Major study reveals inequalities in spotting learning difficulties in school pupils

The research from Durham University and the University of Oxford’s Department of Education examined data from over 540,000 Year 6 pupils across 14,800 schools, and raises questions about fair access to support.

The findings suggest that a child in one school could be considered to have a specific learning difficulty whereas a child with the same academic achievement in another school may not be spotted.

Professor Steve Strand, Professor of Education at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education and co-author of the research, said: “The variation between primary schools in the number of young people identified with SpLD is huge, and we are unable to account for much of it. We need much more research to understand what drives these differences.”

The study found:

• Students in high-achieving schools were more likely to be identified with SpLDs, even with the same test scores as peers in low-achieving schools. The researchers suggest “underachievement” may be judged relative to peers, meaning SpLD identification could depend on the school’s overall performance.
• Schools with more children from disadvantaged areas were associated with lower chances of being identified as having SpLDs. This finding supports previous research that has shown it’s not always possible for parents to afford assessments for their children, which often require private costly providers.
• Girls were less likely to be identified than boys, despite controlling for achievement and background. This was particularly pronounced in maths where boys had about twice the odds of being identified compared to girls with similar maths attainment.
• Children with English as an Additional Language (EAL), even with the same reading or maths scores as their non-EAL peers, had substantially lower odds of being identified with SpLDs.

The researchers call for a standardised way to assess children for SpLDs across the school system, additional professional development for teachers to reduce unconscious bias, and extra financial support for schools in disadvantaged areas.

The research is published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities.