Narrowing the Gap

One of the aspirations shared by local authorities across Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government is to offer our children true equality of opportunity in their education. Though standards of attainment have risen in all schools over the last 10 years, the gap between the best and the least well performing has not changed. In terms of the preparation school offers for adult life the prospects are much brighter for some children than for others. This report identifies what is working for schools which demonstrate that deprivation does not necessarily lead to poor performance.

The Narrowing the Gap project has so far incorporated two distinct stages. The first stage – examining the impact of transition from primary to secondary education – reported in autumn 2002. Please see the link on the right hand side of this page

The second stage – considering developments in the primary stage – has been undertaken by a University of Glamorgan led research team.

The reports show that there are a number of factors that schools who “buck the trend” have in common, these include clear leadership and a strong connection to the local community.

The second report is available from the Welsh Assembly Government publications department. www.wales.gov.uk

For more information contact: Daisy Seabourne