Detail

Data

The Pupil Premium Grant is a government grant which provides schools with additional money to be used for children who have been, or are, in receipt of free school meals. This is because research has shown that these disadvantaged children do not typically attain as well as their non-pupil premium counterparts.

We, as a school can utilise that money in whatever way we believe will best improve the chances of success of this disadvantaged group – academic and otherwise. Support may be short term, small group interventions or longer-term enrichment programmes to enable the children to raise their attainment and aspirations.

The impact of the spending is tracked and analysed to ensure that the Pupil Premium Grant is spent in a targeted, beneficial way to improve the outcomes and life chances for our most vulnerable children.

Challenge number

Detail of challenge

Assessments, observations, and discussions with pupils indicate oral language and vocabulary gaps among many disadvantaged pupils. These are evident from Reception and progress through to KS2. In general, these are more prevalent among our disadvantaged pupils than their peers.

Assessments, observations, and discussions with pupils suggest disadvantaged pupils generally have greater difficulties with phonics than their peers. This negatively impacts their development as readers.

This has resulted in significant knowledge gaps leading to pupils falling further behind age-related expectations, especially in writing.

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Assessments and observations will indicate significantly improved oral language among disadvantaged pupils in reception. This will be triangulated with other sources of evidence, including engagement in lessons, book scrutiny and ongoing formative assessment.

KS2 outcomes will show that we are closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils with as many meeting the expected standard as non-disadvantaged.

• qualitative data from student voice, student and parent surveys and teacher observations
• a significant increase in participation in enrichment activities, particularly among disadvantaged pupils

Activity

Aim/rationale/evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

To accelerate progress in all subjects across all year groups, fostering pupil-led approaches to learning

1

2

Behaviour interventions | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

1

2

3

4

Oral language interventions | Toolkit Strand |
Education Endowment Foundation | EEF

1

2

EEF_Social_and_Emotional_Learning.pdf
(educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

1

2

3

Phonics approaches have a strong evidence base that indicates a positive impact on the accuracy of word reading (though not necessarily comprehension), particularly for disadvantaged pupils:

Phonics | Toolkit Strand | Education
Endowment Foundation | EEF

Specialist Maths and English support provided by HLTAs

1

2

3

Activity

Aim/rationale/evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Providing a range of opportunities and equality of access for all children promotes a healthy and active lifestyle

3

4

Pupils benefit by becoming more confident and better equipped to deal with potentially challenging situations at home

3

4

Attendance at y6 residential, weekend Shabbatons for year 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, offer a broad range of practical and holistic opportunities for pupils to experience

4

Teachers are more mindful of the way pupils are disadvantaged and take steps to offer pastoral support

1

2

3

4

HT and SENCO time plus outside agencies (SEaTTS etc) helping to support emotional resilience

3

4

Two full days of 1:1 counselling during the school day for pupils needing emotional support. Individuals work towards strategies to cope with issues which might be worrying or affecting them. Half-termly meetings with SLT regarding in-school support of these pupils. Priority given to DPP pupils

3

4

Promoting a sense of well-being and belonging to all pupils in the school community

4

Ad hoc, needs-based meetings with attendance officer and HT to monitor and pre-empt support for disadvantages families whose attendance and/or parenting is a cause for concern

4

Promoting healthy eating

4

Please note;
* Schools are no longer required to publish their key stage 1 (optional) SATs results.
* There is a vast disparity in PP figures across various year groups – for example last year’s year 6 cohort was 23.3% PP, whereas the overall % for 2024/25 for the whole school is just 6.2%.

To help us gauge the performance of our disadvantaged pupils we compared our results to those for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils at a national and regional level. Due to the small numbers of children in receipt of Pupil Premium in some cases, caution is advised when comparing data as a small number of pupils can easily skew the picture.

Data from tests and assessments at the expected standard in KS2 suggests that the progress and attainment of the school’s disadvantaged pupils in 2023/24 exceeded our expectations. In reading, at greater depth, the disadvantaged pupils achieved as well as their non-disadvantaged counterparts. However, none of the 7 pupils achieved 110 or more in maths or were assessed as being at greater depth in writing. Unfortunately 3/7 (42.9%) just missed the maths greater depth milestone, scoring 109.

Absence and persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils were higher than their peers in 2023/24.

Our observations and assessments demonstrated that pupil behaviour improved last year, but challenges in relation to wellbeing and mental health remain significantly higher than before the pandemic. The impact on disadvantaged pupils has been particularly acute.

The unknown factors around the impact of Covid bring into question whether we will continue to meet and achieve the outcomes that we set in the Intended Outcomes section above.  We have reviewed our strategy plan and made changes to how we intend to use some of our budget this academic year, as set out in the Activity in This Academic Year section above. The Further Information section below provides more details about our planning, implementation, and evaluation processes.

Our pupil premium strategy will be supplemented by additional activity that is not being funded by pupil premium or recovery premium. That will include:

• embedding more effective practice around feedback. EEF evidence demonstrates this has significant benefits for pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils. We have recently concluded a pupil marking and feedback analysis and have trialled different approaches in order to best support pupils.
• We have a trained ELSA who supports pupil wellbeing and ensures our most vulnerable pupils have someone who is always available to them. Support for disadvantaged pupils encompasses a wide range of pupils, including PP, SEND, EAL, CP and those with particularly challenging home lives.
• Since March 2023, we have offered a wide range of high-quality lunchtime and extracurricular activities to boost wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, and aspiration. In September 2024, the SENCo launched a lunchtime club (The Zen Den) as a safe space for targeted pupils, who either struggle at unstructured times or who need to decompress during the school day. Activities focus on building life skills such as confidence, resilience, and socialising. Disadvantaged pupils will be encouraged and supported to participate.

Class

Cohort

SEND

EAL

PP

Programme

Provider

n/a