Pupil Premium Strategy Overview

The Pupil Premium strategy 2020-21 for Winchcombe School has been revised to follow guidance and best practice from the DfE effective use & accountability, NFER supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and EEF evidence-summaries/pupil-premium-guides.

Tier 1 – Whole School Teaching Priorities

A review of the whole-school approach to Teaching and Learning is underway to improve the attainment and progress of all students. By adopting this whole-school approach, the impact on disadvantaged students should lead to improved outcomes.

The EEF toolkit suggests that helping students think about their own learning more explicitly, often by teaching them specific strategies for planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning have the greatest impact in terms of improving outcomes. This focus on metacognition will form the main T&L priority. To ensure room is available within learning time to implement these strategies there is a second priority of a focus on the ‘Climate for Learning’.

A priority for this academic year is to ensure the core transferrable skills of Literacy (oracy, reading and writing) and Numeracy are embedded into daily practice during tutor sessions (from Jan 2021).

Tier 2 – Targeted academic support

EEF toolkit puts reading intervention strategies among the highest impact initiatives a school can operate. Intervention resources are already available in school and will seek to be expanded.

In KS4 providing additional study skills interventions for identified disadvantaged students will be sued to prepare them for GCSE examinations.

Tier 3 – Wider strategies

Attendance and support intervention remains important to deliver necessary provision to disadvantaged students whose attendance remains behind non-disadvantaged peers.

Providing a package of support to reduce the impact of financial circumstances on access to curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Covid 19 Catch-Up Premium and Curriculum Expectations 2020/21

The DfE has allocated £650 million to be spent on ensuring all pupils have the chance to catch up and supporting schools to enable them to do so. Whilst headteachers will decide how the money is spent, the Education Endowment Foundation has published guidance on effective interventions to support schools. For pupils with complex needs, schools should spend this funding on catch-up support to address their individual needs.

The DfE has also set out the following Curriculum Expectations, to ensure that all pupils – particularly disadvantaged, SEND and vulnerable pupils – are given the catch-up support needed to make substantial progress by the end of the academic year.

Education is not optional

All pupils receive a high-quality education that promotes their development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

The curriculum remains broad and ambitious

All pupils continue to be taught a wide range of subjects, maintaining their choices for further study and employment.

Remote education

DfE asks that schools meet the following key expectations:

1. Teach an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term, but make use of existing flexibilities to create time to cover the most important missed content…In particular, schools may consider how all subjects can contribute to the filling of gaps in core knowledge, for example through an emphasis on reading.
2. Aim to return to the school’s normal curriculum in all subjects by summer term 2021.
3. Plan on the basis of the educational needs of pupils. Curriculum planning should be informed by an assessment of pupils’ starting points and addressing the gaps in their knowledge and skills.
4. Develop remote education so that it is integrated into school curriculum planning.

Schools should set out how they will allocate the additional funding to support curriculum recovery this academic year. The EEF guidance suggests a 3-tiered* approach:

1. Teaching

• High-quality teaching for all
• Effective diagnostic assessment
• Supporting remote learning
• Focusing on professional development

2. Targeted academic support

• High-quality one to one and small group tuition
• Teaching Assistants and targeted support
• Academic tutoring
• Planning for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

3. Wider strategies

• Supporting pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural needs
• Planning carefully for adopting a Social and Emotional Learning curriculum
• Communicating with and supporting parents
• Supporting parents with pupils of different ages
• Successful implementation in challenging times