Gregg (ibid) notes that poor families often have other characteristics that can lead to low attainment, the most important being large families, less parental education and poorer psychological functioning of mothers (depression and a weak locus of control). He notes that: “whilst low income has a causal effect on children’s development, reductions in income inequality can never plausibly be large enough to offer more than a supporting role in equalising social gradients in development of children. The key rather lies in addressing the development of gradients through the home and school environments faced by children”.