Pupil Premium

What Does This Mean at our School?

It is about relationships. Improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils is a whole school priority. Strong relationships between teachers and pupils and between parents and the school play a vital part in supporting this.

It is about perseverance. We have high expectations of what children can achieve – ‘labels’ put on children can hinder future success. Children who are already working at the expected standard for their age are therefore targeted for rapid progress and all children are expected to make rapid progress so that they are as prepared as they can be for the next stage in their education.

It is about understanding barriers. We take advantage of the small nature of our school and use our strong relationships and ‘whole school approach’ to gain the broader picture of each child and what may be inhibiting their progress. We look at home life and attendance for example and liaise with other professionals, in health and social care.

It is about developing the ‘whole child‘. Funding is used to improve academic outcomes but is also used to help develop children’s social skills, self esteem, self belief and independence. However, we recognise that the best way to achieve all these goals is ultimately through securing each child’s academic success.

One size does not fit all. Funding is spent in a variety of ways. A large proportion is spent on providing extra classroom support for those children requiring it. i.e. school uses the money to provide additional hours for teaching Assistants to work with children on a one-to-one basis or in small groups. We feel this is the best way to ensure children are making the progress they need. We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all of the pupils.

To ensure value for money the school is guided by the Education Endowment Foundation toolkit, which assess the impact of spending initiatives against their cost.

Accountability

High quality ‘first teaching’ by Teachers and Teaching Support Staff is what makes the most difference to children’s progress and this is the foundation of all our work. Ensuring all teaching is at least good and is developing into outstanding practice is always a priority. Teachers are the ones who are primarily accountable for the outcomes of all children and they retain ‘ownership’ of all learning which our vulnerable pupils receive.

Children making ‘expected progress’ is unambitious. If additional funding is being spent, we expect additional progress to be made. For this reason, focused targets for improvement are carefully considered, precise interventions to help children are put in place and ‘rapid progress’ expected in those areas. We also make sure any ‘learning intervention programmes’ we use are ones with proven track records.

All children are provided with individualised support in those areas they require help in. This is then monitored to ensure it is taking place as agreed and is regularly reviewed, through ‘pupil progress meetings’ for example, to ensure it is having the desired impact. All school leaders know who our disadvantaged children are and their role in supporting them, Subject Leaders for Mathematics and English for example.

We have a designated ‘Link Governor’ for pupil premium which ensures the school leadership are held to account for the use of funding and the difference it makes. Regularly reporting to the Governing Body means that it remains a high priority.

We share data from a range of sources – some from school, some from nationally recognised bodies – which ensures Governors and other leaders are aware of the impact of our funding on outcomes for pupils compared to other schools. A summary of this data is also shared with parents on our website (see below).

We also ensure we establish strong working relationships with parents, whose support and reciprocal working is essential to success. We want parents to be well assisted about how their child is doing and feel part of the process of their learning. We have an ‘open door’ policy at Hoyle Court, so frequent and informal discussions help build this shared understanding and trust. Parents are consulted on the best use of the funding each year.

To ensure value for money the school’s work is informed by the Education Endowment Foundation Toolkit, which assesses the impact of spending initiatives against their cost. However, effective evaluation of the success of the funding is based on whether it works for our individual children.

Funding Could be Used in any Given Year on:

Providing support through one-to-one or small group work to focus on helping children overcoming gaps in learning.

Acquiring effective resources and training for staff aimed at raising standards.

Providing children with access to free or subsidised extracurricular clubs and / or residential visits. This also helps children develop a fuller understanding of the ‘real world’. This can include before and after-school club / wraparound care to try and encourage children who may be poor attendees to come to school and also for them to complete homework.

Supporting children’s social, emotional and behavioural development to ensure they are ‘ready to learn’ and are happy and settled in school.

Providing swimming lessons for all children; focused on ensuring that all children reach the national target of being able to swim 25 metres by the time they leave school.

‘Booster Sessions’ in English and Mathematics for Pupil Premium children in Year 5/6, these session being run before or after school.

Help with paying for school uniform or school trips.

However, many things we do in school to support our disadvantaged children require no additional funding; ensuring they play a full and active role in leading collective worship and through providing them with positions of responsibility on student bodies, for example.

Is Your Child Entitled?

Your child may be entitled to receive

  • Free school meals or uniform and other support

What are the new eligibility criteria?

Children are entitled to receive free school meals if they or their parents or guardians receive any of the benefits below.

  • Universal Credit, provided they have an annual net earned income not exceeding £7,400 (£616.67 per month).
  • Income Support.
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
  • Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
  • The guarantee element of Pension Credit.
  • Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by HMRC.
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.  
  • If you think you qualify, please apply either online or complete.
  • Apply for Free School Meals

 

or complete one of our school forms

Speak to a member of the office staff who can help if you need it.

All we need is your full name, your date of birth and your National Insurance number -we can do the rest for you.

 

All applications are treated in the strictest confidence