The event will focus on ‘place’ and it aims to highlight how socioeconomic disadvantage and geographical context shape educational outcomes in England and Wales. It will focus on the varying impact of urban, rural, coastal and other regional environments on student performance, emphasizing how place and socioeconomic status intersect to influence both achievement and underachievement. The event will explore key insights into the challenges and potential solutions for closing the disadvantaged attainment gap.

While socioeconomic deprivation is well established as a predictor of educational underachievement, the effect of ‘place’ is less well researched. Research highlights the powerful interaction between geographic isolation and deprivation, where disadvantaged and isolated schools are more likely to achieve lower educational outcomes. This event will present six research papers examining pupil achievement in several settings and it considers the strategies that can address the needs of students in these environments and how schools can employ these to close the attainment gap.

There will be two presentations on urban schools. One covers successful strategies employed by London’s schools to mitigate the adverse effects of poverty on achievement. The research reveals that key barriers to learning include poverty, low expectations and lack of parental involvement. It highlights that effective leadership, high-quality teaching and targeted interventions have helped close the attainment gap. The second will analyse whether the ‘London Effect,’ whereby London schools outperformed other regions, survived the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper examines the 2023 GCSE results to evaluate whether London’s schools continued to excel post-pandemic and reflects on efforts by London’s educational leaders through the Reconnect London initiative to support disadvantaged and vulnerable students.

There will be a presentation focusing on coastal schools, where socioeconomic deprivation and geographic isolation contribute to poor educational outcomes. Based on longitudinal research, it argues that coastal schools are often educationally isolated due to limited resources, poor access to high-quality teachers and intergenerational unemployment. Coastal schools tend to perform worse than urban schools, with the research calling attention to the spatial inequity in educational achievement.

The fourth presentation is on the role of the SENCO in addressing attainment gaps in schools. Just as some pupils might underachieve when they come from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds, they can also be educationally vulnerable when they have special needs and disabilities (SEND). It explores the educational outcomes of children with SEND and how SENCOs can implement effective strategies to improve their outcomes.

The fifth presentation focuses on a Welsh study which takes a methodological focus based on education data in Wales, which will explore place and inequalities.

The sixth presentation focuses on place and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the Midlands. Both presentations will consider strategies to address the needs of students in these environments and how schools can employ these to close the attainment gap.

This event brings together cutting-edge research to explore how place and socioeconomic status contribute to educational underachievement and it will provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by disadvantaged pupils, offering actionable insights into strategies to address the attainment gap.