This project, led by Marc Rowland, will support schools to develop an evidence informed approach to planning, implementing and evaluating an effective strategy for addressing short and long-term educational disadvantage and the impact of Covid 19 on learning. It will be rooted in research evidence and learning from successful schools but will also focus sharply on the local context.
Why does your school need a project to address disadvantage?
According to the EEF’s Best evidence of the impact of school closures on the attainment gap, much of the work done to close the attainment gap over the past 10 years is likely to be reversed. The median estimate indicates that the gap would widen by 36%. However, the estimated rate of gap widening varied substantially between studies, meaning that there is a high level of uncertainty around this average. Plausible “good” and “bad” estimates range from the gap widening from 11% to 75%.
Against this backdrop, school leaders now have urgent and challenging strategic decisions to make around how best to address this reversal.
Project Outcomes
- Move your pupil premium strategy from mitigation to success
- Attendees will finish the programme with a strong knowledge of how to put in place a long-term strategy to address educational disadvantage across their schools – one that meets the needs of their pupils in their context.
Session 1
Evidence
What evidence and national good practice tells us about addressing education disadvantage
Session 2
Strategy
How to plan an effective strategy – the active ingredients.
Session 3
Implementation
How to implement an effective strategy – the active ingredients
Session 4
Evaluation
How to evaluate an effective strategy – the active ingredients
Members Resources
Dates
- Tuesday 7 December 2021, 1.00 - 4.00 pm
- Tuesday 22 February 2022, 1.00 - 4.00 pm
- Tuesday 26 April 2022, 1.00 - 4.00 pm
- Tuesday 28 June 2022, 1.00 - 4.00 pm

Marc Rowland
VNET Projects
- VNET members can access projects using 6 of their membership credits or for £750+VAT
- Projects are exclusively for VNET members, for more information on membership please click here
- We recommend that two delegates attend the project including a senior leader
- Access to the project includes access to an area on VNETCIC.com with all resources and a project forum