Teachers 'care less about poor pupils'

Teachers put more effort into educating middle-class pupils because they fear antagonising "pushy parents", it is claimed.

A study by Leicester and Leeds universities suggests that family background often dictates how hard a school works with a particular pupil. Professor Gianni De Fraja, one of the researchers, said a key reason could be that "middle-class parents are more vocal in demanding that the school works hard". He added: "It could be an indirect influence or it could be 'we don't want to disturb these parents'. Parents from a more advantaged background exert more effort and this influences positively the educational attainment of their children. By the same token, the parents' background also increases the school's effort, which increases the school achievement."