Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. The aim is to increase social mobility, attainment and progress.

The Government believes that schools should decide how the Pupil Premium is allocated and spent. It is felt that Head teachers are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils within schools. Therefore schools are required to utilise this funding to improve the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Pupil Premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority groups, individual pupils and resources. Limited funding and resources means that not all FSM children will receive intervention and additional support at the same time.

Schools are required to publish online information about how they have used the Pupil Premium funding. This will ensure that parents and others are made fully aware of the attainment of pupils covered by the additional funding. See below for our statutory reports and policies.

As a school we work hard to ensure that the maximum number of pupils benefit from the funding. All pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium funding receive additional support and resources.

We have a clear, strategic approach to the use of specific Pupil Premium funding and plans are integrated into wider school support and improvement systems. These are monitored and evaluated regularly and in depth data analysis ensures that the correct support and strategies are identified to maximize progress.

Strong leadership systems ensure that Pupil Premium funding has the necessary impact. All matters relating to the Pupil Premium are reported regularly to the Governing Body, ensuring that the school is held to account for the impact of spending.

Intent

It is the intent of our school to dispel the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers. The Pupil Premium is additional funding which is allocated to schools based on the number of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point over the last six years. The Pupil Premium is aimed at addressing the current underlying inequalities which exist between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers.

The percentage of our pupils eligible for pupil premium is significantly higher than the national average and overcoming barriers to learning is at the heart of our Pupil Premium Grant use. We focus our funding based on the needs of the individuals within the research-based 3-tier system of: Quality First Teaching, Targeted Support and Wider Strategies.

Our priorities are as follows:

• Ensuring all students receive quality first teaching each lesson
• Closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers
• Providing targeted academic support for students who are not making the expected progress
• Addressing non-academic barriers to attainment such as attendance, social isolation, life experience and wellbeing in a trauma informed approach.
• Ensuring that the Pupil Premium Grant reaches the pupils who need it most.

Diagnostic assessments

We use a range of diagnostic assessments to ascertain where children require support. Diagnostic assessments provide opportunities to reflect on pupils’ thinking, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition to our summative assessment and subsequent gap analysis, we utilise meta-cognitive strategies such as: quizzes, hinge questioning, mind maps and KWL activities. We also embed formative assessment for learning strategies into our lessons and regularly track pupils progress through systems such as Read Write Inc. phonic tracking, benchmarking and YARK. Children are also supported through the diagnostic tools such as Wellcomm (speech & language), Sandwell, SWST, YARK and NVR where appropriate. Other tools support our decisions for provision of social and emotional development. These include Leuvan scales and Strength & Difficulties Questionnaires.

Supporting our decisions through research.

Our spending decisions are always based on solid research-based evidence. Our primary source of evidence is the Educational Endowment Fund and the findings within the Teaching & Learning Toolkit and Pupil Premium guidance. The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit is an accessible summary of educational research designed to support teachers and school leaders who are making decisions about how to improve learning outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children and young people. It covers strategies that schools might consider using Pupil Premium funding to support.

Barriers to Learning

Main Barriers:

Some of our disadvantaged pupils start school well below national expectations as a result of limited experiences and opportunities. In order to address the gaps in development and attainment we direct a range of resources, support, interventions, programmes and strategies for children and their families.

Barriers and challenges faced by some of our disadvantaged pupils are many and varied. There barriers often increase in complexity as the children get older.

External barriers for many of our disadvantaged children include:

Academic Barriers:

1. SEN/ Learning Style
2. EAL (English additional language)
3. Low academic starting points
4. Lack of early play/life experiences
5. Behaviour (ADHD/ADD/ ASD/ Trauma)
6. Low language skills
7. High mobility

Additional Barriers:

1. Punctuality and Attendance
2. Young Carers
3. Chaotic house
4. Lack of access to services/ poor transport
5. Social isolation
6. Cleanliness/ Hygiene/uniform
7. Domestic Violence
8. Health
9. Parental Disengagement (including no reading or homework at home)
10. Sleep & Food- issues or lack of
11. Mental Health (child’s or parents/carers)