Pupil Premium

At Great Dunham, we believe that the most successful route to academic excellence is through high quality small group, focused teaching. To this end, we use a substantial portion of our PPG funding on employing skilled teaching assistants to work throughout the school in order to provide small teaching groups for maths and literacy. Whilst working within a smaller group children’s specific needs can be met more easily, enabling any gaps to be closed and full potential to be reached. Financial support is made available to develop pupil aspiration and ability in all areas of the curriculum and to ensure that children qualifying for pupil premium have the same opportunities as those who are do not. Funding also goes towards continued delivery of specific intervention support in small group and individual one to one intervention. Additional professional advice and support may also be purchased.

We ensure that children who qualify for Pupil Premium have their needs clearly identified and their progress is closely monitored by the school on a half termly basis. The date of the next internal review of the school’s pupil premium strategy is November 2023.

Principles

• We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all of the pupils – we believe in “quality first teaching”
• We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, including socially disadvantaged pupils, by assessing their needs carefully and planning to address them appropriately, setting individual and group targets that are both clear and challenging and shared with all
• We use only the best and most appropriate teachers/teaching assistants, matching the individual to the particular task/activity. Sometimes we may use the PPG to fund a TA to release a teacher to allow them to undertake a specific activity. We train staff as required.
• We maintain a cycle of continuous monitoring, evaluation and adaptation in order to achieve maximum impact.
• Senior staff undertake research on how to make provision effective, which they share at staff meetings. All staff, including TAs are supported to do further research as appropriate.
• We have a named Governor responsible for monitoring Pupil Premium who undertakes regular monitoring activities and provides appropriate challenge
• In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged. We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals.
• Pupil premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals.

Grant order of use and Approach

1. Higher Level Teaching Assistant

• Specific targeted support for small group tuition and early years intervention – Phonics
• Reading comprehension
• Maths problem solving
• Speaking and listening programmes
• Any other area as identified through specific data analysis and teacher analysis of progress

2. Professional Development

• Focused on strategies to remove barriers to learning~ includes Trauma and Attachment training; updating and improving phonics teaching; NELI; enhancement of the English curriculum

3. Equipment to support learning

• Specific equipment identified through data analysis e.g. Maths programmes for homework, reading system, decodable phonic books

4. Enhancing education

If parents, whose children are entitled to free school meals, require help towards the costs of these activities, please talk to the head teacher before the event takes place for up to half funding eg: KS2 residential; Whole class educational visits; After school activities

5. Widening experiences

Day visits from people from different faith and community background to broaden children’s experience of the wider British cultural and religious family.

We monitor and evaluate our Pupil Premium spending on a regular basis, to avoid spending it on activities that have little impact on achievement, and ensuring that we spend it in ways known to be most effective.

Summary of the Main Barriers

PPG funding is used to remove any ‘barriers to learning’ which may exist including the long term impact that COVID has had on our KS2 children in spelling and reading. Pupils should feel unique, valued and special and be able to access the opportunities that all children are entitled to. They should also be enabled to maximise their potential in all areas of school life. For example, they may need to build confidence or social skills; they may need support to meet nutritional needs; their fitness, well-being and stamina levels may need to be raised; they may need one-to-one intervention or small group work to improve confidence, knowledge, skills and outcomes. We know that happy children learn. PPG money is used to help ensure that all pupils are happy and ready to learn.