other children who have had access to such facilities
• Parents’ Attitude

  • Sugaman argues that m/c parents are more likely to practise deferred gratification, stressing importance on long periods in education being a great investment for the future
  • on the contrary, w/c families harbour more fatalistic views, and so practise immediate gratification
• Feinsten

  • argues that the extent of parents’ education can have an effect on a pupil’s educational achievement
  • found that m/c parents had more social capital, and therefore knew how to “work the system”, with their good negotiation skills and extensive expertise on how to navigate the education system
• statistically, pupils from working class backgrounds are more likely to underachieve than those from a middle class background
• Ball argued that although school is free for all, the added costs to equipment and experiences that may enhance educational achievement may cause w/c pupils to miss out
• Callender & Jackson (2005)

  • conducted a survey and found that w/c pupils were more debt-averse, and therefore viewed debt as something to be avoided
  • attitude to debt is an important factor when deciding whether to apply to university or not
  • the most debt-averse pupils were seen to apply to university five times less likely than their m/c counterparts
• Reay

  • found that w/c pupils are more likely to apply for unis within their catchment area, as a means of saving money on the cost of commuting, even if it meant having less of a chance at a higher status uni