
Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium funding is used as part of our school wide approach to managing resources. Our aim is to not use it as an ‘add on’, but targeted it is used to support the activities we judge to have the greatest impact.
All staff are involved in considering how it is allocated on a termly basis, performance data is analysed in teams then shared with Governors and Staff. At every stage the impact of our actions on identified groups is tracked and analysed. If any initiative doesn’t work it’s dropped.
All our teachers are involved in researching what effective practice looks like. This involves regular visits to other year groups or to contrasting or similar schools. Collaborative work with our neighbouring schools, including our secondary schools, helps us maximise the impact of our actions by helping ensure they are built on at transition.
Funding has helped us re-brand and re-organise some of our interventions – monitoring of progress shows us it is more impactful to use a Teaching Assistant to deliver a ‘Normanby University’ after school club than to withdraw a group from lessons, so for some staff and pupils, we have varied the length of the school day. Originally, in 2011, pupil premium funding was allocated to Teaching Assistant time to support reading. Now, in 2020, it is used in a more diverse way and is much more responsive to the social, emotional and academic needs of the individual child:
“Disadvantaged pupils are benefiting from the measures that have been put in place following leaders’ rigorous analyses of the 2016 outcomes. Carefully targeted initiatives are successfully reducing differences across subjects in both key stage 1 and key stage 2.”
“Your team are tackling the correct priorities with vigour.”
Ofsted Inspection Report May 2017.
Funding also helps to ensure the inclusion of disadvantaged children. For example trips or residentials may be subsidised or valuable resources (tailored to the child’s specific learning needs) purchased. 2020-2021 will see the continuation of the Duke of Cornwall Community Safety Award at Normanby Primary School – funding for which will help to raise self-esteem, promote resilience and foster teamwork; inspiring children to be active in their community and to succeed. Disadvantaged children who have been identified (through a specialist music teacher) as having natural musical ability and a keen interest are receiving funding to learn a musical instrument during the school day through Musicworks.
Finally, we have the capacity to use some of the funding innovatively. A taxi for a pupil moved into care or a new bed for a child suddenly having to live with relatives. Small amounts of money proving to have a significant impact on individual pupil lives.