The 'education gap' hiding in picture-perfect Cornwall and Devon

The South West peninsula is England's top tourist destination

This year, millions of holidaymakers will head to Cornwall and Devon for their sandy beaches and pretty coastal towns - just two reasons why the South West peninsula is England's top tourist destination.

Yet behind its wild coastal beauty and affluent towns lies a different story: one of lost opportunities and the unfulfilled potential of many growing up in the region.

On almost every measure, the region is among the weakest educationally, according to the South West Social Mobility Commission, a coalition of organisations trying to bring about change.

Disparities in GCSE results are often framed through the lens of a North-South divide, but that narrative can obscure the challenges facing children in coastal and rural parts of England.

When you look at the regional data for English and maths GCSE passes for all pupils in England, you can see that, overall, the South outperforms the North.

However, when you drill down into the data at a local authority level, and take into account children on free school meals, you see a different story.

The South West is the second worst performing region through this lens, after the South East.

Tanya Ovenden-Hope, Professor of Education at Plymouth Marjon University, describes what happens in the South West as "pretty poverty", and says this leads to fewer young people reaching their full potential.

She calls growing up in "poverty in a deprived coastal rural community a potentially toxic combination" for future life chances.

The government does measure the level of disadvantage in communities but Prof Ovenden-Hope says too much of that is done using measures that work for towns and cities, including transport.

"If you live in Cornwall you have to own a car. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity, because everything you do and everywhere you go involves some kind of travel. That's not measured by the government's measures of deprivation."

This matters because it helps decide how government money is allocated across England.

"It's not all ice creams and sandy beaches and turquoise seas": Tourism comes at a price for local families bringing up children on the lowest incomes

Tourism is the largest contributor to Cornwall's economy, but it comes at a price for local families bringing up children on the lowest incomes.

In April 2025, Cornwall Council introduced a 100% premium on council tax for second homes because of growing concern that wealthier visitors were buying up property at higher prices, reducing the affordability and availability of starter homes for local families.

Figures from the ONS show the average house price in Cornwall in May 2026 was £280,000, and across the South West region it was £303,000. The UK average was £271,000 for that same period. Meanwhile average monthly rent in Cornwall rose by 4% in the year to June 2026 to £1,005.

"It's not all ice creams and sandy beaches and turquoise seas," says Dominic Wilkes, a headteacher who moved from Greater Manchester to Bude in North Cornwall.

Higher housing costs and the need for a car impact training and teacher recruitment. While the remoteness of some communities can also act as a deterrent for young teachers to move here from other parts of England, according to recent research.

For Wilkes, who works at the only secondary school in Bude, the main upside is better teacher retention, which helps build a deep connection to the local community.

But inspiring children to think about different options for their future comes with its challenges.

As a teacher in Greater Manchester, Wilkes could hop on a tram to take pupils to museums and different workplaces, including the BBC at MediaCity in Salford, as part of the curriculum.

The nearest railway station is about 30 miles from Budehaven Community School. Pupils travel in from scattered villages and the area offers a relatively limited range of employers able to broaden their horizons or spark ambitions beyond the classroom.

Year 10 pupil Ethan, from Budehaven Community School, wants to become a marine biologist and recently completed a work experience placement at a seal sanctuary that was a three-hour round trip by car.

"I love being in the sea and just protecting its habitats and wildlife, it really makes me excited to do something like that," he said.

"I think Cornwall's amazing and all my family are here but I think I want to be able to grow as a person. I think I can only do that by leaving and exploring new adventures."