The Harper Trust announces funding for primary pupils from low income households

Thousands of children across Bedford Borough will benefit from a £0.5 million investment from The Harpur Trust, with funding awarded to local primary schools through its Accelerator Programme to help children from low-income families thrive in school.

Despite recent progress, educational disadvantage remains a significant challenge, both nationally and in Bedford Borough. In 2025, the gap between children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and their peers nationally at the end of KS2 was 10 months, and in Bedford Borough was 12.5 months (remaining the same as in 2024), highlighting the continued need for targeted support.

The Trust’s Accelerator Programme helps children aged 0-11 from lower-income families make faster progress in education, with a focus on increasing the number of pupils who reach the expected standard.

The latest funding round will support a range of proven approaches, including oracy development through the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme, academic tutoring in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, early literacy programmes and targeted qualified staffing support. In total, 14 different strands of activities will be delivered, each with clear expectations to ensure effective implementation and strong impact.

A key feature is the continued focus on assessing the impact of the programmes in order to ensure that our spend is really making a demonstrable difference to the outcomes of children who are identified as disadvantaged.

Christina Pumfrey, Director of Strategy and Impact (Accelerator Programme) at The Harpur Trust, said: “This latest investment, alongside the continued implementation of research-based programmes and our termly CPD events, reflects the real strength of collaboration across our partner schools.

“By working together with schools, Bedford Borough Council and expert advisers, and focusing on approaches we know make a meaningful difference, we are reinforcing our shared commitment to improving outcomes for children across the borough.

“We are working with 21 primary schools and two nursery schools in 2026-27, helping improve outcomes for children from lower-income families through evidence-led interventions, direct funding and programmes designed to strengthen teaching, including our Peer Review and Advisory Teachers projects.”

The new funding builds on strong progress achieved through last year’s programme. Eight schools that the Accelerator Programme has worked with now report a disadvantage gap smaller than the national benchmark of 14 per cent, with five schools showing a consistently narrowing gap over the past three years.

Family support interventions have also played an important role, with trained family workers supporting 238 pupils and their families across eight schools, helping to improve attendance, wellbeing and educational outcomes.

The schools receiving funding through the Accelerator Programme are: Balliol Primary School, Bedford Road Primary School, Cauldwell School, Edith Cavell Primary School, Elstow School, Goldington Green Academy, Great Ouse Primary Academy, King’s Oak Primary School, Kymbrook Primary School, Livingstone Primary School, Priory Primary School, Peter Pan and Cherry Trees Nursery Schools, Putnoe Primary School, Queen’s Park Academy, Shackleton Primary School, Sheerhatch Primary School, Shortstown Primary School, St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, St John Rigby Catholic Primary School, Thurleigh Primary School and Wilstead Primary School.

Find out more about The Harpur Trust’s Accelerator Programme at www.harpurtrust.org.uk/accelerator-programme