Social Mobility Commission Quarterly Report: July - September 2020
Updated 3 December 2021
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Summary
In this third quarter (July-September 2020) we increased our efforts on advocacy, conducted business planning and put renewed effort into resourcing.
Governance
The Commission held two virtual board meetings. Our Interim Co-Chairs, Sandra Wallace and Steven Cooper, were officially announced in this period and began chair activities.
Resourcing
Commissioners conducted a business planning period and presented their priorities and resource needs to Department for Education (DfE). After a large programme of commissioned research in the first 18 months of the Commissioners’ tenure, we are now shifting our focus to the translation of this evidence into policy and advocacy and our staffing will reflect that.
While we work with DfE on resourcing routes that deliver greater value for money and setting a renewed framework agreement, we continue to operate with a blend of admin positions and short-term contractors.
Evidence agenda
Translating evidence into action
We published five reports including our annual Monitoring Report, and research reports on apprenticeships, internal migration, early years provision, and regional differences in opportunity across England. Our Commissioners and Secretariat have been following through with a range of engagement activity to disseminate the policy implications of this research programme to a range of audiences (detailed below).
Upcoming research projects
We have a pipeline of 12 research projects which the Secretariat continue to work on. Whitehall colleagues and stakeholders are actively contributing on the policy impacts. We began work on a joint project with the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission on the medium – long term impacts of COVID-19 on young people.
Employers’ programme
Our employers’ programme gained momentum in this period. We provided four masterclasses on sections of our toolkit, all of which reached full capacity (100-person cap at each). Our engagement grew in this period (see social media section below) and Commissioners spoke at many diversity and inclusion conferences. We translated our evidence programme into action by communicating specific messages to employers on our regional social mobility report and others.
In addition, we have been building several initiatives which will be published in the end of 2020 and beginning 2021. This includes:
- Consultations with leaders in four priority industries and research on each with the end goal of publishing industry-specific toolkits
- A new video series will launch in early October, sharing key messages to employers
- Data and measurement kit: we have consulted with academics, think tanks, employers trade groups and others to review the current guidance on how to measure socio-economic diversity in the workplace. We plan to release simplified guidance and conduct a jointly branded communications campaign with other social mobility partners and key industry trade representatives in autumn.
Finally, we are responding to requests from cross-government HR apprenticeship leads, armed forces apprenticeship leads and ESFA account managers to run workshops aiming to improve socio-economic diversity of apprenticeships. We are planning to deliver these in the next quarter.
Advocacy
Commissioners have placed a strong emphasis on our advocacy and collaborative activities. They want to help share best practice, evidence and thinking across government. Commissioners have primarily focused this quarter on employers role for social mobility, A level results, return to school, FE and skills, apprenticeships and place-based policy.
Interim Co-Chairs’ engagements
The interim co-chairs attended a presentation by Secretariat to the APPG on Apprenticeships on 7 July; held an introductory meeting on 13 July with Emily Hughes, No 10 Policy Unit Education Lead, to discuss the Commission’s work and attended a meeting on 22 July with Minister Keegan, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills to discuss apprenticeships and the FE white paper. A full list of the Interim Co-chair engagements is included at Annex A.
Commissioner engagements
Key activities of the last quarter includes speeches to employers on the importance of socio-economic diversity in the workplace; speeches on how to reform apprenticeships; Commissioners press activity following the release of A level results; press and speaking engagements on regional differences in social mobility; and an initiative by ELLE UK to find the next generation of creative talent. Twelve students from disadvantaged areas in England were offered the opportunity to work at ELLE magazine in its first mentoring scheme. Students were linked to mentors to learn the key elements of the creative industry and created the September edition of ELLE Magazine.
A full list of Commissioners’ engagements is included at Annex B and a sample of public statements Commissioners released in this period is in Annex C.
Secretariat activity
The Secretariat have increased their advocacy in the last quarter, engaging with stakeholder groups to translate the emerging findings from our evidence programme into action.
Highlights include workshops with cross-government apprenticeship leads to improve socio-economic diversity and inclusion of publicly available apprentices; speeches on apprenticeships to external employers; work with DfE analytical officials on improving how social mobility statistics are published; policy thinking on further education reform with DfE colleagues; and a presentation and discussion to the Chairs of Opportunity Areas in DfE on our regional social mobility report as well as to officials at the Towns Fund.
