The Pupil Premium is additional funding which is allocated to schools on the basis of the number of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point over the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’) and Service Children including those who were eligible for the Service child premium at any point in the last three years (known as ‘Ever 3 Service Child’). Students in care, who have been looked after by local authorities for more than six months also continue to qualify for the Pupil Premium. The Pupil Premium is aimed at addressing the current underlying inequalities which exist between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers.

PURPOSE OF THE PUPIL PREMIUM POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to outline how we will ensure that the Pupil Premium allocated to us has an impact on narrowing the attainment gaps which currently exist between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

As a school in receipt of Pupil Premium funding, we are accountable to our parents and school community for how we are using this additional resource to narrow the achievement gaps of our pupils.

Rationale

At Fred Longworth High School all members of staff and governors accept responsibility for those pupils recognised as ‘disadvantaged’ and are committed to meeting their pastoral, social and academic needs. Every child who is considered to be ‘disadvantaged’ is valued, respected and entitled to develop to his/her full potential irrespective of disadvantage.

HOW WE WILL MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE USE OF THE PUPIL PREMIUM

In making decisions on the use of the Pupil Premium we will:

• ensure that Pupil Premium funding allocated to our school is used solely for its intended purpose.
• use the latest evidence based research on proven strategies which work to narrow the attainment gaps and adapt these as necessary to meet the needs of our pupils.
• be transparent in our reporting of how we have used the Pupil Premium, so that our parents, interested stakeholders and Ofsted are fully aware of how this additional resource has been used to make a difference.
• encourage take up of Pupil Premium by working proactively with our parents and carers in a sensitive and supportive manner and to remove any potential barriers or stigma attached to claiming Pupil Premium. In doing so, we also recognise the vital role that parents and carers play in the lives of their children.
• recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged or underachieving. We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged or vulnerable are registered or qualify for free school meals. We therefore reserve the right to allocate Pupil Premium funding to support any groups of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged or vulnerable.
• be mindful of the fact that eligibility and take up of Pupil Premium does not equate with pupils being considered to be of ‘low ability’ because of their social circumstances.
• ensure there is robust monitoring and evaluation in place to account for the use of the Pupil Premium, by the school and governing body.
• recognise the fact that Pupil Premium pupils are not a homogeneous group and cover a wide range of needs. As such the strategies we use to raise attainment will take these group and individual needs fully into account
• monitor progress of pupils within each year group to ensure pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are making progress across the whole curriculum.
• use high quality teaching and learning as the preferred way to narrow the gaps in attainment in the first instance. We will also use high quality interventions with proven evidence of impact to assist our pupils who need additional support in a time limited way.
• use the Pupil Premium for all year groups not just those taking examinations at the end of the year.

Link to The Education Endowment Foundation, Teaching and Learning Toolkit

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

We expect all members of our school community, particularly staff and governors to be committed to raising standards and narrowing the attainment gaps for our pupils.

The Senior Leadership Team at Fred Longworth High School are responsible for the implementation of this policy, with the overview provided by the Deputy Headteacher responsible for Learning and Standards. As a team, we will ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities in narrowing the gaps of our pupils and that disadvantaged pupils remain a high profile cohort within the school. We will also ensure that staff are given appropriate support and relevant professional development opportunities to accelerate pupil’s progress and attainment. The use of  Pupil Premium funding will be monitored regularly to check to see that it is providing value for money.

It will be the responsibility of the Head teacher to report to Governors on:

• the progress made towards narrowing the gap, by year group, for disadvantaged pupils,
• an outline of the provision that has been made since the last report
• an evaluation of the cost effectiveness, in terms of the progress made by the pupils receiving a particular provision, when compared with other forms of support.

TEACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF

Through classroom teaching, effective pastoral care, additional support strategies; teaching and support staff will:

• maintain the highest expectations of all pupils and not equate disadvantage of circumstance with ‘low ability’,
• promote an inclusive and collaborative ethos in their classrooms which enable pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive.
• plan and deliver curricula and lessons to a high standard and support the acceleration of progress in learning, so that gaps can be narrowed and improvements maintained.
• support disadvantaged groups of pupils in their class through differentiated planning and teaching, especially for those who find aspects of learning difficult and are in danger of falling behind.
• keep up-to-date with teaching strategies and research, which have proven track record in narrowing the gaps in attainment and achievement.
• provide opportunities for staff to engage in a range of professional development opportunities suited to their particular needs and role. This will support them in implementing successful strategies to accelerate progress of pupils and narrow the gaps.
• support disadvantaged groups of pupils in accessing the curriculum through the identification of barriers to learning and finding strategies to make progress.

GOVERNING BODY

Our governing body has an important role in ensuring our school complies with legislation and that this policy, along with its specific stated actions for narrowing the gaps is implemented.

In monitoring and evaluating the work of the school in relation to the Pupil Premium, the governing body will take into account a range of information, including quantitative (data on progress and attainment) and qualitative (case studies, views, surveys etc.) data as evidence of impact.

MONITORING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY

Our work in relation to the Pupil Premium will be regularly reviewed to ensure it is having the intended impact. This will allow us to make adjustments if particular strategies are not working well. In reviewing out strategies we recognise the importance of context, we will evaluate new strategies as robustly as possible to ensure that the approaches we are using have the desired effect.

Date for Review: November 2023

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals or who have been looked after continuously for more than six months.

You can download a copy of this document below.

Pupil Premium Strategy 2022/23

The file above is provided in PDF format and will open on most computers, tablets and smartphones without the need for additional software, but if you need to download a reader follow this link (computers only) or on tablets and smartphones use the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores.