Guide offers schools advice on tackling disadvantage

Estyn, Wales’s education inspectorate, cites research showing that in general youngsters living in poverty do not achieve as well as their peers at school. They have lower aspirations, acquire fewer skills and are more likely to face unemployment in their lives.

But some schools have managed to improve disadvantaged children’s learning and wellbeing, and Estyn’s good practice guide highlights the strategies they have used.

Titled Effective Practice in Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools, the guide showcases a number of practical steps for schools.

These include making better use of data to track the progress of disadvantaged learners, focusing on their literacy and learning skills, developing their social and emotional skills and providing “enriching experiences” that other children might take for granted, such as clubs, activities and cultural trips.