Primary School Showcase: The (hidden) secret of improving schools — Mark Moorhouse and Simon Cowley

Leaders from the Whole Education network share practical approaches that are making a real difference for students and staff. Each 20-minute input offers grounded insight into whole education in action, with space for reflection and discussion to help you apply the learning in your own context.

Featured contributions:

• How to close the PP gap, sustainably, on a Saturday and without teachers — Mark Moorhouse, Watergrove Trust
A provocation from David Price OBE about peer learning led to an initiative at Matthew Moss High School in Rochdale which has been running for over a decade, with remarkable impacts on the progress of disadvantaged learners. With increased accountability on the way for improving both inclusion and achievement, this session will share resources for a strategy which creates visible and direct impact for a school’s Pupil Premium funding.

• Frontline Obsession: Enacting Our Shared Curriculum Through a Collaborative School Improvement — Simon Cowley, White Horse Federation
Simon will present on how our Trust’s shared primary curriculum is enacted across 25 schools through the strategic application of our school improvement model. At the heart of this approach is a culture of collaboration. Simon will outline the structures that enable effective collaboration, including networks, professional development, and shared planning resources. The presentation will clarify what elements of the curriculum and pedagogy are standardised across the Trust—ensuring consistency and equity—while highlighting the areas where schools are empowered to innovate and tailor approaches to their unique contexts. The result is a Trust dividend: a measurable uplift in outcomes and professional growth that exceeds what any single school could achieve alone.