The Pupil Premium at Gartree

The Pupil Premium is additional funding that the school receives from the Department for Education (DfE) for students who are in care, on free school meals (FSM) or have been FSM at any point in the last 6 years. The Pupil premium is used to provide additional support and assist in raising achievement for those students that need it most, for example meeting all or part of the cost of educational trips or materials for children on FSMs. We have also provided targeted extra support to raise attainment in some subjects for students who qualify for pupil premium. Parents are encouraged to register their child as eligible for FSMs, if applicable, as this will mean that the school receives its maximum entitlement and also students on FSMs can access additional support and resources. There may be financial assistance available for Pupil Premium pupils for school trips but individual enquiries to the school should be made regarding this assistance.

Pupil Premium Champions

Strategy Statement

• To use the PP budget to significantly close the gap between those students that are disadvantaged and those that are not.
• This will be done in a variety of contexts and approaches that reflect the complex needs of these students.
• The use of the budget will ensure these students benefit via their learning, culturally, as well as addressing any material deprivation that may be impacting upon their education.
• Gartree High School is committed to the development of young people as demonstrated by the PP Learning Journey.

Pupil Premium numbers at Gartree

• Year 7  –  29  –  17%
• Year 8  –  25  –  16%
• Year 9  –  31  –  19%
• Year 10 – 27  –  22%
• Year 11 – 13  –  13%

Impact of PP spending 2018/19

This year has seen a raising of the profile of PP students within the school, and improvement of the systems used to track them.

The first action taken was the development of a systematic approach to the monitoring of the progress the students make throughout their time at Gartree. This includes the development of a system that can act as a timeline for each student’s achievements, along with the specific spending that has helped them. This system will enable us to clearly demonstrate the progress the students have made as well as the impact of the PP spending.

In January, whole staff training ensured that all PP students were discussed, with their strengths and learning styles shared for all staff. This has helped to enable the staff to continue to plan and teach for best possible outcomes for these students. PP champions were also appointed in January to make the provision for PP as accessible as possible, as well as providing energy and time to ensure the students remain the focus for all.

During the Spring term, all PP parents received a letter outlining the provision for the student and how this can be accessed and utilised. The response was positive and has gone a long way to reduce any apprehensions parents may have in contacting the school and asking for help.

PP shadowing in March allowed SLT to see the everyday classroom experience for these students.  It was a good opportunity to see the progress these students are making. Their universal positive approach to their learning reinforced the belief that the students are doing well at Gartree. With the PP learning journey we demonstrate the lengths to which we are going to remove any barriers to learning, raising and reinforcing aspirations.

The opportunity to visit places such as Berlin and Reykjavik shows our commitment to access for all. A significant amount of the budget this year has been used to pay for staff intervention in Maths and English in order to raise the standards and attainment of PP students in these critical subjects.

The impact of a lot of what has taken place is challenging to measure. Many of the initiatives that have been put in place do not necessarily show impact or improvement, but simply remove barriers to learning, the impact of which may not be immediate. It will take time to show improvement. However, every PP child now has clear access to equipment, reading books, uniform, educational visits and music lessons. The attendance (from 93.1% to 93.6%) and the number of sanctions received by PP students has improved throughout the year, and this can only have a positive impact on the outcomes for the students. The levels at the end of the year will be used to see how the students have progressed, and help to shape the steps that are taken next year.

Year 7 Catch-up funding

The government provides additional funding to all schools to support Year 7 students who fell short of the expected level at KS2. This year we have received around £16,000 and this is being spent on additional out-of-class teaching to improve standards in English and Maths with these key students

Attachments

• Pupil Premium Improvement Plan
• Pupil Premium Pathway at Gartree
• Pupil Premium presentation to all staff
• Pupil Premium Parental Letter