Pupil Premium

Detail

Data

School name

Plympton St Mary Infants

Number of pupils in school

113

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

13%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers

2021-2024

Date this statement was published

September 2021

Date on which it will be reviewed

September 2022

Statement authorised by

Suzie Ottewell

Pupil premium lead

Yasmin Atkinson

Governor / Trustee lead

Emma Young

Detail

Amount

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£24,515

Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year

£2,320

Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)

£3371

Total budget for this academic year

If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year

£30,206

Our intention is that all pupils, regardless of their background and challenges they face, make good progress and attain well across all subject areas. The focus of this strategy is to ensure that all disadvantaged pupils achieve this goal, narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
 

High quality teaching is at the heart of our approach with a focus on reading, writing and mathematics. Ensuring that all pupils are taught well and challenged in their learning will improve the progress and attainment of all pupils in the school. Equipping children with a firm basis in reading, writing and maths will enable them to achieve across the curriculum.
 

Our approach will be responsive to common challenges and individual needs, rooted in accurate assessment and our understanding of the whole child.
 

Our ultimate objectives are:

• To narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
• For all disadvantaged pupils to make nationally expected progress in reading, writing and maths.
• To raise the aspirations, engagement and attendance of disadvantaged pupils.
   

We aim to do this through:

• Ensuring that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all pupils through robust assessment of the next steps in learning, dependent on individual needs.
• Developing the speech, vocabulary and oracy skills of all pupils, to support participation and engagement across the curriculum, but particularly in maths.  
• Ensuring that provision is precise and appropriate through targeted support (interventions and additional support).
• Developing strong home-school links and relationships to support pupils and families.
   

Challenge number

Detail of challenge

1

Language & Communication: Assessments (infant language link), observations and discussions with pupils indicate underdeveloped oral language skills, social skills and vocabulary gaps among many disadvantaged pupils. For our youngest pupils, significant time away from nursery/preschool is evident as many have arrived at school with significant gaps in language, social skills and independence including self-care skills.

2

Phonics: Assessments, observations and discussions with pupils suggest that disadvantaged pupils generally have greater difficulty with retaining and applying the phonics they have been taught than their peers. Gaps in phonics and vocabulary negatively impact the children’s development in reading and writing.

3

Maths: Assessments, observations and discussions with pupils show that maths attainment among disadvantaged pupils is significantly below that of non-disadvantaged pupils. This gap is evident from the start of school in EYFS and remains in place to the end of KS2.

4

Wellbeing: The education and wellbeing of many of our disadvantaged pupils has been negatively impacted by school closures, to a greater extent than for other pupils. These findings are supported by national studies. This has resulted in significant knowledge gaps, leading to pupils falling further behind age-related expectations, especially in maths.

5

Attendance: Data shows that attendance for disadvantaged pupils nationally is lower than that of non-disadvantaged pupils . Our data reflects a similar picture (between 1.5% and 3% difference). Currently attendance is also impacted by Covid-related absence. The attendance of our disadvantaged pupils historically dips in the summer term and our level of persistent absence increases for a small number of disadvantaged pupils at this time of year.

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Improved language skills and vocabulary among disadvantaged pupils.

Assessments and observations show significantly improved oral language among disadvantaged pupils. Learning walks and discussions with pupils and staff show that all pupils are able to articulate their needs and learning. Disadvantaged pupils apply new vocabulary in their speech, demonstrate understanding in their reading, and use varied vocabulary in their writing.  

Improved reading progress and attainment among disadvantaged pupils.

All disadvantaged pupils pass the phonics screening check by the end of Y2. KS2 reading outcomes in 2023/24 show that above national levels of disadvantaged children met the expected standard.  

Improved maths progress and attainment for disadvantaged pupils.

Progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils increases by 10% in each year group. KS2 maths outcomes in 2023/24 show above national levels of disadvantaged children met the expected standard.

To improve wellbeing and self-esteem for all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

An improvement in wellbeing by the end of 2023/4 is evidenced by:

• Observations of students during their learning across the curriculum and less structured time in school.
• Improved self-perception in pupil surveys and pupil voice
• A reduction in incidences of pupils needing referrals to outside agencies for support because need is well managed in-house
• All pupils talk about a breadth of enrichment opportunities available to them through school and increasing numbers of disadvantaged pupils take part in these activities

To sustain improved attendance for all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

Good attendance for all pupils is achieved by 2023/4:

• Overall absence rate for all pupils is no more than 3.5%, and the attendance gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils is no more than 1.5%
• The percentage of all pupils who are persistently absent is below 10% and the figure among disadvantaged pupils is below 15%

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Teachers and TAs supported and coached to ensure accurate assessment of gaps for all PP pupils below ARE in maths and phonics:

•Implement daily sessions of No-Nonsense Number facts in all classrooms.

•Effective use of keep up time, post maths lesson, allows children to become fluent in new concepts ensuring learning is embedded.

•Pre-teach ensures that children have deep routed, conceptual understanding before learning is moved on.

•Implement incremental coaching model where maths lead works alongside staff to improve practise. 15 mins in lesson, 15 mins discussion to determine next small step of development. 

RWI – Phonics

Development days

Phonics club (Spring Term)

Training, through the use of Ready to Progress; Children as evidence and the effective use QLA from NFER.

EEF toolkit – collaborative learning and peer-tutoring – Oracy link to participation and engagement.

