Pupil Premium & Sports Premium

Statement of Intent

Our intention is that all pupils, regardless of background or any external obstacles to education, can access our curriculum and enrichment opportunities and make good academic progress, in line with that of their peers. The focus of our strategy is to ensure positive outcomes, academically and in terms of personal development, for all children irrespective of starting points or ongoing challenges.

We are aware that some children face significant obstacles which may prove a barrier to accessing their learning. We will ensure that our approach remains sensitive to this, without ever allowing it to act as a ceiling to our high aspirations for what our children can achieve. We will work hard to support our children in overcoming these challenges, which may include non-academic support.

High-quality, well-planned and well-resourced teaching is at the heart of our approach. This has the greatest impact on the outcomes of all children, pupil-premium and non- pupil-premium alike. We also place well-planned and co-ordinated intervention at the root of our push for excellent outcomes for all children, including closing gaps where they exist, for which adequate resourcing and provision is vital.

This strategy feeds into our wider recovery plans following the pandemic, and is rooted in a clear understanding of where needs lie and what strategies are most effective for addressing them. Our approach will be responsive to the needs of all, whilst acknowledging that those with the greatest need should always be the foremost in our planning when implementing our strategy

What is the Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium was introduced by the Government in April 2011. It was designed to give additional money to support schools in raising the attainment of children who receive free school meals and those children in local authority care. These groups of children have been identified nationally as achieving at a lower level than children from less disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, national figures show that 11 year olds who are eligible for Free School Meals are around twice as likely not to achieve Age Related Expectations in maths and English as other 11 year olds.

The Pupil Premium at St Margaret Mary Catholic School

Pupil Premium is allocated to schools based on the number of children who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals and children who have been looked after in local authority care continuously for more than six months. The purpose of the Pupil Premium is to help schools to provide targeted support for vulnerable children - not necessarily just children who qualify for free school meals.

“It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.” (Source - DfE website)

Although the funding is given to schools to spend as they think best, there is also a requirement to publish this expenditure online. This is detailed with our Pupil Premium report below. We use research and studies that look at high impact interventions and resources, linked to aspects of our school improvement plan, to target funding in a considered way. Some interventions have a proven track record of success in the school. Other interventions are researched to look at appropriateness and impact before a new commitment is made. Some funding may be used to provide appropriate enrichment experiences for children to boost self esteem and cultural capital, as well as achievement in specific areas.

Our Pupil Premium Statement of Best Practice

1. Ensure all teachers have high expectations for all pupils, especially those known to be eligible for free school meals, and be aware of expected rates of progress

2. Know the vulnerabilities of all disadvantaged pupils and potential barriers to learning, whilst regularly reviewing progress

3. Assessing and tracking the progress of disadvantaged pupils and linking tracking data with attendance and punctuality data to look for any patterns

4. Know whether disadvantaged pupils also fall into other vulnerable groups, for example: SEN, EAL

5. Use evidence from data to make decisions about future provision

6. Make appropriate modifications to high quality whole class teaching, including guided work, to support individuals and ensure progress

7. Ensure pupils have opportunities to apply and consolidate learning in a range of contexts in whole class teaching

8. Share with colleagues successful practice which raises attainment of vulnerable pupils

9. Evaluate the impact of provisions for disadvantaged pupils through pupil voice, work scrutiny and observations

10. Share information about pupil progress with parents/carers; explain and discuss any additional provision being offered and encourage parents to support their child/ren to achieve their aspirations

PE and Sports Premium

At St Margaret Mary Catholic Primary School we recognise the value of sports and physical activity in ensuring that children lead active, healthy and happy lives. 

PE and Sport provide our children with opportunities to develop the important qualities of self-control, determination, communication, team work and commitment. This should lead to improved concentration, attitude and achievement in all aspects of their personal development.

We have welcomed the Government’s additional funding to improve provision of PE and Sport in primary schools. We are committed to using this funding to enhance our provision of high quality PE, both within and beyond the curriculum and to add to our existing resources.