Media and campaigning
We have published three high profile reports in the last quarter – Moving out to move on, The stability of the early years workforce in England, and The long shadow of deprivation – differences in opportunity across England.
All have had good media pick-up with different commissioners appearing on a variety media channels, using the breadth and depth of their knowledge and expertise. One of the key messages of our latest reports have been regional differences in opportunity, a theme we wish to focus on over the next few months.
We have also produced a number of statements on education and job opportunities this summer. Sammy Wright, one of our commissioners, did several media interviews following meetings with Ofqual and UCAS on the use of algorithms and the delay in allocating university places for students.
Social media highlights
We have begun deploying our communications strategy which aims to reach new audiences with social mobility stories. Each outlet has been chosen to target a specific audience and messages are tailored to each. We share examples of positive case studies of individuals and employers, we amplify others’ good work and we use platforms to drive a richer understanding of social mobility.
- Twitter: in this period we added 927 followers (total of 11,723) from report launches. We had 586,000 tweet impressions (number of times our tweets were seen). Twitter is aimed at a general audience.
- LinkedIn: we have seen tremendous growth this quarter. We currently have 2,750 followers, representing an uplift of almost 50% over the past quarter (we have gained 1,286 new followers since June). Our audience are primarily senior-level business development personnel (40% - our primary target audience) and, secondly, entry-level workers, representing interest in socio-economic diversity and inclusion from both ends of the spectrum.
- SocialMobilityWorks.org: Activity on our employers microsite in this period has also been encouraging; 1,855 users, 85% of which are new visitors. We have had a total of 6,302 page views. This is up from a base of 50 users in May. In this period, 85% of our users were returning users, a positive sign of the tools being put into use.
- Instagram: additionally, we launched our new Instagram channel on 5 August (@socialmobilitystories) with a goal of talking more to young people and telling social mobility stories. So far, we have acquired nearly 400 followers. More detailed data will be available in the next quarter.
Annex A: Interim Co-Chair’s engagements
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Sandra Wallace and Steven Cooper | |
| 7 July | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| 13 July | Introductory meeting with Emily Davies, Policy Unit Education lead |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 17 July | Catch-up with Amanda Mackenzie, Chief Executive, Business in the Community and SMC Ambassador organisation |
| 17 July | Meeting with DfE officials: Indra Morris, Director-General, Social Care, Mobility and Disadvantage and Robert Arnott, SMC Sponsor Director |
| 17 July | Weekly catch-up meeting with Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 21 July | Meeting with DfE Special Adviser, Iain Mansfield to discuss early years |
| 24 July | Weekly catch-up meeting with Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 28 July | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| 28 July | Commission Board meeting with Sponsor Department |
| 18 August | Roundtable with Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities to discuss geography and deprivation |
| 4 September | Weekly catch up meeting Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 8 September | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| 11 September | Weekly catch-up meeting with Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 15 September | Panel members: Launch event with IfS on ‘The Long shadow of deprivation’ report |
| 18 September | Weekly catch-up with Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 22 September | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| 29 September | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| Sandra Wallace | |
| 9 July | Participation in Mental Health and Social Mobility Workshop |
| 22 July | Meeting with Julie Quist-Therson, Head of Programme, SEO London, to discuss diverse recruitment practices |
| 23 July | Conference meeting with Christopher Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students, to discuss support to under-represented groups in FE/HE |
| 11 August | Radio 4 interview on code switching |
| 13 August | BBC podcast on code switching exploring the reasons some minorities feel the need to hide their authentic selves to fit into white majority spaces |
| 15 September | Radio 4 Today Programme: Interview on ‘The long shadow of deprivation’ report |
| 16 September | YouTube live podcast on ‘The long shadow of deprivation’ report |
| 17 September | Participation in Barclays virtual panel session on discrimination and social mobility challenges |
| Steven Cooper | |
| 3 July | Weekly catch-up meeting with Sasha Morgan, SMC Director |
| 7 July | Apprenticeships presentation to APPG on Apprenticeships |
| 10 July | Keeping in touch meeting with Robert Arnott, DfE sponsor director |
