Pupil Premium Spending Plan 2018-2019
Allocated Funding: -£437,211
Pupil Premium funding has assisted in raising the achievement and progression of disadvantaged pupils. The funding has allowed the academy to implement several initiatives which have contributed towards disadvantaged pupils developing academically, culturally and socially. The plan for this funding in the 2018/2019 academic year is outlined below:
The table below shows the proportion of each year group that were eligible for the Pupil Premium funding in 2018/2019:
| Year Group | Cohort | Eligible for Pupil Premium | % of Cohort |
| Year 7 | 189 | 124 | 65.6% |
| Year 8 | 178 | 117 | 65.7% |
| Year 9 | 160 | 108 | 67.5% |
| Year 10 | 150 | 79 | 52.7% |
| Year 11 | 120 | 73 | 60.8% |
| Total | 797 | 501 | 62.9% |
The table below shows how we plan to spend the Pupil Premium funding for 2018/2019.
| Intervention | Expenditure |
| Raising Achievement and Attainment | |
| Employment of Literacy Coordinator | £1,956 |
| Literacy Accelerated Reader package | £2,454 |
| Employment of academic mentor | £16,883 |
| Employment of Academic Coaches for English and Maths | £36,924 |
| Trust wide leads for Maths, English, Science, MFL and the Arts | £50,000 |
| Vulnerable Pupil Support | |
| Employment of 5 full time year leaders | £106,676 |
| Attendance and Parent Liaison Officer | £54,465 |
| School Counsellor Service | £14,060 |
| Alternative Provision and Personalised Learning | £71,608 |
| Safeguarding | £24,103 |
| Other Initiatives | |
| Think Forward program | £17,595 |
| Extensive Enrichment and extra-curricular programme | £20,487 |
| Departmental fund | £20,000 |
| Total | £437,211 |
Rationale for spending strategy:
Barrier: Some disadvantaged pupils enter the Academy with low levels of literacy and numeracy.
Action: Our literacy coordinator will provide CPL to teachers and support staff to enable them to provide quality guidance to pupils in the classroom. They will also deliver assemblies to pupils and organise enrichment opportunities to enhance their literacy skills.
All classrooms will have literacy boards that display the key aspects of literacy that pupils should include in their writing and showcase excellent examples of pupil work.
All pupils will participate in the accelerated reader program to track and highlight issues with literacy. Identified pupils will be given support so that they can catch up with their peers.
Knowledge organisers will be used for the first time this year. Pupils will be expected to complete an hour of homework using them each night. They contain key facts and words that pupils should learn across all of their subjects. They will also be expected to read an extract set by the Principal each week and provide written answers to associated questions. In addition all pupils will take part in the 200 word challenge each week. This will involve planning out their response to a question and then producing an extended piece of writing in a set period of time. The final expectation is that all pupils complete a minimum of 20 minutes independent reading of a suitable text every night.
Some of our pupils have special educational needs requiring them to have a different curriculum. These pupils are withdrawn from some mainstream classes and are taught in more appropriate groups with specialist teachers. They focus on more functional English and Maths skills and are able to study these at a more suitable pace. Where possible these pupils are then reintegrated into lessons.
Barrier: Nationally disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well in their GCSEs as their peers.
Action: Additional study opportunities at weekends and holiday times enable Year 11 disadvantaged pupils to progress more quickly. There will be a residential organised for those Year 11 disadvantaged pupils who have the opportunity to achieve a grade 4 or 5 in English, Maths, Science and Humanities. This will be delivered by experienced teachers to small groups.
Curriculum development is an ongoing process and funding is available to ensure that the curriculum and courses we deliver are fit for all. We will provide part or full funding for revision guides and / or other resources that help children to prepare for their exams.
To support pupils with lower literacy and numeracy levels we have created an extra class in Year 11. This will give these pupils more individual help at the level they require and enable them to progress more quickly.
Barrier: The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is below that of other pupils and this hinders their progress.
Action: A dedicated attendance team focus on first day response when pupils are absent from school. We also have a student support officer to work with our most vulnerable pupils and families. This may involve working with outside agencies where appropriate.
Barrier: Some disadvantaged pupils require additional behavioural support or an alternative curriculum to meet their needs.
Action: We employ non-teaching year heads who provide a rapid response to any behavioural issues that occur during the school day. We have an effective behaviour policy where detentions are sanctioned the same day and heads of year are at the forefront of ensuring that this is understood by all and runs smoothly. They build strong relationships with parents through regular interactions and provide individual support and guidance for all pupils.
Where a pupil is at risk of permanent exclusion and would have a better chance of achieving in a different environment we are able to place them at our Aspire unit for a period of time. Here they are able to have much more individualised support in small groups. In some cases this will be a temporary provision which allows them access to external support to help them develop the skills needed to re-enter mainstream education. We will continue to provide curriculum and staffing support for the Aspire unit and work with colleagues to support these pupils.
At the start of everyday there is a breakfast club from 7:45am where vulnerable pupils are able to have a drink and breakfast.
