Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils: articulating success and good practice: Research report November 2015

Macleod, S.; Sharp, C.; Bernardinelli, D.; Skipp, A.; Higgins, S.

Abstract

The performance gap between pupils from more and less advantaged backgrounds in England is one of the largest among OECD countries (OECD, 2014). The pupil premium was introduced by the coalition government in 2011 to increase social mobility and reduce the gap in performance between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Schools receive funding for each disadvantaged pupil and can use the funding flexibly, in the best interests of eligible pupils. In November 2014, the Department for Education commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to investigate the differences between schools in the performance of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The study aimed to identify: 1. Whether there are any common features of schools that have narrowed the gap successfully. 2. Whether there are any possible groups/clusters of schools that have narrowed the gap, and why this is the case. 3. What are schools that have narrowed the gap doing compared to other schools? What leads to them doing well? What lessons can be learnt from them? For the purpose of this study, disadvantaged pupils are identified in the national school datasets used in this analysis based on their eligibility for the pupil premium. This includes pupils eligible for free school meals at any point within the past six years (Ever 6 FSM) and pupils looked after by the local authority.

Citation

Macleod, S., Sharp, C., Bernardinelli, D., Skipp, A., & Higgins, S. (2015). Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils: articulating success and good practice: Research report November 2015. [No known commissioning body]

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Nov 5, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 5, 2015
• Deposit Date: Nov 5, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2015
• Pages: DFE-RR411
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1607207
• Publisher URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-the-attainment-of-disadvantaged-pupils
• Additional Information: Publisher: Department for Education.; Type: monograph; Subtype: project_report