Pupil Premium Funding

What is the Pupil Premium Grant?

In 2011 the Government introduced the Pupil Premium Grant. The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. A member of our Senior Leadership Team is responsible for the coordination of specific provisions that are in place to support the Pupil Premium children. It’s up to school leaders to decide how to spend the Pupil Premium Fund.

The Senior Leader responsible for the provision meets regularly with our link governor who reports to the Governing Body to ensure they are abreast of initiatives, progress and attainment of vulnerable children. The action plan is reviewed and shared with the governors to enable our Governing Body to hold senior leaders to account for how the money is spent and for the progress and attainment of our disadvantaged pupils.

Menu of Approaches

Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across the following 3 areas below. Woodside Junior School subscribes to this approach.

Teaching and learning -schools arrange training and professional development for all the staff to improve the impact of teaching and learning on all pupils. Additionally, schools can also focus on support for early carer teachers, addressing the expectations of teachers and supporting teachers with improved scaffolding of learning.
Academic support - schools should decide on the main issues stopping their pupils from succeeding at school and use the pupil premium to provide extra help. Schools need to ensure that interventions are evidence based - small group or 1 to 1 tutoring (where practical and possible). Interventions to improve reading are particularly important.
Wider approaches - this may include non-academic use of the pupil premium such as:
school breakfast clubs
music lessons for disadvantaged pupils
help with the cost of educational trips or visits
speech and language therapy

Area for support	How to access this if you feel that this would be helpful for your child/family
Breakfast Club The school will provide a free breakfast (toast/cereal/fresh fruit) for any child at 8.15am each day in our Hideout Zone facility. (To ensure that the children have time to eat without rushing, they must arrive at 8.15am).	Please contact Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager via the office to book your child’s place. You will be able to bring your child to Hideout Zone (access via the large playground) at 8.15am and they will be provided with breakfast and will then be taken over to start their school day.
Access to technology The school can loan children a Chromebook/laptop to ensure that they can access our on-line learning apps and complete any homework set on Google Classroom.	Please contact the office and request the loan. You will be asked to complete/sign an agreement (as the device will be taken off school site) and then you will be asked to come to the office to collect the device. The school requires all devices to be returned at the end of each term so they can be checked for safety.
Access to stationery for class The school will provide a complete pencil case of items for you child on request.	Please contact the office who will arrange this for you. If your child runs out of glue sticks, white board pens etc, you can request a replacement from the office.
School Trips/Activities Any trips that form part of the school’s curriculum offering will be fully paid for by the school (on request). The Yr6 Residential does not form part of the curriculum offering but financial support is available for all eligible parents.	When trips are set up on our MCAS system, you will be required to provide consent for your child to attend. This is on the same screen as payment. After providing consent, please do not “pay” for the trip as we will not be able to provide refunds. When the school’s finance team are reviewing payment for the trip, they will “remove” the outstanding payment for you.
PTA events Our PTA run discos etc for the children to enjoy. They usually cost around £5 per event (including snack etc). They have kindly offered for all children eligible for Pupil Premium funding to attend for free if required.	When you receive information about upcoming PTA events, you can contact the office and confirm that your child would like to attend. The school can liaise with the PTA to ensure that their name is added to the attendance list. Please note, you must inform the school that your child wishes to attend as the PTA must have complete registration events for each event.
Access to Literature – recommended literature & book club The children now have access to our fully re-stocked school library. This contains a wealth of literature and choice. We would like to encourage the children to also access the recommended reading books that Mrs Harrison suggests in our weekly newsletter. Every term, Mrs Harrison will choose one of her recommended books and the school will purchase a new copy for all children eligible for funding. Mrs Harrison and I will then run a “book club” for all the children in the school who would like to, to discuss the book. Having this shared experience and discussing their thoughts about the author and writing is an excellent development opportunity and will stand the children in good stead for secondary school and beyond!	No action is required by parents as all children will receive a copy of this book before the end of each term to be read across the school holidays in preparation for book club in the following term. Please note that attending the book club is not compulsory for the children, but is actively encouraged!
Access to Literature – free choice As a book lover myself, I know that choosing your own book can be exciting and enthralling. It can help develop a child’s love of reading. We have a Book Fair in December 2022 taking place at the school. We would like all children eligible for funding to choose 1 book (or 2 if they cannot decide) up to a total value of £15.	The book fair is currently scheduled to take place on the 7^th-8^th December in our school hall (after school). You will be able to browse with your child to choose the book(s). Nearer the time, you will be emailed a code that you will be able to provide to the cashiers when you have chosen the books to allow the school to pay for your choices. This can only be used at the book fair.
Specialist Music Tuition Some children have a passion for music but the cost of lessons can be prohibitive. The school will support children to have music lessons in one instrument if they would benefit from doing so.	If this is of interest for your child, please look at the music tuition list on our website where you will find further details of the offering. Please note that tuition can only be offered if the teachers have places available. To avoid disappointment, please contact the providers directly to discuss the instrument your child wishes to study and they will be able to confirm if they are able to offer a place at this time (otherwise you could be added to a waiting list). You can then tell the provider to liaise with Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager, directly with regards to payment. For children learning piano, should they need access to a keyboard to allow them to practice from home, we are able to facilitate this – please contact the school office for further information.
Specialist Sports Tuition The school hosts a small number of specialist afterschool clubs run (at a cost) by external providers. Currently the school offers football, taekwondo and netball (Yr5 &6 only). The school will support children attend one specialist club if you feel they would benefit from doing so.	If this is of interest for your child, please look at the clubs on our website where you will find further details of the offering. Please note that places will only be offered if there are places available. Specialist access/ reserved places cannot be offered. To avoid disappointment, please contact the providers directly to sign up and they will be able to confirm if they are able to offer a place at this time (otherwise you could be added to a waiting list). You can then tell the provider to liaise with Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager, directly with regards to payment.

