Since 2011, the Government have provided additional funding to schools in the form of Pupil Premium. This funding is given for students who are in receipt of Free School Meals, those who have received Free School Meals in the last 6 years and looked-after and previously looked-after children. There is also additional money for children who have a parent who is serving in HM forces or has retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence.
Pupil premium students form 25% of the Boroughbridge High School population. (105 pupil premium students within a whole school population of 424).
At Boroughbridge High School, we have a commitment to ‘Aspiration for All’ recognising that safe and happy students are successful. Therefore, our intention is that all students, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, have access to an EBacc curriculum, make informed curriculum choices, make good progress and achieve highly across the curriculum.
The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to use data (contextual and academic) intelligently to support disadvantaged students in having high aspirations and ensuring that they are able to achieve their goals. Our approach ensures that everyone within school is aware of the needs of pupil premium students and understands their responsibility in securing good outcomes for disadvantaged students.
High quality teaching is at the heart of our approach. Agreed Practice for teaching and learning ensures that lessons are planned to take into account the individual needs of students. Progress is carefully monitored and intervention strategies put in place where expected progress based on aspirational FFT (20) targets is not being made. Surrounding this is a robust pastoral system where students are supported by a personal Form Tutor, Pastoral Manager and, where necessary, a mentor. This has secured positive outcomes for pupil premium and disadvantaged students whilst also benefiting all students within the school.
Our strategy is also integral to wider school plans for education recovery, which have included targeted support within school and through the National Tutoring Programme for students whose education has been worst affected including non-disadvantaged students.
Our use of progress data at strategic Progress Review Points throughout the year enables us to evaluate the impact of disadvantage and take action to address this through ensuring pupil premium students
- have access to a high-quality curriculum
- have their needs met through carefully planned lessons
- receive intervention at the point that need is identified.
This happens through a whole school approach which ensures that all staff raise expectations of what disadvantaged children can achieve and take responsibility for disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes.