Pupil Premium Statement of Intent
Blacon is one of the most deprived areas in the country. This is based on the concept that deprivation consists of more than just poverty; so while poverty is related to not having enough money to live on, deprivation refers to a much broader lack of resources
and opportunities.
It is the intent of our school to dispel the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers. The Pupil Premium is additional funding which is allocated to schools based on the number of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM)
at any point over the last six years. The Pupil Premium is aimed at addressing the current underlying inequalities which exist between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers.
The percentage of our pupils eligible for pupil premium is significantly higher than the national average and overcoming barriers to learning is at the heart of our Pupil Premium Grant use. We focus our funding based on the needs of the individuals within the research-based 3-tier system of: Quality First Teaching, Targeted Support and Wider social/ emotional/ mental health Strategies.
At J H Godwin Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed and achieve their full potential. Pupil Premium funding helps us provide additional support for pupils who may face barriers to learning.
Our Aim
We aim to ensure that disadvantaged pupils:
- Make strong academic progress
- Develop confidence, resilience and wellbeing
- Attend school regularly and engage fully in learning
- Access a broad range of experiences and opportunities
Key Barriers We Address
Some pupils may face challenges that impact their learning. These may include:
- Lower starting points in learning
- Speech, language and communication difficulties
- Special educational needs or additional learning needs
- Social, emotional or mental health needs
- Attendance and punctuality concerns
- Limited life experiences outside school
- Family circumstances that may affect engagement with learning
How We Support Our Pupils
High Quality Teaching
We prioritise excellent teaching through staff training, effective teaching strategies and high-quality programmes in reading, writing and maths.
Targeted Academic Support
Pupils who need extra help receive additional support such as:
- Small group and one-to-one interventions
- Speech and language support
- Targeted maths and literacy programmes
Wellbeing and Pastoral Support
We provide a wide range of support to ensure pupils are ready to learn, including:
- Family support through our Family Liaison Officer
- Counselling and emotional wellbeing support
- Nurture and social skills programmes
- Support to improve attendance and engagement
Wider Opportunities
We ensure all pupils can take part in trips, activities and enrichment opportunities that broaden their experiences and inspire learning.
Our Commitment
All staff at J H Godwin Primary School take responsibility for supporting disadvantaged pupils. Through high-quality teaching, targeted support and strong pastoral care, we aim to remove barriers and help every child thrive.
Our priorities are as follows:
- Ensuring all student receive quality first teaching every lesson.
- Closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.
- Providing targeted academic support for students who are not making the expected progress in small groups up to 1:3.
- Addressing non-academic barriers to attainment such as attendance, behaviour, and well –being in a Trauma Informed manner.
- Ensuring that the Pupil Premium Grant reaches the pupils who need it most.
Diagnostic assessments
We use a range of diagnostic assessments to ascertain where children require support. Diagnostic assessments provide opportunities to reflect on pupils’ thinking, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition to our summative assessment and subsequent gap analysis,
we utilise meta-cognitive strategies such as: quizzes, hinge questioning, mind maps and KWL activities. We also embed formative assessment for learning strategies into our lessons and regularly track pupils progress through systems such as Read Write Inc. phonic tracking, benchmarking and Reading Plus fluency assessments. Children are also supported through the diagnostic tools such as Wellcomm (speech & language), Sandwell, SWST, YARK and NVR where appropriate. Other tools support our decisions for provision of social and emotional development. These include Leuven scales and Strength & Difficulties Questionnaires.
Supporting our decisions through research.
Our spending decisions are always based on solid research-based evidence. Our primary source of evidence is the Educational Endowment Fund and the findings within the Teaching & Learning Toolkit and Pupil Premium guidance. The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit is an accessible summary of educational research designed to support teachers and school leaders who are making decisions about how to improve learning outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children and young people. It covers strategies that schools might consider using Pupil Premium funding to support. Our school participates where it is able in EEF funded studies and has contributed to the EEF studying the impacts of COVID school closures on year 1 and year 2. The outcomes from this study and the White Paper Research are embedded within our actions to close the gaps and reduce barriers
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