| 21 July | Planning meeting with SMC Secretariat |
| 22 July | Meeting with Gillian Keegan, PUSS, Apprenticeships and Skills |
| 31 July | Member of judging panel for UK Social Mobility Awards |
| 5 August | Panel member: Commission social mobility awareness event - presentation to DfE and cross-government social mobility networks |
| 6 August | Introductory meeting with Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England |
| 6 August | Pre-record session ‘In conversation with the Social Mobility Commission’ for (ICAEW) |
| 24 September | Dive in Festival on Diversity and Inclusion: Participation and Keynote address on inclusive workplace practices |
Annex B: Commissioners’ engagements
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Jody Walker | |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 5 August | Panel member: Commission social mobility awareness event – presentation to DfE and cross-government social mobility networks |
| Alastair Da Costa | |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 22 July | Meeting with Gillian Keegan, PUSS, Apprenticeships and Skills |
| Farrah Storr | |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 16 July | Media with Women’s Wear Daily - interview on ELLE UK mentoring scheme for disadvantaged young people |
| 23 July | Interview with Kay Burleigh on mentoring scheme |
| 24 July | BBC Woman’s Hour re mentoring |
| 24 July | Times Radio re mentoring |
| 24 July | BBC Radio5 Live re mentoring |
| 25 July | Talk Radio re mentoring scheme |
| 28 July | BBC Manchester re mentoring |
| 28 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 5 August | Panel member: Commission social mobility awareness event - presentation to DfE and cross-government social mobility networks |
| 20 August | Interview BBC with Asad Ahmad, BBC Radio London |
| 7 September | Keynote address on social mobility to the Walpole Festival of Luxury |
| Harvey Matthewson | |
| 14 July | Commission Board Meeting |
| Jessica Oghenegweke | |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 28 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 5 August | Panel member: Commission social mobility awareness event - presentation to DfE and cross-government social mobility networks |
| 21 August | Panel member - Department for International Trade event ‘Social Mobility: Practical Steps we can take to be Inclusive’ |
| Note | 6 days within this quarter spent leading on the development of the Commission’s Instagram platform to reach new audiences |
| Liz Williams | |
| 7 July | Meeting with Interim Co-chairs |
| 8 July | Panel member: Nesta longitude prize judging |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 27 July | Meeting with DfE officials on ‘Help with Tech Programme’ |
| 28 July | Commission Board meeting |
| 17 Sept | Keynote address to Dods Group conference on advancing social mobility in the workplace |
| Pippa Dunn | |
| 14 July | Commission Board meeting |
| Saeed Atcha | |
| 2 July | Meeting on social mobility with Assura Plc leadership board |
| 21 July | Generation Graduation event: discussion with young people about becoming social mobility champions in their own right |
| 15 September | Media for ‘Long shadow of deprivation’ report |
| Sammy Wright | |
| 8 July | Meeting with Roy Blatchford regarding ‘The Forgotten Third’ |
| 24 July | Speech to Teach First North East summer institute |
| 6 August | Further correspondence to Ofqual regarding calculated grades and the need for an adequate appeals system |
| 11 August | Consultation meeting with Ofqual regarding calculated grades and the need for an adequate appeals system |
| 11 August | Interview with Sky News about A-levels |
| 13 August | drafted statement on the A-level results and the need for an adequate appeals system |
| 13 August | Interview with ITV about A-levels |
| 13 August | Engagement with Ofqual on their consultation on the design of mock grade appeals |
| 14 August | Submitted consultation and published further statement |
| 14 August | Interview with BBC on A-level results |
| 15 August | Engagement with Ofqual about A-levels published appeals system |
| 16 August | Interview with BBC regarding GCSEs |
| 17 August | Meeting with Secretariat; pre-briefing for CRED roundtable |
| 17 August | Interview with BBC about A-levels |
| 17 August | SMC Secretariat meeting regarding CRED roundtable |
| 18 August | Roundtable with Commission for Racial and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) |
| 21 August | Interview to Julie Noble, Radio 4 programme on attainment gap |
| 1 September | Interview with Today programme regarding schools opening |
| 9 September | Conversation with Michelle Donelan, Minister of State for Universities, DfE, regarding COVID-19 impacts on students and the need for NTP tutoring for A-level students |
| 15 September | Conversation with Baroness Bull re engaging independent schools in Covid catch up and collaborated on article on politics home |
| 23 September | Meeting on Opportunity Areas |
Annex C: Public statements
We made formal statements on our Twitter account in this period on the A level exams period, the Chancellor’s statements and the FE and adult skills announcements. Below is a sample of these statements.
