We are delighted to share the reflections of Dave Marsh, Executive Headteacher of Featherby Infant and Junior Schools and Barnsole Primary School. The thinkpiece argues against predicting GCSE outcomes at age five, emphasizing that early disadvantage should not define a child’s future. Maritime Academy Trust champions a proactive, hopeful approach – investing in early intervention, personalised learning, and free enrichment programmes – to disrupt cycles of inequality and expand opportunities for every child, regardless of background.
Should We Be Able to Predict GCSE Results at the Age of 5?
Why Maritime Believes in Disrupting the Narrative with Hope, Action, and Opportunity
Education today is not short of challenges. In a post-COVID world, socio-economic barriers are more visible and entrenched than ever. Schools are navigating a complex web of issues: stretched budgets, declining attendance, increased mental health needs, and the erosion of many vital support services. These realities affect children earlier than we would like to admit. Some children are already behind in key areas such as language, social skills, and emotional regulation before they’ve even entered Reception.
The data from 2023 and 2024 paints a sobering picture. By the time children reach the end of secondary school, those from disadvantaged backgrounds are, on average, almost two years behind their peers. These gaps don’t appear suddenly, they grow over time, beginning with missed milestones in the early years and widening as children move through the system.
It’s tempting, in this context, to look at a five-year-old and make a prediction about their future. But at Maritime Academy Trust, we deliberately resist that instinct, not because the statistics are unreliable, but because our children deserve more than to be defined by data. Our mission is simple but radical: to positively disrupt education so that every child, regardless of their background, receives an excellent start in life. That requires belief, investment, and most importantly, action.
Early Years: Laying the Foundations for Lifelong Learning
The Maritime Children’s Foundation’s Strong Foundations programme is central to our commitment to early intervention. It exists to ensure that every child, especially those affected by poverty or disadvantage, has the chance to thrive from the very beginning. We know that the foundations for success at GCSE are laid not just in secondary school, but long before formal education begins. Strong Foundations supports children from birth to age six by offering wraparound support to families. This includes baby and toddler groups, parenting workshops, nursery taster sessions, and direct school engagement. All offered at little or no cost to reduce barriers to participation. At schools like Bligh Primary, early intervention is embedded into a wider ecosystem of care, working in partnership with health, education, and social service providers. Together, we create a holistic approach that catches children before they fall through the cracks.
Inside our nurseries and early years settings, the focus is not just on phonics and number recognition, but on nurturing curiosity, creativity, and communication. Children learn through storytelling, singing, outdoor play, and hands-on discovery. All guided by staff trained not only in pedagogy but in trauma-informed care and early developmental assessment. We have developed our ‘Developmentally appropriate practice’ which ensures we are developing the executive functions to lead to curious independent learners. Collaboration across schools in our Geographical hubs has been vital in getting this right such as the work in the South Greenwich Hub.
We act early when a child is showing signs of struggle. A child who is quiet or behind at age two or three can catch up with the right attention, care, and encouragement. These children are not outliers. They are examples of the power of timely support.
One Child, One Chromebook: Personalising the Pathway in KS2
When pupils enter Key Stage 2, our focus shifts to personalising learning while maintaining high expectations for all. Our 1:1 Chromebook initiative ensures that every child from Year 3 onwards has their own device which is accessible at school and at home.
This isn’t about replacing teachers with technology. It’s about empowering students with tools that support individual learning journeys. Some children benefit from apps that provide instant feedback in maths. Others benefit from having access to technology at home to continue the learning from in school. For pupils with SEND, the technology opens doors that traditional methods might keep closed.
Crucially, this programme levels the playing field. Digital access should not be a luxury. It should be a standard. Every child, regardless of household income, deserves access to the same tools for exploration, creation, and communication. Teachers receive ongoing training to ensure that technology is used intentionally and effectively. And we continuously assess the impact, not just on academic outcomes, but on engagement, confidence. Access to devices at home has allowed children to take ownership of their learning at home as well as schools which we have seen the impact in when holding TTR competitions – well done Featherby!
The Maritime Skills Academy: Enrichment Without Barriers
Beyond the classroom, opportunity still matters. In fact, for many children, what happens outside school hours can be the key to unlocking passions, developing resilience, and building ambition. But for too many families, financial or logistical constraints limit access to these vital experiences.
The Maritime Skills Academy, launched in 2023, is our response to this gap. Starting with Saturday sessions at Greenacres Primary, and now expanded to Featherby Infant School and Featherby Junior School, the programme offers free enrichment for children in areas ranging from coding and robotics to art, drama, and sport. These sessions are more than just “clubs”, they are designed to build self-esteem, strengthen social skills, and broaden horizons.
The response has been extraordinary. Children attend eagerly, arriving with smiles and leaving with stories. One pupil summed it up perfectly: “If you go to a job and they ask you to code something, you’ll know already.” That confidence, that sense of readiness for the future, is what we aim to cultivate.
Hope Through Action
We know the data. We understand the obstacles. But we refuse to believe that disadvantage must define destiny. At Maritime, we’re not interested in denying assessments or pretending trends don’t exist. We value data as it helps us intervene strategically. But we reject the idea that a score at five should limit what a child can achieve at sixteen. When we invest early, personalise learning, and expand enrichment access, we positively change life opportunities.
So, should we be able to predict GCSE results at the age of five? We believe no. We choose not to let those predictions dictate our decisions. Instead, we commit to overcoming the data. We hope by taking these actions we can positively disrupt the education system and overcome some socio-economic barriers to increase the life opportunities of our children.
