Mind the Gap: What TEP’s national pupil engagement report means for school and trust leaders
This week, ImpactEd Group published the largest national study to date on pupil engagement in England’s schools.
Drawing on responses from over 100,000 pupils across 200 schools, the Mind the Engagement Gap report is a landmark piece of research that provides a rich, real-time snapshot of what young people think, feel and do in school—and how this connects to outcomes like attendance, motivation and attainment.
At The Reach Foundation, we were proud to support this research as a commissioning partner through the Research Commission on Engagement and Lead Indicators. But more than that, we believe this report provides critical evidence for why we need more coherent, consistent and connected systems of support around children, especially in places where these challenges are most acute.
Here are four key insights that have resonated with us:
1️⃣ The Year 7 dip is real—and revealing
The data shows a stark drop in engagement when children move from primary to secondary school. For example, average pupil enjoyment scores fall from 6.0 in Year 6 to just 3.2 in Year 8. Girls experience the sharpest decline across safety, trust, and wellbeing.
Engagement, once lost, rarely rebounds.
This finding underlines a fundamental truth: the transition into secondary is a system flashpoint. If we’re serious about building systems that work for children, we must design these transition moments intentionally.
2️⃣ Belonging isn’t evenly distributed
The report confirms what too many pupils already know: inclusion, trust and belonging are not felt equally. FSM-eligible pupils, Black pupils, and those with SEND report significantly lower engagement, especially in secondary school.
Pupils who don’t feel safe or seen won’t show up, speak up, or stick around.
This strengthens our belief that relational coherence—not just academic continuity—is foundational to educational success. We know that cradle-to-career approaches help build the wraparound support that enables belonging to take root.
3️⃣ Pupil and staff engagement are interconnected
In schools where staff are more engaged, pupils are too. The correlation is strong (r=0.6). When adults feel trusted, purposeful and supported, students are more likely to feel the same.
This is a systems insight. A strong staff culture isn’t ‘nice to have’, it’s a throughline that affects everything else. It means that we have to invest in leaders, nurture adult relationships, and strengthen the web of support around the school, not just within it.
4️⃣ Engagement is predictive and actionable
The report positions engagement as a lead indicator—a real-time, dynamic measure that predicts attendance, motivation, and outcomes. Secondary pupils in the bottom quartile for engagement are 10 percentage points more likely to be persistently absent.
Engagement doesn’t just describe what’s happening now. It helps us act before the damage is done.
Cradle-to-career systems are not about silver bullets or one-off interventions. They’re about putting the right support in place, early and often, to spot and respond to signals like these before they become long-term barriers.
At The Reach Foundation, we don’t think it’s enough to build strong schools. We believe in building the systems around schools so that every child, especially those growing up in under-resourced areas, can lead a life of choice and opportunity.
The findings from Mind the Engagement Gap make the need for this work even more urgent.
