A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of presenting at my first national education conference. The National Pupil Premium Conference, organised by Government Events, brought together school leaders, researchers, practitioners and educational organisations from across the country to discuss one of the most important challenges facing education today: improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. LikeContinueContinue reading “What I learned from my first conference”
Category Archives: Literacy
The gap begins before most schools realise
By the end of Reception, disadvantaged pupils are already 4.6 months behind their peers. By the end of primary school, that has grown to 10.1 months. By GCSE, it reaches 17.9 months. For pupils who are persistently disadvantaged, the gap exceeds 21 months. This is perhaps the most important message from the recent EPI andContinueContinue reading “The gap begins before most schools realise”
Why Behaviour and Literacy Are More Connected Than Schools Realise
The barrier beneath the behaviour When schools discuss behaviour, the conversation often focuses on: routines sanctions relationships consistency pastoral systems And all of those things matter. But increasingly, I think one of the biggest drivers of disengagement in classrooms is something far less visible: Students struggling to access the language of learning itself. Because veryContinueContinue reading “Why Behaviour and Literacy Are More Connected Than Schools Realise”