Pupil Premium Intent:
Common barriers to learning for disadvantaged children can include: less support at home, poorer language and communication skills, lack of confidence, more frequent behaviour difficulties and attendance and punctuality issues. There may also be complex family situations that prevent children from flourishing. The challenges are varied and there is no 'one size fits all' label or approach when considering the needs of children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding.
Our overall intent for our PP children is:
- To narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
- For all disadvantaged pupils in the academy to make at least or exceed nationally expected progress rates.
- To support all pupil’s emotional health and wellbeing to enable them to access learning and the curriculum at an appropriate level.
Pupil Premium Implementation:
We will implement this by:
- Ensuring that learning and teaching opportunities meet the needs of all pupils;
- Ensuring that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups (DAVE), this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed, acted upon and supported;
- Make provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, recognising that not all pupils who receive free school meals (FSM) will be socially disadvantaged;
- Recognising that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for FSM. We will consider where appropriate allocating the Pupil Premium (PP) funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils the academy has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged;
- Ensuring PP funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals. Limited funding and resources may mean that not all pupils receiving free school meals will be in receipt of pupil premium interventions at any one time.
Strategies to achieve and sustain impact:
The range of provision the Directors and Senior Accountability Team have agreed to initiate includes the following:
- Increased numbers of teaching staff to ‘reduce class sizes’ thus improving opportunities for effective teaching and accelerating progress;
- Allocation of additional intervention teachers and experienced Teaching Assistant to support ‘catch-up’- providing smaller group work focussed on overcoming gaps in learning;
- Appoint additional LSA's to support in class ‘irrespective’ of budget constraints;
- 1-1 support provided where necessary and for specific interventions or purposes;
- Additional teaching and learning opportunities provided through additional core curriculum ‘after school’ clubs to close gaps for ‘identified’ pupils;
- Pupil premium resources are to be used to target able children on Free School Meals to achieve Age Related Expectations;
- Increased expectation for activities and educational visits, ensuring children have first-hand experiences to use in their learning in the classroom;
- Extended school day in place since Sept 2020;
- Additional after school non-core clubs - e.g. choir and PE to support emotional health and wellbeing;
- Additional PE session during lunchtimes to help wellbeing (30 mins per year group per week);
- New playleaders appointed at lunchtime to support pupil’s emotional wellbeing in addition to lunchtime supervisors;
- All pupils in Y6,5 and 4 have a Chromebook each to take home daily to access homework or topic activities;
- New decodable books purchased throughout academy to support phonic programme and pupils reading skills;
- Release of skilled writing leader to work and support in class on writing and phonic links and developments;
- Extensive CPD for all classroom-based staff and coherent subject support strategy implemented by external (SSDP) a recognised NLE;
- Increased budget of £15,000 to be spent on non-fiction books across the academy to support children in their learning;
- Targetted training for staff including safeguarding and how to support vulnerable children.
All our work through the pupil premium will be aimed at accelerating progress, moving children to at least age-related expectations.