Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2024 to 2027
Please read the information below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding.
WHAT IS THE PUPIL PREMIUM FUND?
The pupil premium funding is additional funding for schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gaps between them and their peers.
Ashbrook School is a two-form entry school in Milton Keynes. We have high aspirations and ambitions for our children, and we believe that no child should be left behind. We strongly believe that it is not about where you come from but your passion and thirst for knowledge, and your dedication and commitment to learning that make the difference between success and failure, and we are determined to ensure that our children are given every chance to realise their full potential. We passionately believe that any one of us is capable of anything we set our mind to! Pupil premium funding represents an important proportion of our budget, and we are committed to ensuring it is spent to maximum effect.
We are determined to create a climate that does not limit a child’s potential in any way, but instead promotes limitless aspirations.
SUMMARY OF MAIN BARRIERS TO EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT FACED BY PP PUPILS
- The home environment is not as conducive to learning and the acquisition of new vocabulary and concepts as non-PP families due to parents working, large families, poor housing and living conditions.
- Mental health risk factors associated with poverty.
- Poor prior achievement at school.
- Limited vocabulary and experiences.
- Mid-phase transitions Complex communities with a range of aspirations e.g. Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, 1st generation immigrants.
- Diminished life experiences when compared to non-PP pupils.
- Complex prior experiences which mean pupils present with a range of needs.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PUPIL PREMIUM
When making decisions about using pupil premium funding it is important to consider the context of the school and the subsequent challenges faced. Common barriers for FSM children can be that they are less supported at home, weak language and communication skills, lack of confidence, more frequent behavioural difficulties, and attendance and punctuality issues. There may also be complex family situations that prevent children from flourishing. The challenges are varied and there is no ‘one size fits all’.
Our key objective in using the Pupil Premium Grant is to narrow the gap between pupil groups but also to ensure that all children are high attaining.
As a school we have an excellent track record of ensuring that pupils make good/outstanding progress, but historically levels of attainment have been lower for FSM (eligible for free school meals) – as is a national trend. Through targeted interventions we are working to eliminate barriers to learning and progress. For children who start school with low attainment on entry, our aim is to ensure that they make accelerated progress in order to reach age-related expectations and above as they move through the school.
We have analysed our data thoroughly and have made use of a range of research, such as, good practice in using pupil premium funding, the Sutton trust research/Sutton Trust toolkit and EEF research, to inform our decision-making. In addition to this we have identified some key principles (outlined below) which we believe will maximise the impact of our pupil premium spending.
KEY PRINCIPLES FOR PUPIL PREMIUM AT ASHBROOK SCHOOL
Identification of Children
We will provide a culture where:
- staff believe in ALL children
- there are ‘no excuses’ made for underperformance
- staff adopt a ‘solution-focused’ approach to overcoming barriers
- staff support children to develop ‘growth mindsets’ towards learning
Analysing Data
We will ensure that:
- All staff are involved in the analysis of data and attend regular pupil progress meetings so that they are fully aware of strengths and weaknesses across the school.
- We use research (such as the Sutton Trust Toolkit and EEF) to support us in determining the strategies that will be most effective.
Identification of Children
We will ensure that:
- ALL teaching staff and support staff are involved in analysis of data and identification of children.
- ALL staff are aware of who pupil premium and vulnerable children are
- ALL pupil premium children benefit from the funding, not just those who are underperforming.
- Underachievement at all levels is targeted (not just lower attaining pupils)
- Children’s individual needs are considered carefully so that we provide support for those children who could be doing ‘even better if…..’
Improving Day to Day Teaching
We will continue to ensure that all children across the school receive good teaching, with increasing percentages of excellent teaching achieved by using our senior leadership team to:
- Set high expectations
- Address any within-school variance
- Ensure consistent implementation of the non-negotiables, e.g. in-the-moment, high quality feedback and live marking
- Share good practice within the school and draw on external expertise
- Provide high quality CPD
- Improve assessment through joint levelling and moderation
Increasing learning time
We will maximise the time children have to “keep up” through:
- Improving attendance and punctuality
- Providing earlier intervention (EYFS and into KS1)
- Extended learning out of school hours.
Going the Extra Mile
In our determination to ensure that ALL children succeed we recognise the need for and are committed to providing completely individualised interventions for set periods of time to support children in times of additional and exceptional need.
For more detailed information regarding plans for the upcoming year and last year's spending, please see the school Pupil Premium reports.