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BET Elevate

BET Elevate is our Trust-wide approach to improving opportunities and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Educational inequality remains a national challenge. Across England, just 43% of disadvantaged pupils achieve a pass in English and maths GCSEs, compared to 72% of their non-disadvantaged peers. This gap exists across all phases of education and is often greatest in rural and coastal areas.

All schools are affected to some extent by these national trends. BET Elevate brings our schools together to identify barriers faced by disadvantaged pupils and find ways to remove them.

Through BET Elevate, we aim to make sure disadvantaged pupils across BET have fair access to opportunities, support and experiences that can help them succeed. It gives us a shared, evidence-based approach while allowing schools to respond to the needs of their own pupils and communities.

Why it matters

Disadvantaged pupils often face a combination of challenges, including:

  • Lower attainment and reduced access to post-16 and post-18 education

  • Barriers to employment and limited career progression

  • Mental health and wellbeing challenges, often linked to housing and financial instability

  • Social isolation and limited support networks

BET Elevate ensures pupils receive holistic support, helping to level the playing field and improve long-term outcomes.

The six steps of BET Elevate

1. Establish a network

Connect schools across the Trust to share best practice, localise efforts through cluster-based collaboration and build a community of shared learning and support.

2. Banded analysis

Using measurable metrics, identify pupils and tailor support accordingly. Focus on strengths and success stories to inform strategy.

3. Review spending

Analyse published spending to evaluate impact on pupils, ensure resources are directed where they make the most difference and establish opportunities for shared financial contributions to key services.

4. Holistic support

Address barriers beyond academics, including attendance, mental health and social isolation, provide inclusive opportunities across schools and clusters and ensure equal access to enrichment, careers and personal development.

5. Coordinated approach

Align BET Elevate with wider Trust strategies and programmes, ensure disadvantaged pupils are represented in all Trust-wide initiatives and promote shared ownership and consistent messaging across schools.

6. Personal development

Develop a coordinated personal development curriculum across clusters, standardise key elements to ensure equity of experience and share practice and expertise to enhance pupils’ wider education.

Measuring impact

BET Elevate will be evaluated against our strategic goal:

By 2030, disadvantaged pupils in BET will have the same opportunities and outcomes as their peers.

Progress will also be measured through annual analysis in the following areas:

  • Improvements in attainment, attendance and behaviour

  • Increased participation in personal development and enrichment

  • A stronger sense of belonging and inclusion across the Trust

  • Evidence of shared ownership and a level playing field for all pupils