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When using flipped learning, teachers have to put on additional classes for pupils with no internet access
One of the biggest priorities for those working in education at the moment - as well as the government - is to ensure that schools expand all pupils' opportunities.
A question asked of most new teaching interventions, therefore, is whether they will narrow or widen the attainment gap that exists between pupils from different backgrounds.
When it comes to flipped learning, commentators are split on whether it will reduce educational inequality or end up reinforcing it.
According to the Education Endowment Foundation's (EEF) findings on one flipped learning intervention, MathsFlip, (see page 10), pupils eligible for free school meals experienced greater progress using the approach than their more advantaged peers. However, there are caveats to this (see box, below).
Steve Payne, headteacher at the Halesowen Church of England Primary School in Dudley, says being entrusted with a laptop gave many of his pupils from deprived backgrounds a genuine sense of pride, which positively impacted their education.
And Jennifer Devaney, primary maths and assessment lead at Shireland Collegiate Academy in the West Midlands, argues that flipped learning has the potential to benefit other children who can sometimes miss out in a traditional classroom environment.
"There was a little girl at one of our project schools who had special needs, who the teacher reported was often reluctant to contribute in class," she recalls. "A flipped approach helped her to build confidence."
As well as being able to properly "digest" a...