The Social Mobility Commission is to carry out a “major” piece of research examining the role of extracurricular activities in influencing social mobility.
Damian Hinds announced the project during his first speech on the subject since taking office as education secretary in January.
In an address to the Resolution Foundation thinktank in London this morning, the education secretary stressed the importance that he attaches to character and resilience in young people, and “how this is shaped by your relationships and experiences and the aspirations of those around you, and by taking part in extracurricular activities from sport to music to volunteering to work experience itself”.
The minister, who as a backbencher chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility, said that “you won’t crack social mobility by only concentrating on exam results”.
He told the audience that the Social Mobility Commission, under its new chair Dame Martina Milburn, “will be undertaking a major piece of research work on how extracurricular activities, networks and the development of so-called soft skills can influence social mobility”.
Tackling the gaps for disadvantaged children
He added that it would examine “the gaps between disadvantaged young people and their peers and how these vary by factors such as region, ethnicity, gender and special educational needs, as well as some of the solutions for tackling that.
“And I look forward to using the results of that research to take further steps on behalf of those children who aren’t getting the rich range of cultural experiences they need.”
The education secretary also announced that he was commissioning a “new big data project” that could inform policy for decades to come.
He said it would follow the “landmark” work of the American economist Raj Chetty, who mapped social mobility in the United States.
Mr Hinds said: “Our project will look at young people today, across the country, and where they end up over the next five or six years, and I hope by then we will have gathered a huge wealth of information that will benefit researchers and policymakers for decades to come.”
