DISADVANTAGED schoolchildren on the Isle of Wight are falling more than two years behind those who are better off.
The 29 month gap between disadvantaged pupils — those who are eligible for free school meals — and their more affluent peers is the largest in the country, according to a report published by the Education Policy Institute.
Nationally, disadvantaged pupils are 19 months behind by the time they are 16 years old. If they have been persistently disadvantaged — eligible for free school meals for at least 80 per cent of their school life — the gap increases to 24 months.
It means only 21 per cent of disadvantaged pupils, and 16 per cent of persistently disadvantaged pupils, achieve the GCSE benchmark, compared with 46 per pent of those who are not disadvantaged.
Generally, the gap in educational attainment is smaller in London, the south and the east of the country, at 16 to 18 months, and larger in the East Midlands, the north and the south, at around 24 months.
It becomes more prominent in rural areas during secondary school.
As reported, the Isle of Wight is ranked at the very bottom of the school league tables - 150th out of 150 local authorities - with just 25 per cent of 16 year olds achieving the GCSE benchmark.
Top of the table is Richmond upon Thames, where 62 per cent achieve good results.
The wider the gap, the greater the impact on children's life chances - and the situation looks unlikely to change for 50 years.
According to the report: "Despite significant investment and targeted intervention programmes the gap between disadvantaged 16 year olds and their peers has only narrowed by three months of learning between 2007 and 2016.
"While there has been some improvement in closing the gap, it is taking far too long. If we carry on at this pace, we will lose at least a further three generations before equality of outcomes is realised through our education system. On the current trend, it will take a staggering 50 years before the gap is closed and disadvantaged pupils finally achieve parity with their more affluent peers.
"These inequalities transmit into later life outcomes. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to continue in education; they have lower than average earnings, poorer health and a greater propensity to become involved in crime."