Education leaders should be taking a longer term approach to measuring the difference in attainment between students from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers, says Paul Greenall, Edge Hill University's head of secondary education.
The gap between pupil premium children – students who the schools receives additional funding for due to their disadvantaged background – and non-pupil premium children is an issue for a government that seeks to bring about social justice, increased opportunities and a level playing field for young people.
At the moment, Ofsted focuses on the outcomes of vulnerable groups during inspections which check if a school is improving life chances for their pupils. Studies are also taking place to see what interventions provide the best value for money to increase attainment in the groups who receive free school meals and those who don't.
But instead of analysing the gap between student performance after five years of secondary education, comparing one group of children against another and measuring this result against the national average, Greenall argues that the attainment gap between pupil premium and non-pupil premium children should be recorded as they enter school, and then the same measure taken with that cohort as they leave the school. This should be repeated at secondary school.
With 35 years in the education sector, Greenall has developed expertise in leadership and management, curriculum design and narrowing the gap, which form the basis of his research – raising attainment and achievement in the classroom by improving self-esteem, "narrowing the gap" and addressing social inequality. He recognises the impact that teachers can have on raising both self-esteem and aspirations and the opportunities this can create for children and young people in their future lives.
His suggested measure would record students' attainment from the ages of seven through to 16. Greenall suggests that analysing these results over an extended period of time allows teachers to look at interventions with an increasing emphasis on the quality of learning and the barriers that need to be overcome to support a child making progress.
He says: "Through my own analysis in the ten years prior to the allocation of pupil premium I have been able to track nearly 2,000 pupils from seven through to 16, and the analysis demonstrates that as a child goes through the educational system the gap within the cohort widens. But I don't believe that many professionals really understand how much that is and by how much it widens through a child's journey.
"The stark reality is that pupil premium children have fallen further behind their peers not in receipt of pupil premium, by one grade. Within secondary school the gap increases far more rapidly than primary."
In addition, there might be several barriers which contribute to a child or young person from achieving their potential in school, other than they are from a deprived area. An additional educational learning need, not speaking English as a first language, or a personal issue related to their home life can all contribute to a student's disadvantage. As a result, schools can benefit from using a vulnerability matrix, which identifies how potential pupils are facing a number of barriers to learning and this gives the opportunity for teachers to be proactive in engaging the young person in the culture and ethos of the school.
"Fundamentally, good teaching and learning that looks to see where a child is in their learning and what they need to do to get to the next point is absolutely pivotal in supporting a child's progress," says Greenall. "But to really know the child, we must understand their full context, particularly for some children, if they are to make progress against all the odds."
Find out more about studying secondary education at Edge Hill University