Sammy Wright, Social Mobility Commissioner and Vice-Principal of Southmoor Academy in Sunderland commented on A Levels:
Covid-19 has severely disrupted education for young people in Britain. Getting exam results wrong for this cohort could damage their life prospects and make the impact of the pandemic longer lasting.
The Social Mobility Commission believes the process of calculating grades for these students has led to significant unfairness. We therefore call on Ofqual to allow every school to submit whole-school appeals using their own evidence where they see fit, and not only in exceptional circumstances.
We feel it is imperative that appeals can be made on a whole-school basis, for two main reasons:
Pupils at more affluent schools with more resources are more likely to appeal - leaving behind those pupils who are already disadvantaged
Using mock results - even if only for a few pupils - will likely change the overall ranking of pupils in a school. Given that mock results affect all pupil’s positions within their school, there is a clear case for whole-school appeals.
We recognise that allocating grades this year has been a uniquely difficult task. But we see that there are many inequalities in the process. For example, we know that mock results can vary substantially for many reasons, so the option of falling back on them unfairly disadvantages pupils who don’t have this grade to fall back on for any reason. Larger cohorts may be more likely to have their results downgraded because of how the grades are calculated. This means it is crucial whole schools have the option to appeal.
We also call on everyone - government, teachers, unions, parents and students - to make the care, advice and support of these young people their absolute priority.
Pupils undergoing re-sits need tuition and support - particularly for those starting at new FE or HE institutions. Otherwise, the drop out rate, already high for disadvantaged young people, will sky rocket.
There is also a need for flexibility elsewhere to ensure students do not lose out because of grades that may not reflect their potential. We call on universities and government to ensure that students awaiting an appeal still have a place held; and that artificial caps on university placements do not thwart students’ life chances.
We call on employers to follow our advice and carefully consider when qualifications are necessary and when they are a barrier.
Now, more than ever, we must consider fair hiring practices to give an equal playing field to all.
We wholeheartedly agree with government, teachers and other stakeholders that a return to full schooling in September is an absolute priority. As the Children’s Commissioner said, educational institutions should be the ‘first to open, last to close’ - otherwise we are blighting young people’s life chances.
More than anything else, young people are already feeling abandoned and we must give them the help they need to prevent long-term psychological costs.
Steven Cooper, Co-Chair of the Social Mobility Commission commented on the Chancellor’s statement:
The prospect of furlough scheme coming to an end has caused a lot of anxiety for workers, especially young people. Recent employment stats show that it is the 16-24 age bracket that has been worst hit by the pandemic. The Social Mobility Commission welcomes the Chancellor’s new scheme and is pleased that the programme will be open to workers across the UK, even if they were not on furlough. This will go a long way to alleviate concerns.
We would urge the government to further consider, as a matter of priority, more targeted help for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. And employers - now more than ever - need to bolster their efforts to continue to create opportunities.
Social Mobility Commission statement on Further Education and adult skills:
The government’s announcement on Further Education is a welcome first step to ensure that young people and adults have the right skills for the post-Covid economy.
The Social Mobility Commission has been campaigning over the last nine months for better resourcing for further education and life-long learning to ensure funds are better targeted at those form deprived backgrounds. So, we are pleased that the government has removed the age cap for free level 3 courses (A Level equivalent) and has offered more flexible technical education provisions.
However, we would like to see a firmer commitment to longer term resources in FE and adult skills, and a greater focus on those from deprived backgrounds. For example, it is unclear if the new level 3 courses will be funded from a new source or whether those from disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit from the increase in apprenticeships.
We hope the forthcoming White Paper will build on these initiatives to ensure that we have the necessary skills - in a diverse workforce - to ensure a sustained economic recovery.