A critical evaluation of the impact online education platforms can have on disadvantaged students at a post-16 secondary academy: A case analysis

Disadvantaged students have underperformed in comparison to non-disadvantaged students,1 with the COVID-19 pandemic further widening this disparity.2 The case study in this paper (the multi-academy trust) therefore wanted to bridge the attainment gap through evaluating practical methods of raising achievement in the school’s post-16 disadvantaged student group, who were on average almost half a grade behind their counterparts in every subject. The authors initially investigated the use of online education platforms to supplement the learning of disadvantagedtt learners, with staff and students trialling each programme before a decision was made to purchase a suitable package. As a result of the recommendations by staff and students, funding was used from the UK Government’s 16–19 Tuition Fund bursary as well as the Uni Connect programme to purchase four platforms — Massolit, FutureLearn, Up Learn and SnapRevise — that students could access to improve their grades. By the end of the study, the disadvantaged cohort outperformed the non-disadvantaged learners by a third of a grade. The results were significant enough to suggest that the use of online education platforms was worth pursuing further, as the main output of the study resulted in an average grade of C+ being achieved by the disadvantaged cohort compared to the non-disadvantaged students’ average overall grade of C. The findings from this case study indicate that having a clear understanding of digital poverty, how it affects the student population and what measures can be put in place to provide an equal online learning environment for all is key to providing disadvantaged students with the opportunity to achieve in line with their peers. Forging successful relationships with all the stakeholders through training, effective monitoring and interventions can also maximise disadvantaged student achievement.