Case studies

Supporting looked after children to aspire to university

11 January 2021

An incredibly small minority of children in care end up going to university. Virtual school headteacher Darren Martindale discusses a programme in the Midlands which set out to raise aspirations among our most vulnerable students

Pupil Premium: Levelling the playing field with high expectations

26 February 2020

How can we ensure that our disadvantaged students make good progress and achieve success? Amy Benziane discusses approaches centred on high expectations and aspiration

A case study of effective Pupil Premium practice

9 October 2019

Oriel High School has achieved some notable success with its Pupil Premium strategy. Helen Everitt and Ryan Sallows reflect on some of the key tenets of the school’s work

The surprising impact of cycling

21 November 2018

Gear-up pupils and saddle-up the staffroom! Sean Harris looks at the wide-ranging impact of one school’s GEAReD Up project, which introduced cycling to year 7 students – including those on the Pupil Premium

Teaching interventions: Pre and over learning

23 May 2018

The one teaching intervention that could most benefit a range of students, including EAL and SEN, is – according to Daniel Sobel – the use of pre-learning and over-learning. He discusses how these concepts can be introduced

Schools that succeed with disadvantaged pupils

26 April 2017

On his retirement, former head of Harrow Barnaby Lenon went on a tour of schools in England that achieve outstanding results, in many cases with disadvantaged pupils. He has written a book about the lessons he learned...

Case study: How we closed our Pupil Premium gap

22 March 2017

We’re all focused on narrowing the gap. School leader Phil Denton explains some of the strategies and approaches that have proved successful at his school

Pupil Premium: Extra tuition interventions

11 January 2017

Using extra tuition is an effective way of supporting Pupil Premium and other students at risk of falling behind. David Rowan-Robinson explains how his school has implemented this approach

Raising aspirations: The PACE programme

4 May 2016

The PACE programme is the culmination of one school’s work to boost curriculum enrichment, teach character and skills, raise aspirations, and broaden horizons. Paula Arrowsmith explains how it works

Speech and language support in the secondary setting

20 January 2016

Speech and language skills continue to develop as students move into secondary education, with many needing particular help and support. Sal McKeown looks at the approaches and strategies of three schools

The building blocks of Pupil Premium success

6 January 2016

Drawing on the work of more than 1,300 schools, new research into the Pupil Premium has identified the common successful strategies and the key ‘building blocks’ for their implementation. Dorothy Lepkowska reports

Advice for your one-to-one tuition programme

2 December 2015

One-to-one tuition has always been an intervention used in schools, increasingly so since the introduction of the Pupil Premium Susannah Hardyman offers some best practice advice

The Pupil Premium: On Her Majesty’s (not so) Secret Service

11 November 2015

Inspired by the release of the latest James Bond film, Sean Harris discusses the 007-themed principles that have driven his work to close the attainment gap and deliver effective Pupil Premium outcomes

Innovations to close the attainment gap

14 October 2015

The Teach First Innovation Award supports social enterprises dedicated to tackling educational inequality and closing the attainment gap. We hear from three previous winners about their work and ask for their advice on closing the gap

Pupil Premium: Meet the Pupil Achievement Team

25 August 2015

The Pupil Achievement Team is a core part of Bay House School’s Pupil Premium strategy. Kim Chaney and Keira St John-Mosse explain how it works

Organising a summer school

11 June 2015

Summer schools can help to ease the anxiety of transition for year 6 pupils. Headteacher Les Rippon advises on how to prepare and run an effective summer school

Common problems with narrowing the gap – and some solutions

30 April 2015

What are the most common ‘narrowing the gap’ problems in secondary schools and what are some of the solutions that prove effective? Daniel Sobel takes a look

Teachers' use of language to close the attainment gap

23 May 2013

One of the biggest barriers to achievement is a lack of language skills. Amy Benziane looks at how we can close the achievement gap by encouraging language development – including the role that teachers’ own use of language has to play.

The red coats

21 March 2013

A team of US educationalists recently visited London to see the City Year programme in action – a national service movement that sees young people volunteering their time as mentors and role-models in schools. Sophie Livingstone introduces the initiative.