The league tables for GCSE & A level results for 2015 have been published and in a brief write up on The Guardian, two schools that have had ThinkForward Coaches for the past four years have been highlighted as great examples of institutions helping to close the inequality gap. ThinkForward is working in partnership with them and has proven that one-one-one coaching over a five year period from the age of 13 to 18 can significantly reduce the attainment gap of disadvantaged young people.

Two of ThinkForward’s schools, Bethnal Green Academy and Central Foundation Boys’ School were shown to have disadvantaged pupils perform better than their average peers. In 2015, 27.3% of pupils at GCSE level were disadvantaged, meaning that they were eligible for free school meals or in care during that time.

Amongst schools where more than 30% of pupils are disadvantaged, Bethnal Green Academy in central London had 92% of disadvantaged children passing the headline measure, compared with 90% for the school as a whole.

Despite this turnaround for some schools, nationally, there is still a significant achievement gap for these children. The odds against disadvantaged pupils achieving at least a C average in English and maths are more than three times as high compared with other pupils. ThinkForward is determined to expand our one-on-one coaching intervention to more schools where there is a gap and to have a transformative impact on young people most in need.