Area for support

How to access this if you feel that this would be helpful for your child/family

Breakfast Club

The school will provide a free breakfast (toast/cereal/fresh fruit) for any child at 8.15am each day in our Hideout Zone facility.

(To ensure that the children have time to eat without rushing, they must arrive at 8.15am).

Please contact Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager via the office to book your child’s place. You will be able to bring your child to Hideout Zone (access via the large playground) at 8.15am and they will be provided with breakfast and will then be taken over to start their school day.

Access to technology

The school can loan children a Chromebook/laptop to ensure that they can access our on-line learning apps and complete any homework set on Google Classroom.

Please contact the office and request the loan. You will be asked to complete/sign an agreement (as the device will be taken off school site) and then you will be asked to come to the office to collect the device. The school requires all devices to be returned at the end of each term so they can be checked for safety.

Access to stationery for class

The school will provide a complete pencil case of items for you child on request.

Please contact the office who will arrange this for you. If your child runs out of glue sticks, white board pens etc, you can request a replacement from the office.

School Trips/Activities

Any trips that form part of the school’s curriculum offering will be fully paid for by the school (on request).

The Yr6 Residential does not form part of the curriculum offering but financial support is available for all eligible parents.

When trips are set up on our MCAS system, you will be required to provide consent for your child to attend. This is on the same screen as payment. After providing consent, please do not “pay” for the trip as we will not be able to provide refunds. When the school’s finance team are reviewing payment for the trip, they will “remove” the outstanding payment for you.

PTA events

Our PTA run discos etc for the children to enjoy. They usually cost around £5 per event (including snack etc). They have kindly offered for all children eligible for Pupil Premium funding to attend for free if required.

When you receive information about upcoming PTA events, you can contact the office and confirm that your child would like to attend. The school can liaise with the PTA to ensure that their name is added to the attendance list. Please note, you must inform the school that your child wishes to attend as the PTA must have complete registration events for each event.

Access to Literature – recommended literature & book club

The children now have access to our fully re-stocked school library. This contains a wealth of literature and choice.

We would like to encourage the children to also access the recommended reading books that Mrs Harrison suggests in our weekly newsletter. Every term, Mrs Harrison will choose one of her recommended books and the school will purchase a new copy for all children eligible for funding. Mrs Harrison and I will then run a “book club” for all the children in the school who would like to, to discuss the book. Having this shared experience and discussing their thoughts about the author and writing is an excellent development opportunity and will stand the children in good stead for secondary school and beyond!

