In the early 1960's and indeed the 70's, sociological research acknowledged and sought explanations for the correlation between social class and educational attainment and participation.

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j NNXNNNNN°°XIn the early 1960's and indeed the 70's, sociological research acknowledged and sought explanations for the correlation between social class and educational attainment and participation.

The focus shifted in subsequent years to concentrate on issues such as gender or ethnicity, which had captured the imagination of sociological researchers. Nevertheless statistics in 90's and up to the present time confirm the ongoing relationship between social class and attainment sparking renewed interest in possible explanations.

Early theories seemed to suggest that the source of the explanation must be external to the school. Cultural Deprivation Theory suggests that the lower social classes are somehow deficient but to what extent do these differentials exist between class groups.

Halsey, Heath and Ridge produced some of the earliest research highlighting the impact of class. They studied a large sample of males over 40 years, tracking their achievements concluding there were clear class differences in attainment which were closely linked to their fathers occupation. Because this research was done 50 years ago, these conclusions may be different today - after all society has changed considerably. Nevertheless it is still a