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National Education Trust N E T National Education Trust N E T www.nationaleducationtrust.net CATS PUPIL PREMIUM STRATEGIC REVIEW PROJECT 2016/17 Marc Rowland and Vishal Panchmatia JANUARY 2017 Registered charity number: 1112893

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Page 1: CATS PUPIL PREMIUM STRATEGIC REVIEW …...National Education Trust NET 1 CATS Pupil Premium Strategy Review Project 2016/17 ‘The Pupil Premium should be used to enable disadvantaged

National Education TrustNET

National Education TrustNET

www.nationaleducationtrust.net

CATS PUPIL PREMIUMSTRATEGIC REVIEW PROJECT2016/17

Marc Rowland and Vishal Panchmatia

JANUARY 2017

Registered charity number: 1112893

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National Education TrustNET

CONTENTS

Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

School Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Ashford Oaks Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Downs View Infant School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

East Stour Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Great Chart Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Kennington CE Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Kingsnorth CE Primary Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Repton Manor Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

St Simon of England RC Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Victoria Road Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Willesborough Junior School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

School Reflections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Pupil Premium Self Evaluation Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

INTRODUCTION

This report collates the learning from Pupil Premium Strategy reviews over the period October 2016 to January2017. There were 10 reviews in total, carried out in primary schools that are part of the Central Ashford TownSchools or CATS.

Each school is different, with its own strengths and areas for development within a particular context. But theopen, strong partnership working between the schools provides an excellent framework for a collectiveapproach to tackling educational disadvantage within the community.

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‘The Pupil Premium should be used to enabledisadvantaged learners to access the highest qualityteaching.’

‘Pupil Premium should focus on barriers or gapslearning, rather than labels or broad attainment levels.’

‘Disadvantaged pupils need the highest ofexpectations. Eligibility for the Pupil Premium shouldnot be automatically associated with low priorattaining pupils.’

‘Pupil Premium strategies should be evidence based,prioritising early intervention and rigorouslymonitored and evaluated.’

‘Tacking educational disadvantage should be at theheart of the school development plan.’

PRINCIPLES

Most schools have shown an awareness of thedifferent barriers to learning disadvantaged pupilsface. This was exhibited by not just senior leaders butteachers and middle leaders. Schools have expandedthe term ‘disadvantage’ to cater for, and givereassurance to, vulnerable pupils whose complexneeds may fall short when following a strictinterpretation of the criteria.

In many cases, schools need to re-examine the qualityof success criteria attributed to Pupil Premiumstrategies. This includes a capability to quantify andmeasure outcomes accurately so school leaders canunderstand if and how a strategy has worked. Robustsuccess criteria will also be a mechanism to hold thosewith designated roles for Pupil Premium to account.

A language deficit, especially for pupils not accessinghigh quality early years provision, is a common themeemerging from the reports. Schools need to enhancetheir classrooms to a ‘language rich learningenvironment’. An audit to understand how ‘languagerich’ the learning environment is should be thestarting point of any effective strategy.

In some cases there tends to be a discourse of limitinglanguage towards Pupil Premium and a fixed mind-setattitude towards intelligence, which in combinationhas led to Pupil Premium associated with low ability.

This view could be compounded by setting pupils, inwhich lower groups are offered easier tasks. A wholeschool culture of high expectations that emphasisethe importance of disadvantaged pupils working at‘greater depth’ would go some way in offering asolution.

There is a need to understand how Pupil Premium hasbeen used to support the prior achievement of pupilsin infant schools. Not only will this provide specificstrategies that have worked for the pupil but alsoenhance evidential based practice in Early Yearssettings. Moreover this would help detect multiplebarriers to learning. Then pre and post teachingshould be used to tackle gaps in learning and build onteacher expertise.

Evidence throughout the reports demonstrate schoolsunderstand that investing in high quality teachingand learning raises outcomes for all pupils as well asPupil Premium. Professional developmentopportunities constitute a key feature towardsachieving this goal. Examples of this include acoaching model to help improve teaching andlearning, team teaching and drawing on outsideexpertise. Similarly, in some classrooms, a keystrength is the recognition and deployment of TAs asa way of supporting effective learning or obtaining

SUMMARY

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powerful feedback about pupils’ learning. This hasbeen achieved in a number of ways, from paid non-contact time for TAs to work effectively with teachersto evidence based structured interventions.

Ashford Oaks Primary School – “There are very strongrelationships between pupils and staff, including non-teaching staff.”

Downs View Infant School – “There was an absence oflimiting language used in the school.”

East Stour Primary School – “Pupils particularly valuedthe homework club because of the clarity of purpose;focussing on pupil need to support their learning.”

Great Chart Primary School – “Teachers and leadersconsistently talk about accelerated progress to ensuredisadvantaged pupils achieve at greater depth at theend of key stages.”

Kennington Church of England Academy – “The use ofPupil Premium is monitored closely evaluatedrobustly.”

Kingsnorth CE Primary Academy – “The key to successhas been the use of a structured approach anddeploying the most effective staff with the mostvulnerable children.”

Repton Manor Primary School – “The (current)tutoring strategy and (planned) mentoring are well

placed to support better outcomes for all pupils, butparticularly those that are disadvantaged at ReptonManor.”

St Simon of England R.C Primary School – “During thewalk around the school there was a visit to a lessonwith very high expectations for all, challenge, rich useof language of maths and of learning.

Victoria Road Primary School – “There is clarity aboutthe school’s approach to a mastery curriculum shouldensure that disadvantaged children do not experiencelow expectations.’”

Willesborough Junior School – “The strategy theschool is implementing is a strong one, beingevidence based and sharply targeted on pupil’sbarriers to learning.”

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● An initial two hour seminar on best practice withPupil Premium.

● Preparation, document review, self-evaluation andagreeing a schedule for the visit.

