Book Description: This report covers seven urban areas of England characterized by high levels of social and economic disadvantage. It reveals that the residents of the areas covered are poorly served by the education system. Weaknesses of provision within individual institutions are exacerbated by poor links between them. Better overall analysis of needs and a greater measure of co-ordination between sectors of the education service are required. Although the quality and standards of much of the work revealed by this survey are inadequate and disturbing, the authors note that there is enough work of good quality in each sector to mean that the situation is not irredeemable.