Well targeted educational initiatives produce benefits worth an average £15 for every £1 spent, according to a new report.

Based on an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm, a corporate portfolio analysis was used to compare nine Sutton Trust programmes with three comparator programmes; and was undertaken by BCG for the 10th anniversary of the Sutton Trust, which provides educational opportunities for non-privileged young people and aims to improve social mobility in the UK.

The report concludes: “Investment works best when it is targeted at key milestones in a child’s life…educational investment is better deployed when it is focussed on targeted individuals, such as those at highest risk of falling behind in primary school or bright pupils who may not fulfil their potential.”

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “I have always felt intuitively that our programmes deliver high returns, but this analysis confirms it.”