Barrier: Pupil aspiration and a knowledge of the courses, careers and opportunities open to them
Action: Children in all year groups receive careers guidance through our detailed PSHE program. We also offer individual information, advice and guidance meetings (IAGs) to Year 8 pupils when they take their options, Year 10 pupils when they are organising their work experience and Year 11 pupils as they are applying for college places and apprenticeships. We have a team of careers advisors who work across the Archway Academy Trust to provide support for colleagues as well as undertaking IAG meetings with pupils. The Gatsby Benchmarks have now been put at the heart of the Governments new Careers Strategy, with an expectation that all schools will begin working toward the benchmarks, meeting them in full by the end of 2020. However we will meet these by the end of this academic year.
We buy into support from an organisation called Think Forward who work with the disadvantaged pupils that are most at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) on leaving school. We have a coach assigned to our academy who starts working with children from year 9 and continues providing this support after they leave us until they are 18. Currently our coach is providing support for 30 of our pupils and another 17 of our school leavers.
Barrier: Money can prevent children from being adequately resourced for their schooling, stop them from pursuing their interests or mean that they cannot attend enrichment opportunities.
Action: Where necessary assistance can be given with purchasing bus travel and uniform so that all pupils attend on time and with the correct school dress. When organising school trips and residentials we may offer to subsidise places to enable all children access to these.
Monitoring impact:
The strategy will be monitored throughout the academic year and measured by:
- GCSE Results 2019
- Half termly attendance figures for disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers
- Data analysis every half term including reading ages
- Pupil voice and surveys
- Breakfast club attendance
Expected outcomes from these interventions:
GCSE results – the gaps in progress to close between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils particularly in English and Maths.
All pupils going on to study a course at college to achieve at least a pass in these subjects.
Attendance – for disadvantaged pupils to attend school more frequently and for the gap in overall attendance percentages to close between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils. For less disadvantaged pupils to be persistently absent.
A reduction in the number of behaviour incidents for disadvantaged pupils.
Literacy – For disadvantaged pupils to close the gap in reading ages compared to their peers. Ultimately for this to support the improvement in their GCSE results.
Careers – a reduction in the percentage of NEET pupils after they leave us.
Impact of Pupil Premium Spending 2017-2018
Allocated Funding: -£357,170
Pupil Premium funding has assisted in raising the achievement and progression of Pupil Premium students. The funding has allowed the academy to implement several initiatives which have contributed towards Pupil Premium students developing academically, culturally and socially. The impact of these initiatives, together with many other strategies which the academy employed in the 2017/2018 academic year is below:
The table below shows the proportion of each year group that were eligible for the Pupil Premium funding in 2017/2018:
| Year Group | Cohort | Eligible for Pupil Premium | % of Cohort |
| Year 7 | 177 | 122 | 68.9% |
| Year 8 | 157 | 113 | 72.0% |
| Year 9 | 160 | 91 | 56.9% |
| Year 10 | 119 | 78 | 65.6% |
| Year 11 | 83 | 55 | 66.3% |
| Total | 696 | 459 | 66.0% |
The table below shows how we spent the Pupil Premium funding for 2017/2018. It should be noted that these are the amounts funded by the Pupil Premium and there may have been additional funding from the central budget.
| Year Group | Cohort | Eligible for Pupil Premium | % of Cohort |
| Year 7 | 177 | 122 | 68.9% |
| Year 8 | 157 | 113 | 72.0% |
| Year 9 | 160 | 91 | 56.9% |
| Year 10 | 119 | 78 | 65.6% |
| Year 11 | 83 | 55 | 66.3% |
| Total | 696 | 459 | 66.0% |
The table below shows how we spent the Pupil Premium funding for 2017/2018. It should be noted that these are the amounts funded by the Pupil Premium and there may have been additional funding from the central budget.
| Intervention | Expenditure |
| Raising Achievement and Attainment | |
| Employment of Literacy Coordinator | £1,956 |
| Literacy Accelerated Reader package | £2,413 |
| Employment of academic mentor | £16,883 |
| Employment of Academic Coaches for English and Maths | £36,924 |
| Vulnerable Pupil Support | |
| Employment of 5 full time year leaders | £97,676 |
| Attendance and Parent Liaison Officer | £54,464 |
| School Counsellor Service | £14,060 |
| Alternative Provision and Personalised Learning | £71,608 |
| Safeguarding | £24,103 |
| Other Initiatives | |
| Think Forward program | £17,595 |
| Extensive Enrichment and extra-curricular programme | £20,487 |
| Total | £357,170 |
GCSE Results
The percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved a grade 4+ in both Maths and English nearly doubled this year rising by over 20% from 22.4% to 44.2%. The figure for disadvantaged pupils who achieved a grade 5+ in both subjects also rose significantly from 12.1% to 23.5%. This was due to the significantly improved results in both of these subjects.
Attendance
The overall attendance figure for disadvantaged children rose last year to 94.25%. The percentage of disadvantaged pupils who are defined as persistent absentees (attendance of less than 90%) fell last year to 13.43%. This shows that there have been improvements in both measures but there is still a gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers which we will continue to work to eradicate.
Exclusions
There were no permanent exclusions at our Academy last year. Pupils in need of support with their behaviour were assisted in a number of ways to ensure that they were able to reflect on their behaviour whilst not affecting the learning of others.
Last Updated: October 2018
Next Review: September 2019