Children growing up in rural and semi-rural areas across the UK are being “systematically failed” by an education system largely designed around urban needs, MPs warned in a heated Westminster Hall debate on May 7. With insufficient transport links, patchy digital infrastructure, and inadequate funding, young people in the countryside face isolation from educational opportunities — and often from attending school altogether.
Edward Morello, Liberal Democrat MP for West Dorset, highlighted how transport deficiencies create major hurdles. Bus services in areas like Dorset are disappearing, forcing 64% of children in rural villages and hamlets to rely on car journeys to school, compared with just 28% in urban centers. With Dorset receiving the lowest government funding for bus improvements in the South West—just £3.8 million compared to Devon’s much higher allocation—many families struggle to afford the rising costs of travel during the cost-of-living crisis. This lack of affordable, reliable transport too often restricts school access for poorer households.
Safety concerns add to the problem. Narrow, fast rural roads with few pavements make walking or cycling to school dangerous or impossible. Rural cyclists face almost double the risk of fatal accidents compared to their urban counterparts. Meanwhile, mental health services geared towards children and adolescents are concentrated far from many rural communities; in Dorset, for example, all such services are based in Dorchester, up to 35 miles from towns like Lyme Regis or Beaminster, making access extremely challenging for families.
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Edward also critiqued the government’s funding models, which rely heavily on urban metrics of deprivation that fail to capture rural challenges such as long travel distances, staff shortages, and limited public services. He cited a stark funding gap between urban and rural schools, noting that his local West Dorset school receives about £5,000 per pupil compared to £10,000 in some London boroughs.
Advocating for a tailored approach to rural education, Edward pointed out that apprenticeships could help close rural employment gaps but that current funding does not adequately account for higher transport and material costs in remote areas. “Rurality should not be a barrier to aspiration,” he asserted.
Anna Sabine, Liberal Democrat MP for Frome and East Somerset, echoed these concerns, warning that geography now too often determines a child’s educational prospects. She shared a troubling example from Beckington, where the only walking route to a nearby school involves a narrow pavement beside a 60mph road, deemed safe by the council but widely regarded by parents as unsafe, forcing costly car journeys or expensive bus transport.
Anna also stressed the limitations of government initiatives like breakfast clubs for rural students, who often cannot arrive early enough to participate due to unreliable bus timetables. She renewed calls for universal free school meals to ensure no child goes hungry, regardless of location, and flagged ongoing issues with poor broadband coverage in rural areas, which hampers access to remote learning — a critical resource in today’s education landscape.
The MPs urged investment in a ‘young people’s premium’ to extend pupil premium funding to disadvantaged 16-18-year-olds, addressing inequities in access to post-16 education and training.
In response, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education Stephen Morgan affirmed the government’s commitment to breaking down opportunity barriers. While acknowledging rural-specific challenges including transport and access, he pointed to existing support schemes such as discounted local travel cards and the national 16-17 Saver Card, though ultimate responsibility for post-16 transport lies with local authorities.
Mr Morgan also highlighted government efforts to improve mental health support in schools, with specialist teams being rolled out and increased funding committed to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, including an extra £1 billion in high-needs funding next year and further capital investment.
Despite these pledges, MPs expressed frustration at uneven service delivery and funding gaps that leave rural families and schools underserved.
Closing the debate, Edward Morello emphasized that the issue is one of fairness, not ability. “Young people in rural areas have the same ambition and potential as those in cities,” he said, “yet they are not given the same resources. This must change.”
As calls for levelling up continue, pressure grows on ministers to treat rural education needs with equal urgency. Anna Sabine concluded: “Geography should never determine opportunity.”