Rationale
Richard Avenue 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 dedication and commitment to learning that makes the difference. Consequently, we are determined to ensure that all of our pupils are given every opportunity to realise their potential.
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.
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.
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 school’s 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. educational visits aimed at 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 under performance. We will strive to overcome barriers to learning for pupils and give every individual the best possible chance of success.
- High Profile: diminishing differences in attainment will receive the highest priority in school. We adopt a whole school approach with all staff involved in identifying pupils in need and the barriers to their learning.
- Early Intervention: we recognise that high quality early years provision 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 receive good teaching. 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 enrichment: 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 overview produced. Staff will review this and the progress of PP pupils termly. 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 issues
- weak language and communication skills
- behaviour and emotional difficulties
- low confidence and self-esteem
Use of Data
We acknowledge the importance of data in it’s widest and all staff are involved in its analysis so that they are aware of strengths and weaknesses across the school.
- 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 school. This data is used to provide school improvement targets.
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.
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:
- Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2023-24, including spending for the current academic year detailing how the funding is to be spent
- The head teacher provides reports to the Governing Body 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
Historical Reports
You can view our Pupil Premium Reports for previous academic years detailing how the funding was spent and the impact that this had: