Abstract

Breaking the link between poverty and poor educational attainment has been a long- standing goal of the Welsh Government. Progress has been made, but a large gap remains in Wales. This paper revisits RAISE, the Welsh Government's first major funding programme aimed at closing the gap. It considers the impact of RAISE upon pupils and schools and the lessons for contemporary interventions like the Pupil Deprivation Grant in Wales and Pupil Premium in England. The paper concludes that given the challenges many schools in disadvantaged areas face, integrating additional funding for schools (like that provided by the Pupil Deprivation Grant) with support and challenge, through programmes like School Challenge Cymru, and area- based programmes, like the proposed Children's Zones, is needed to maximise the impact of additional funding.

How to Cite:

Holtom, D., (2017) “Narrowing the Gap: Lessons from RAISE Ten Years On”, Wales Journal of Education 19(2), 118-142. doi: https://doi.org/10.16922/wje.19.2.7