EEF toolkit – metacognition and self-regulation:

• cognition – the mental process involved in knowing, understanding, and learning
• metacognition – often defined as ​‘learning to learn’
• motivation – willingness to engage our metacognitive and cognitive skills.

EEF toolkit – social and emotional learning improves interaction with others and self-management of emotions – impacts on attitudes to learning and relationships, which increases progress in attainment.

EEF toolkit - Phonics has a positive impact overall (+5 months) with very extensive evidence and is an important component in the development of early reading skills, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

CPD – development days with RWI advisors, including school visits and monitoring review points.

3,4

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Communication and Language support including personalised assessment and whole class/individual approaches

EEF Toolkit – Communication and language approach including reading aloud, discussing books, teaching new vocabulary in context, drawing attention to letters and sounds

1,2,4

Quality first teaching for all pupils in reading, writing and maths.

Pupil progress meetings track progress of PP pupils and appropriate, timely interventions are implemented.

EEF toolkit – tiered approach – teaching is the top priority, including CPD.

Sutton Trust - quality first teaching has a direct impact on pupil outcomes.

CPD for support staff to deliver targeted support.

1,2,3

Tutoring 1:1 and small groups

Tuition has been shown to be effective where it takes place 1:1 or in small groups and directly targets pupils with low prior attainment or who are struggling in particular areas. Tuition is effective when additional to but explicitly linked to existing lessons.

1,2,3,4,5

RWI phonics approach including additional phonics for those falling behind

Reading fluency intervention in Year 2- pupils demonstrate increased levels of fluency in their core reading skills and in their enjoyment for reading. 

Daily reading

EEF toolkit – Extensive evidence that phonics has a positive impact on early reading skills where teaching is matched to child’s current level of skill

EEF toolkit – reading strategies – a focus on the learners’ understanding of written text, not merely decoding. Pupils learn a range of techniques which enable them to comprehend the meaning of what they read using each of the six reading skills.

Effective diagnosis of reading difficulties is important in identifying possible solutions,

Pupils can struggle with decoding words, understanding the structure of the language used, or understanding particular vocabulary, which may be subject-specific.

1,2,4

Web based programs to be accessed in school and at home:

Accelerated Reader

Numbots

Oxford Reading Tree

EEF toolkit – parental engagement.

EEF guide to pupil premium – targeted academic support.

EEF – digital technology – clear evidence that technology approaches are beneficial for reading, writing and maths support.

1,2,3

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Leads – analyse attendance and contact low/persistent attendees. DHT to support families to raise attendance/punctuality.

Assistant SENCO
Interventions – Wellbeing/academic

Early help - parental support

MAST – counselling/play therapy/mentoring

Forest School

Enrichment – theatre

Plymouth Library Service
library visits (enrichment)

EEF – parental engagement – the involvement of parents in supporting children’s academic learning.

EEF - EEF toolkit – social and emotional learning improves interaction with others and self-management of emotions – impacts on attitudes to learning and relationships, which increases a sense of belonging.

EEF toolkit – teaching assistant interventions with a precise focus around deployment (Targeted deployment, where teaching assistants are trained to deliver an intervention to small groups or individuals has a higher impact).
Further evidence that working with teaching assistants can lead to improvements in pupils’ attitudes is fundamental for development in relationships among pupils.

CPD – reading for pleasure.

Supportive approaches used to enhance reading areas and encourage reading for pleasure.

4,5

Internal assessments in 2020/21 showed that the performance of disadvantaged pupils was lower than national figures from 2019. The gap for our pupils in KS1 was particularly noticeable.

During periods of school closure due to Covid, we invited many disadvantaged pupils into school. However due to the nature of closures, planned initiatives to support our disadvantaged pupils could not always take place. Whilst they benefited from being in school, they missed out on opportunities for interaction with a wider range of pupils, enrichment, and the benefit of the school curriculum being delivered as planned. The fact that we continued with teaching from the class teacher through a blended approach mitigated the gaps to some extent. However, it is clear from observations and assessments that our youngest pupils have had the most detrimental impact from school closure.

Attendance has improved year on year and the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged in 2020-21 was 1.29%. Our leadership team has been extremely proactive in addressing causes of absence and we continue to monitor this closely. Linked to this is our work in explaining to the children why their good attendance at school is so vital.

The impact of the pandemic during 2020-21 is that pupil wellbeing has been impacted, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. We have had an increase in safeguarding concerns, requests for early help, requests for behaviour and wellbeing support across all groups but particularly for disadvantaged pupils. During 2020-21 we used existing school resources to support this, e.g. small group wellbeing initiatives, referrals for outside support. From this year onwards we have included additional resources internally to support parents and pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged or vulnerable in other ways.  

Programme

Provider

Read Write Inc

Oxford

Accelerated Reader

Renaissance

Measure

Details

How did you spend your service pupil premium allocation last academic year?

We spent service pupil premium on providing interventions and support in-house. Some of the funding was spent on academic intervention to address gaps in reading/writing/maths. In addition, we were able to fund 1:1 support around wellbeing and emotions for families experiencing difficulties due to separation (due to the pandemic or deployment).

What was the impact of that spending on service pupil premium eligible pupils?

Intervention and other assessments showed progress in relevant subject areas. Wellbeing improved when children felt they had an outlet.