Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium Grant Expenditure and Impact Report

Overview of the School

Number of pupils and pupil premium grant (PPG) received
Total number of pupils on roll 224
Total number of pupils eligible for PPG 40
Amount of PPG received per pupil £1385
Total amount of PPG received £55,400

 

Pupil Premium Strategy 2023 -24

Impact statement 2022-23

Pupil Premium Policy 

Rationale

Dearham Primary School is committed to providing the best possible education for every individual pupil. We have high aspirations and expectations for all of our pupils and we believe that no child should be left behind. This includes making appropriate provision for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups including those who may be socially disadvantaged. We believe that it is not background that is important but a child’s passion and thirst for knowledge, and dedication and commitment to learning that make the difference between success and failure. Consequently, we are determined to ensure that all of our pupils are given every opportunity to realise their potential.

Due to lockdown, and the subsequent school closures during the last school year, school staff are aware that pupils’ lives and routines have been disrupted, and some areas of the curriculum will not be as securely covered as others. At Dearham Primary School we are committed to closing any gaps in their learning, and make up for lost time, while providing a secure, safe environment in which our pupils may thrive.

Background

Pupil Premium funding is a government initiative that targets additional support at pupils from deprived backgrounds. This is because research has shown that such pupils underachieve compared to other pupils. The money is provided to ensure that schools are able to support these pupils in achieving their full potential. The government have used pupils who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) as an indicator of deprivation and they allocate a fixed amount of money per pupil to schools each financial year based upon the number of pupils who have been registered for FSM at any point during the previous six years. An amount of money is also allocated to children who are looked after (LAC) and service children. The government does not dictate how this money should be spent but schools are expected to employ strategies that they are confident will ‘diminish the difference’ in attainment between those pupils which are considered to be deprived and those who are not. Schools are accountable for this allocation of resources and must demonstrate that pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium achieve well compared to other pupils. The funding is also used for the promotion of Extended services to raise aspiration e.g. university trips annually and for widening pupils awareness of the wider cultural diversity e.g. trips, visitors to school

Key Principles

By following these key principles we believe that we can maximise the impact of our Pupil Premium spending:

High Expectations

Providing a culture where staff believe in all children and no excuses are made for underperformance. We will strive to overcome barriers to learning for pupils and give every individual the best possible chance of success.

High Profile

Providing a culture where staff believe in all children and no excuses are made for underperformance. We will strive to overcome barriers to learning for pupils and give every individual the best possible chance of success.

Early Intervention

We recognise that high quality early years provision with a strong emphasis upon developing early reading and number skills is crucial to all pupils, but particularly those who have experienced disadvantage in early life.

Inclusive Provision

We acknowledge that pupil premium pupils are not always socially disadvantaged and at risk of underachievement. Likewise, there are many pupils that we would consider to be vulnerable that are not in receipt of pupil premium funding and do not receive this additional funding.

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 across the school receive at least good teaching with increasing percentages of outstanding teaching achieved across each year. 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 to our appraisal systems for teachers and teaching assistants and ensure that high quality professional development is available to all staff. We use the Sutton Trust as a supportive document.

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.

Strategies

Identifying Need

All pupils who are in receipt of Pupil Premium will be identified and a Pupil Premium profile produced. Staff will review this and the progress of PP pupils regularly. Pupils will also be consulted and asked how they feel they are progressing and if there are any areas in which they feel need additional support.

Identifying Barriers to Learning

We recognise that pupils can experience many barriers to their learning and that these barriers can be long term or of a more short term nature. We believe that it is vital that these barriers are identified and addressed in order for pupils to achieve their maximum potential. Analysis has shown that typical barriers may be:

  • attendance and punctuality issues
  • lack of support at home
  • weak language and communication skills
  • behaviour and emotional difficulties
  • low confidence and self-esteem
  • lack of resources to support homework
  • lack of aspiration

Use of Data

We acknowledge the importance of data and all staff are involved in its analysis so that they are aware of strengths and weaknesses across the school.

  • Performance data is analysed each term in order to evaluate the performance of all pupils. Comparisons are made between pupil premium and non-pupil premium pupils within the schools as well as other pupils nationally.  This data is used to provide school improvement targets.
  • Pupil Premium pupils are clearly identified on our school’s tracking system and their progress in reading, writing and mathematics is tracked at least termly.
  • All pupils are set targets in reading, writing and mathematics at the beginning of each academic year and termly.
  • Every teacher will hold a Pupil Progress meeting with the SLT each term to discuss the progress of individual pupils and agree targets and interventions.
  • Data is used to monitor progress against annual targets. Pupils who are not making expected progress will be identified to receive specific interventions aimed at accelerating their progress.

Provision

We recognise that all of our pupils are individuals with varying needs and as such we employ a wide range of strategies aimed at ensuring that they achieve the highest standards of attainment.  Provision is changed annually according to need.  Our provision includes:

  • Small group interventions and 1:1 tutoring.
  • Support with speech and language in the early years.
  • ELSA support.
  • Breakfast Club.
  • SATs booster clubs
  • High quality feedback from staff
  • Activities to support aspiration

Reporting

We will ensure that we comply with guidance on reporting the use of Pupil Premium issued by the Department for Education by publishing the following information on our school website:

  • Our Pupil Premium strategy
  • Our Pupil Premium Expenditure report for the previous academic year detailing how the funding was spent and the impact that this had.
  • Our Pupil Premium proposed spend for the current academic year detailing how we will spend the funding.
  • The Head teacher provides reports to the Local Governing Board on how effective provision has been in achieving its objectives.
  • A Pupil Premium governor monitors pupil premium performance termly.

Date of next review: September 2024