Written by Ethan Forrester

Since starting my research project, I have been keen to set the scene in my head of how the education system in Liverpool is performing compared to the rest of the UK.

I found some interesting public data that I wish to share.

The % of students achieving grade 5 and above in GCSE English and Maths in Liverpool is standing at 36.1% (Liverpool City Council, 2021) which is well below the national average of 49.9% (GOV.UK, 2021).

Obviously the regional effects of COVID-19 cannot be ignored, but I wondered, why this is the case? And could cross sector collaborations support an improvement in the Liverpool city region?

Furthermore, Liverpool was ranked 29th for the most deprived local authority area when it comes to education, skills and training in 2019, where it was previously 35th in 2015 (Liverpool City Council, 2019). This measures the lack of attainment and skills in the local population (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2019) therefore, suggesting a worsening situation again.

Could collaborations enhance attainment and skills development in Liverpool and reduce deprivation?

I hope that as my piece of research evolves, I will begin to answer these questions.

Ethan’s research

We are working with LJMU intern programme to explore the opportunities that may exist in our city for collaborative partnerships between the public private and voluntary sectors for the benefit of the community.

Learn more about Ethan and the work that he is doing with us.

Works cited

GOV.UK, 2021. Key stage 4 performance. [Online] Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance-revised#releaseHeadlines-tables [Accessed 17 03 2021].

Liverpool City Council, 2019. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance-revised#releaseHeadlines-tables. [Online] Available at: https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1359213/imd-2019-liverpool-analysis-main-report.pdf [Accessed 17 03 2021].

Liverpool City Council, 2021. Education and skills headline indicators. [Online] Available at: https://liverpool.gov.uk/council/key-statistics-and-data/headline-indicators/education-and-skills/ [Accessed 17 03 2021].

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2019. The English Indices of Deprivation. [Online] Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/835115/IoD2019_Statistical_Release.pdf [Accessed 17 03 2021].