Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium Strategy Report

At Horfield CEVC Primary School we are completely committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all of our children including those who are disadvantaged. We aim to do all that we can to help children to establish deep roots in our school community so that they are able to flourish and reach great heights in their learning. All of the strategies we use promote an ethos of attainment for all pupils.

The Pupil Premium grant provides the funding to help to ensure that quality first teaching takes place each and every day and in every classroom. This funding enables us to provide carefully targeted interventions and support which have deep impact on those children who benefit from it.

We aim to eliminate inequalities; this is achieved by adopting a positive, solution – focused approach with our children and their families. The whole staff team is dedicated to giving our learners every opportunity to achieve their best. Horfield parents value the school’s strong emphasis on the equality of opportunity for all pupils including those who are disadvantaged.

We have a four point plan:

Identify the barriers
Plan the solutions
Agree the success criteria
Evaluate the impact

Identifying the barriers to learning

Staff begin the year by carefully assessing the barriers to learning for those children in their class who are eligible for pupil premium funding. Ambitious targets and success criteria are set for the year. Additional parent and child consultation sessions are identified in order to establish a positive, productive, communicating partnership which identifies the precise emotional, social and learning support needed. During Appraisal meetings these ambitious targets are shared and discussed with SLT so that funding can be specifically targeted to meet these needs.

Planning the solutions

A high percentage of our PP funding is focused on ensuring that day to day teaching is of the highest quality possible. This supports teachers in being able to personalise their teaching to ensure that all pupils make good or better progress.

Agreeing Success Criteria

Our overarching aim is to reduce the difference in attainment between our disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally as well as to narrow our within school gap. As a means of achieving this, specific targets may focus on improving attendance, improving parental engagement or expanding the number of opportunities we are able to offer to our disadvantaged pupils.

Evaluating Impact

Evidence is gathered by staff throughout the timespan of any interventions offered in order to ascertain whether they are working as well as they could. Staff carefully check to see whether interventions are having the desired effect on pupil progress.

High Quality Feedback

We recognise the importance of high quality feedback and marking in supporting children to make excellent progress in their learning. The Teaching Assistant team is well trained and are deployed strategically across the school. We value pre-teaching as an effective strategy to support our most vulnerable learners. Focusing on the development of oracy skills is also particularly important for our disadvantaged pupils to support them in developing into articulate and confident speakers. In discussions, children demonstrate respect for each other’s ideas and are able to articulate their own views and values which they know will be listened to by their peers.

Emotional and Social Well Being

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work. Our six Christian values are well established across the year; they are understood by our children and are valued by everyone – children of all faiths and none. Staff, parents and pupils work together in a culture of care and encouragement so that a sense of hope is embedded. Leaders are successful in ensuring that all curriculum areas are carefully planned so that they explicitly encourage a respect for difference, diversity and ways of living. Pupils say that they feel safe to express their views in a culture of mutual respect. Carefully targeted support is provided for children with specific emotional, social and behavioural issues. Interventions include 1: 1 emotional support and targeted group sessions. Our whole school community supports good mental health by working together to maintain a very positive school environment and a strong sense of belonging for all of our stakeholders. We support and engage families in every aspect of the life of the school. The Inclusion Leader sets ambitious targets for disadvantaged SEND pupils. Only successful, research-based interventions which have been shown to make a measurable difference are used. These include NESSY, Third Space Learning and Reading Wise. Data shows us that they have been delivered effectively.

Curriculum and Enrichment – building Cultural Capital

Pupils are enthusiastic about extending their learning and ‘going the extra mile’ at school and at home. Pupils value learning and enjoy questioning, listening and responding creatively across a range of subjects. Extra-curricular activities support pupils’ learning well and are accessed by all in order to build cultural capital through widening experiences particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Engagement with the wider curriculum raises pupil self-motivation and self-confidence and impacts positively on academic performance.

Funded places are provided at after school clubs and musical tuition during the school day. Participation in a wide range of cultural and sports activities promotes healthy lifestyles and encourages pupils to honour commitments to others so that they recognise their role as responsible citizens. The development of children’s grit and determination is important to us at Horfield in order that all of our pupils develop the confidence, resilience and knowledge to keep themselves mentally healthy. One way in which we do this is through the provision of inclusive challenging experiences whereby children’s resilience is promoted such as KS2 residential camps which are accessed by all. Children are regularly given opportunities to visit key cultural venues in our city in order to develop cultural awareness, a pride in our city thereby enhancing the connectedness of the curriculum.

Family and Community

Teachers and our Pastoral team work hard to establish a strong communicating partnership with our school families. This is greatly valued by parents and has a positive impact on children’s learning in the classroom. A range of support is offered including:

Home visits
Advice on how to improve attendance /lateness
Access to breakfast club
Nutrition /Access to food banks
Care routines & behaviour strategies
Additional teaching demonstrations
Help completing official forms