Five Ways Interventions Can Truly Help Pupils

After more than two decades in education we have learned that few words in schools generate quite as much activity—or confusion—as intervention. It’s a term that springs into life as soon as mock results land on desks, particularly after the long winter stretch of GCSE and A-level preparation.

As mock exams fade into the rear-view mirror, there will inevitably be pupils who haven’t performed as well as they—or we—had hoped. That’s when intervention becomes the rallying cry in staffrooms up and down the country. Used well, it can be transformative. Used poorly, it risks becoming little more than noise.

At Atlan Academy, we spend a great deal of time thinking carefully about how best to intervene. Here are five principles, drawn from practice and years of observing what genuinely makes a difference.

1. Intervention is not the same as re-teaching

If a topic has already been taught, simply teaching it again is rarely the best use of anyone’s time. What pupils often need is not more content, but better access to what they already know.

Recapping, retrieval practice and explicit exam-skill teaching are usually far more powerful. Many pupils do have the knowledge stored away in their long-term memory; the problem is knowing how to retrieve and apply it under exam conditions. That is where effective intervention earns its keep.

2. Intervention doesn’t have to be passive—or dull

Revision is never one-size-fits-all, and intervention shouldn’t be either. Some of the most effective sessions we have observed (and led) have been creative, energetic and unapologetically different from everyday lessons.

Because core teaching continues in the classroom, intervention can afford to be experimental: games, problem-solving activities, collaborative challenges. When pupils walk in expecting something purposeful and novel, engagement follows.

3. Intervention should not replace independent revision

One of the most common pitfalls is allowing pupils to see intervention sessions as a substitute for their own revision. They are not.

Intervention should extend learning, not absolve pupils of responsibility for it. Time and again, I’ve seen students rely almost entirely on after-school sessions, only to falter when left alone in the exam hall. Independence matters. Once the paper is handed out, the safety net disappears.

4. The best intervention starts early

Waiting until the final months of Year 11 to act is simply too late. By then, patterns of underachievement are well established.

Effective intervention begins as soon as the course does. With early data, teachers can identify target groups, adapt teaching, and put support in place long before gaps become chasms. Early, well-evidenced intervention gives pupils time—and confidence—to turn things around.

5. Not every pupil needs intervention

This may sound counterintuitive, but it matters. I recall running an essay-writing masterclass for weaker writers, only to find several highly capable students attending as well. They could already write fluent essays with ease. Did they really need to be there?

For high-attaining pupils, intervention must look different—more stretch, more challenge, perhaps more timed practice. And for some students, limited or even no intervention at all may be the right call. Sometimes, knowing when not to intervene is a mark of professional judgment.

Intervention is not a magic wand. But when it is thoughtful, timely and sharply focused, it can make a tangible difference to pupils’ outcomes—and their confidence. At Atlan Academy, we believe that getting intervention right is not about doing more, but about doing better.