As many teachers have done, I have occasionally walked out of a lesson thinking:”That went brilliantly.”Students were answering questions.Students were discussing ideas.Students were completing tasks.The room felt purposeful and productive.Everyone appeared engaged.Then the assessment arrived a few weeks later.And the outcomes simply weren’t there.The knowledge hadn’t stuck.The writing wasn’t secure.The misconceptions remained.The engagement had beenContinueContinue reading “Engagement Is Not Enough”
Tag Archives: Disadvantaged
From 37% to 65%: Reflecting on Three Years of GCSE History Improvement: How curriculum development, high expectations and a relentless focus on classroom practice helped transform outcomes for our pupils.
There are moments in teaching when you have an opportunity to stop, reflect and recognise just how far you have come.For me, receiving our final GCSE History results for 2026 was one of those moments.Three years ago, just 37% of our pupils achieved a Grade 4 or above in GCSE History. In 2026, that figureContinueContinue reading “From 37% to 65%: Reflecting on Three Years of GCSE History Improvement: How curriculum development, high expectations and a relentless focus on classroom practice helped transform outcomes for our pupils.”
Five Things I Learned From an Ofsted Inspection as a Middle Leader
There are few words capable of changing the atmosphere in a school quite like Ofsted. When our Principal emailed staff to say that inspectors would be arriving the following morning, the mood shifted instantly. Lesson plans and seating plans were double checked, books straightened up, conversations turned to memories of deep dives and everyone wonderedContinue reading “Five Things I Learned From an Ofsted Inspection as a Middle Leader”
The Data Says They’re Fine. The Books Say Otherwise.
Walk into almost any school and you’ll hear the same phrase:”The data looks good.”And often, it does.Assessment scores are improving. Predicted grades are rising. Progress measures look positive. Intervention trackers are full of green boxes. On paper, everything appears to be moving in the right direction.But sometimes the books tell a different story.As a HeadContinueContinue reading “The Data Says They’re Fine. The Books Say Otherwise.”
Eight Messages Every School Leader Should Take Away from the National Pupil Premium Conference
There is something reassuring about hearing experienced school leaders, researchers and organisations arrive at similar conclusions despite approaching educational disadvantage from very different starting points. That was one of my strongest reflections after speaking at the National Pupil Premium Conference. Throughout the day, presentations explored literacy, attendance, implementation, curriculum, family engagement, belonging, leadership and evidence-informedContinueContinue reading “Eight Messages Every School Leader Should Take Away from the National Pupil Premium Conference”
We’ve Become Very Good at Measuring the Gap. Why Haven’t We Closed It?
Few concepts have become as embedded in educational discourse as the disadvantage gap.School improvement plans reference it. Inspection conversations reference it. Policy announcements reference it. Schools analyse it relentlessly. We can tell you the size of the gap. We can identify which groups are most affected. We can track it nationally, regionally, and locally. WeContinueContinue reading “We’ve Become Very Good at Measuring the Gap. Why Haven’t We Closed It?”
Can We Measure Achievement Without Measuring Disadvantage?
Few people would argue that schools serving disadvantaged communities should be held to lower expectations. Nor should they. Every child deserves access to a high-quality education regardless of their background, postcode, or circumstances.The challenge is that while we can choose not to lower expectations, we cannot choose to ignore the realities that shape educational outcomes.ThisContinueContinue reading “Can We Measure Achievement Without Measuring Disadvantage?
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The Attendance Crisis Isn’t Just About Attendance
For several years now, school attendance has dominated educational debate.Attendance has featured in inspection conversations, school improvement plans, government policy, and countless discussions in staffrooms across the country.Schools have introduced attendance teams, attendance officers, rewards programmes, parental meetings, home visits, mentoring programmes, and a range of interventions designed to improve pupil attendance.Yet despite these efforts,ContinueContinue reading “The Attendance Crisis Isn’t Just About Attendance”
What I learned from my first conference
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”
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”