Disadvantage: widening the lens

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Disadvantage: widening the lens

Disadvantage: Widening the lens aims to shine a light on those pupil groups that are statistically more likely to experience educational disadvantage, beyond the pupil premium measure.

Campaign

14/01/2025

Disadvantage in education is consistently reported as one of the biggest challenges that schools and trusts face. We recognise socio-economic factors as being the most common catalyst of disadvantage and impacting children from different backgrounds. Research also tells us that there are other pupil groups who are facing barriers to attainment and that educational disadvantage goes beyond pupil premium.

Governing boards have a pivotal role to play in ensuring that pupils in their schools and trusts who are at a disadvantage have the support they need to learn.

Marc Rowland, Adviser – Unity Schools Partnership
"It is important to relentlessly focus on the impact of disadvantage on learning. Some issues pupils face may be beyond the school’s power to change. But it is possible to address the impact these issues have on learning, as well as pupils’ sense of belonging at school and in the classroom."

NGA is collaborating with other experts in the field to support governing boards and school and trust leaders in addressing the wider disadvantage gap in their schools/trusts.

Our partners include Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Class 13, The Children’s Society , Two Ten Therapy, The Education Policy Institute, The Sutton Trust, Youth Sport Trust, Parentkind, Place2Be, and Marc Rowland.

What we want governing boards to do

1. Explore

Read the guidance: Our updated Widening the lens on disadvantage guidance is designed to help governing boards explore what disadvantage means in their context and identify pupil groups who may need additional support.
Read the toolkits: Our updated toolkits are designed to help governing boards focus on the drivers that are impacting pupils in their school/trust, including vulnerable pupils, those with SEND and those living in poverty.
Watch the webinar: Our Disadvantage: widening the lens webinar explores the challenges faced by pupils with SEND and those living in poverty, highlighting the crucial role governing boards play in breaking down barriers to learning.

What we want governing boards to do

2. Discuss

Use the resources to begin a conversation with your board and school/trust leaders. Discuss what disadvantage looks like in your local context, look beyond national narratives, and seek assurance that school leaders are able to identify the key barriers that impact on pupils realising their full potential.

What we want governing boards to do

3. Get in touch

Get in touch with us by emailing Fiona Fearon at fiona.fearon@nga.org.uk to tell us:

What are you doing? We would like to hear about successful strategies you have implemented to address educational disadvantage in your school, as well as useful resources and organisations you are working with.
What do you need? Let us know what further support you need and challenges you are facing.

The current context

In 2023, 17% of pupils with SEN achieved grades 5 or above in English and
mathematics GCSEs, compared to 51% of pupils with no identified SEN (DfE, 2024).
33% (900,000) of school-age children in England are living in poverty but are not
entitled to free school meals (CPAG, 2023).
Between October 2021 and October 2022, there were an estimated 192,912 children with a parent in prison (Ministry of Justice, 2024).
Over 50% of young carers are persistently absent (attendance less than 90%),
(Caring and Classes, 2024).
Overall rates of children and young people with probable mental health conditions have
increased substantially in recent years, from about 1 in 8 (12.5%) in 2017 to 1 in 5 (20.3%) in
2023 (Children’s Commissioner, 2024)
Children from a Black Caribbean background are three times more likely to be excluded than their White peers (Timpson, 2019).

You can find out more about the statistics around disadvantage in our toolkits.