I partnered with Merrick-Ed to work with E-ACT to develop a set of bespoke Power BI dashboards aimed at identifying pupils likely to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) but not yet registered – helping the trust take proactive steps to close the gap between entitlement and take-up.
By combining student-level postcode data with national deprivation indicators such as the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), the dashboards identified over 3,000 pupils across the trust who may be eligible but were not currently claiming FSM. The estimated funding potential from this work exceeds £3 million, enabling the trust to provide additional support to some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
This project demonstrates how data can drive immediate, real-world impact. The dashboards supported schools to take swift, targeted action – reaching out to families, increasing FSM registrations, and ultimately unlocking vital Pupil Premium funding.
More than just identifying need, the tool helped the trust understand how deprivation overlaps with other key factors like SEND, EAL, and gender – supporting more precise and equitable intervention planning.
It’s a strong example of how thoughtful use of data can support not just reporting, but real change – helping schools deliver the right support to the pupils who need it most.
You can read more about the impact of this work in the TES article here.
If your trust is looking to explore similar opportunities through bespoke dashboards or targeted data insight, I’d love to hear from you.