No action is required by parents as all children will receive a copy of this book before the end of each term to be read across the school holidays in preparation for book club in the following term. Please note that attending the book club is not compulsory for the children, but is actively encouraged!

Access to Literature – free choice

As a book lover myself, I know that choosing your own book can be exciting and enthralling. It can help develop a child’s love of reading.

We have a Book Fair in December 2022 taking place at the school. We would like all children eligible for funding to choose 1 book (or 2 if they cannot decide) up to a total value of £15.

The book fair is currently scheduled to take place on the 7^th-8^th December in our school hall (after school). You will be able to browse with your child to choose the book(s).

Nearer the time, you will be emailed a code that you will be able to provide to the cashiers when you have chosen the books to allow the school to pay for your choices. This can only be used at the book fair.

Specialist Music Tuition

Some children have a passion for music but the cost of lessons can be prohibitive. The school will support children to have music lessons in one instrument if they would benefit from doing so.

If this is of interest for your child, please look at the music tuition list on our website where you will find further details of the offering. Please note that tuition can only be offered if the teachers have places available. To avoid disappointment, please contact the providers directly to discuss the instrument your child wishes to study and they will be able to confirm if they are able to offer a place at this time (otherwise you could be added to a waiting list). You can then tell the provider to liaise with Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager, directly with regards to payment.

For children learning piano, should they need access to a keyboard to allow them to practice from home, we are able to facilitate this – please contact the school office for further information.

Specialist Sports Tuition

The school hosts a small number of specialist afterschool clubs run (at a cost) by external providers. Currently the school offers football, taekwondo and netball (Yr5 &6 only). The school will support children attend one specialist club if you feel they would benefit from doing so.

If this is of interest for your child, please look at the clubs on our website where you will find further details of the offering. Please note that places will only be offered if there are places available. Specialist access/ reserved places cannot be offered. To avoid disappointment, please contact the providers directly to sign up and they will be able to confirm if they are able to offer a place at this time (otherwise you could be added to a waiting list). You can then tell the provider to liaise with Mrs Nickless, School Business Manager, directly with regards to payment.

The government suggests that schools may find using the pupil premium useful to:

increase pupils’ confidence and resilience
encourage pupils to be more aspirational
benefit non-eligible pupils

Non-Eligible Pupils

Schools can spend their pupil premium on pupils who do not meet the eligibility criteria but need extra support.

Main barriers faced by disadvantaged pupils

Children entitled to free school meals (FSM) encompass the full spectrum of needs and backgrounds in the school community, including white and minority ethnic pupils, looked after children, most able pupils and those with special educational needs (SEND). The barriers and challenges disadvantaged pupils face can be complex and varied – there is no single difficulty faced by all. It is, therefore, important to analyse where pupils have multiple barriers to learning - to ensure a good deep understanding of children and their families. Main barriers to achievement have been broadly identified as:

Language development
Language comprehension
Self-regulation skills
Independence
Motivation
Resources
Gaps in learning
Learning environment

Our school aims

Promote an ethos of attainment for all pupils, rather than stereotyping disadvantaged pupils as a group with less potential to succeed.
Ensure that all staff have the highest expectations of all pupils.
Ensure that there is a collective understanding of disadvantage and its impact on learning.
Have an individualised approach to addressing barriers to learning and emotional support, at an early stage.
Focus on high quality teaching first rather than on bolt-on strategies and activities outside school hours.
Ensure that the learning environment is supportive of pupils' needs.
Focus on outcomes for individual pupils -treat disadvantaged pupils as individuals and not a homogenous group.
Develop skills and roles of teachers and teaching assistants.
Make decisions based on data and respond to evidence.
Have clear, responsive leadership: setting higher aspirations for all pupils.
Address attendance and invest in individualised problem-solving and emotional support.
Secure a school-wide belief that disadvantaged pupils can attain well.
Use summative assessment to evaluate learning over time and inform strategic planning and professional development.
Listen to parent voice and put necessary actions in place. Build positive relationships will all pupils and families.
Ensure that the social, emotional and mental health of pupils is prioritised.
Adopt strategies to improve attendance

Links to Pupil Premium Strategy document

Link to a document showing the Pupil Premium Strategy for 23-24 and evaluation from 22-23 can be found below.