Our approach towards students qualifying for the ‘Pupil Premium Grant’

We want all students to have an enjoyable and supportive school experience, and we want all students to leave us with the life skills and exams grades they need to be successful and to have choice in their lives.

We recognise that some of our students, through no fault of their own, will find this more difficult than others. For some of these students, the school receives additional funding (the Pupil Premium Grant) and it is incumbent on the school to use this funding in a way that has a positive effect on the progress these students are making.

The Pupil Premium Grant is given by the government to schools to improve achievement amongst these students. For each pupil who is eligible for free school meals, or who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, the school receives £935. Schools receive an extra premium of £1,900 for pupils in local authority care, adopted from care (and the parent self-declares) or who were in care in the last year. Service children also receive an allocation of £300 if a parent is serving in the armed forces or is in receipt of a service pension.

The quality of every day teaching and learning is fundamental to improving achievement, and this will always remain at the heart of supporting all students. In addition, we have a very clear curriculum intent which is much broader than just lessons and better represents what this school believes is important (see below).

Our school has invested in the ability to offer a wide range of supporting activities for all students (for example, our Well-being Team), but we also adopt the following specific support approach towards those students who qualify for the Pupil Premium Grant:

• A heavy emphasis on praise and encouragement (for example, for their attitude to learning, attendance, progress)
• A focus on improving literacy skills
• A focus on getting to know the child and listening to them about what we can do to help them
• A focus on engagement in clubs, visits and other activities, including general attendance and punctuality
• Prioritising these students in our teaching, particularly marking and feeding back on where improvements can be made
• Support to families for uniform, revision materials and other education-related expenses

In school, we regularly talk about how students, who qualify for the ‘Pupil Premium Grant’, are progressing and what we can do to further support, and every year we produce a plan which we share with staff, and which clearly shows a collective responsibility. This plan can be seen below.

Feedback from parents/carers for students who receive this additional funding is always welcome, as are ideas of how we can meet individual need/respond to individual circumstances. Please contact the Headteacher or Operations Manager (Mrs Fisher) if you feel we can help.