Pupil Premium

Statement of intent

When making decisions about using Pupil Premium funding it is important to consider the context of the school and the subsequent challenges faced. This alongside research conducted by the EEF. Common challenges to learning for disadvantaged children can be less support at home, weak 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”.

We will ensure that all teaching staff are involved in the analysis of data and identification of pupils, so that they are fully aware of strengths and weaknesses across the academy.

Principles

• We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all the pupils.
• We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed.
• In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged.
• We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged.
• Pupil Premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis, which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals. Limited funding and resources means that not all children receiving free school meals will be in receipt of pupil premium interventions at one time.

Ultimate Objectives

• To narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally and also within internal school data.
• For all disadvantaged pupils in school to exceed nationally expected progress rates in order to reach Age Related Expectation at the end of Year 6 and thus achieve GCSE’s in English and Maths.

Achieving the objectives

High expectations: Providing a culture where staff believe in all children and strive to overcome barriers to learning for pupils and give every individual the best possible chance of success.

High Profile: Diminishing differences in attainment will receive the highest priority in school. We adopt a whole school approach with all staff involved in identifying pupils in need and the barriers to their learning. Pupil premium profiles are completed each term.

High Quality Teaching and Learning: We recognise that the biggest factor in high standards of pupil attainment is high quality teaching and learning. We will continue to ensure that all pupils receive good teaching. We will ensure consistent application of key elements of teaching and learning such as planning, marking and assessment and carry out moderation activities to reinforce this. We give high priority professional development systems for teachers and teaching assistants and ensure that high quality professional development is available to all staff.

Emphasis on Basic Skills: We will concentrate our spending on achieving the highest possible standards in English and mathematics. This may be in the form of direct teaching and intervention or may be indirect through improving attendance, behaviour or access to resources and support. We place the highest Importance on the breadth of the curriculum. Pupils must access the very broadest opportunities.

The Pupil Premium lead is Mrs V Symonds, Assistant Principal