Closing the Gap: Tackling differential outcomes for school-age learners

Join us for a dynamic and thought-provoking conference designed for school leaders, senior educators, and professionals across the education and youth sectors.  

Through expert keynote talks, workshop sessions, and panels, we’ll delve into the factors shaping educational inequality and share practical strategies to strengthen inclusive practice.  

Grounded in the ethos of widening participation, this conference will explore how a more equitable educational landscape can help address persistent disparities – supporting disadvantaged learners to progress into higher education and achieve meaningful outcomes in both education and employment.  

This will be explored through a wide range of topics including:  

• Educational disparities for Free School Meal boys.  

• Differential outcomes for specific and under-represented learner groups.    

• HE pathways, Gatsby benchmarks and the curriculum. 

• Subject-specific initiatives.  

• Learner-centred engagement and teaching strategies.  

• Evaluating and demonstrating impact for continuous improvement. 

Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding, refine your practice, or connect with others driving change, this conference offers a unique opportunity to learn, reflect, and lead together. 

Call for contributions 

We’re inviting contributions from colleagues working to reduce educational inequalities and improve outcomes for under-represented learners. 

We’re keen to showcase a wide range of perspectives, approaches, and examples of practice, and welcome proposals that: 

• Share innovative projects or interventions taking place in schools, colleges or community settings. 

• Highlight research that offers fresh insights into the barriers and enablers of equitable educational outcomes. 

• Provide case studies or reflective accounts of partnership working across the education and youth sectors. 

• Offer practical tools, resources, or strategies that can be adopted by others. 

Contributions may take the form of workshops (1 hour) or spotlight sessions (20 mins).  

How to apply: If you would like to be considered, please submit a brief proposal (up to 300 words) by completing this form, outlining your contribution, its relevance to the conference theme, and the intended outcomes for participants.  

Deadline for submissions: Friday 24th October 2025.