The government has set out plans to improve social mobility and boost the attainment of children from poorer backgrounds.

Former Labour minister Alan Milburn, who is leading a commission on social mobility and child poverty, has listed 17 measures that should be monitored to show the impact of government policies.

These include the number of two-year-olds receiving early education and how the pupil premium is spent on children who receive free school meals or are in care.

The indicators, set out in a report last month, also include school readiness at the age of 5, GCSE and A-level grades and access to the professions.

A report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development earlier this year highlights the gulf that currently exists between pupils from richer and poorer homes.