● A day in school with feedback to SLT (and anyoneelse as you see fit) at the end of the day.

● A report will then be sent to you. This will analysecurrent practice and strategy, consider nationalgood practice in relation to the school and provide

guidance on action planning, delivery, monitoringand evaluation.

● Guidance on creating a ‘Pupil Premium file’ will beprovided for governors, leaders and inspectors.

● Advice on the school’s revised action plan followingthe review (by correspondence).

● A follow up visit to check on progress and impactcan be arranged if required.

METHODOLOGY

“ The key to success hasbeen the use of a structuredapproach and deploying themost effective staff with themost vulnerable children.”

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Ashford Oaks Primary

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

28th September 2016

Context

Ashford Oaks is a two form entry primary school with462 pupils on roll. Over 50% of pupils come fromdisadvantaged backgrounds. Just under 18% haveEnglish as an additional language.

Up to 2015, there was a trend of improved outcomesfor disadvantaged pupils, but results dipped in 2016.

The review analysed impact of the school’s 2015/16strategy and considered strengths and areas forimprovement in plans for 2016/17 and beyond.

Key Priorities

● More effective impact evaluation, underpinned bytighter, ambitious success criteria.

● Better communication of the school’s PupilPremium strategy.

● A long term approach to supporting young childrenand families with early literacy skills combined withfocused efforts to raise the attainment ofdisadvantaged pupils in upper KS2.

● Pupil mentoring to better understand pupil’sbarriers to learning and inform future strategy.

The Review

1. The senior leadership team have a sharedunderstanding of the school’s Pupil Premiumstrategy. Teachers and middle leaders have a goodunderstanding of the barriers faced bydisadvantaged pupils, including the need toaccess professional development to bettersupport pupil need.

2. There are very strong relationships betweenpupils and staff, including non-teaching staff.Relationships with parents are strong too.

3. The school has invested a significant amount ofPupil Premium funding on a strategy to secureaccountability for disadvantaged pupils across the

school through the appointment of phase leaders.There is a need for greater clarity about theexpected impact of these roles on outcomes fordisadvantaged learners. It is important toarticulate clear, ambitious success criteria andensure that class teachers remain accountable forpupil outcomes. Senior leaders need to holdmiddle leaders to account for the impact of theseroles.

4. Similarly, a significant investment has been madein reducing adult-pupils ratios. Again, there is aneed to provide greater clarity over the expectedimpact this will have on disadvantaged pupils andhow senior leaders will know. These ratio changesshould support better pupil progress throughteacher’s ability to focus on gaps in learningwithin small groups. They should also allow moretime for high quality, personalised feedback andbetter planning.

5. Additional TA support funded through the PupilPremium should enable teachers to spend moretime with disadvantaged pupils. During thereview, we saw evidence of this approach.Consider how TAs can support the achievement ofdisadvantaged pupils through evidence based,structured interventions. The Catch Up Numeracyand Literacy approaches have a good evidence

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SCHOOL REPORTS

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base behind them. There could be opportunitiesfor Catch Up training across the CATS partnershipif the need is there.

6. By providing clear success criteria, qualityassurance and holding yourselves to account overexpected outcomes, senior leaders will have abetter understanding of the success and value formoney for this approach. Draw in pupil andteacher voice into the impact evaluation. It isimportant not to wait until the end of the schoolyear before evaluating the success of the strategy.

7. A new initiative which focused on Pupil Mentoringis being introduced during the 2016/17 academicyear. This strategy looks strong as it helps build acomplete picture of the academic and pastoralneeds of pupils, and is something which willdevelop over time. It is important that teachersare provided with training (and perhaps a cribsheet for those who may need support) for thementoring sessions. Emerging trends arising fromthese sessions should help inform future PupilPremium spending, based on pupil need.

8. Considering the pastoral challenges that manypupils at the school face, a refresher session onattachment would be helpful for all teaching andsupport staff.

9. During the review, early language acquisition wasidentified as one of the primary barriers tolearning for disadvantaged pupils, particularly forthose not accessing high quality early yearsprovision. As a long term priority, the schoolshould work with an early years expert to devise aprogramme that can support efforts to tackle thelangue deficit experienced by disadvantagedpupils by working with parents of pupils in theirearly years.

10. Coupled to this long term approach is the need toset challenging targets for the attainment ofdisadvantage pupils in upper key stage 2. Astrategy that has been used successfullyelsewhere is ‘post teaching’, where the PupilPremium funding supports additional learningopportunities in literacy and numeracy at the endof the school day. This intervention needs to becarefully constructed and ‘owned’ by class

teachers so the sessions focus on gaps in learningwith specific success criteria.

11. This approach has been successfully implementedat Newport Junior School in Hampshire, a PupilPremium award winning school. Contact Clare DeSuasmarez for more information:[email protected]

12. Tell your story. There is so much energy andcommitment to all children at the school. Theschool’s Pupil Premium statement needs to beupdated to meet DfE requirements. More here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online#pupil-premium.Each major area of spending needs clearer, betterdefined success criteria to hold yourselves toaccount against. I will review this and the school’saction plan as part of this process.

13. It is important that the school includes thecommitment to improved academic outcomes, aswell as the strong commitment to resilience andwellbeing. This is implicit, but needs to be madeexplicit in the school’s ethos.

Thank you for your time today. It was great to spendthe day at Ashford Oaks. Lunch with your very cleverand polite children was the highlight!

Marc Rowland, September 2016

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“ Early language acquisitionwas identified as one of theprimary barriers to learningfor disadvantaged pupils,particularly for those notaccessing high quality earlyyears provision.”

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Downs View Infant School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

25th November 2016

During the review there were discussions with seniorleaders, scrutiny of data and evidence, classroomvisits. Discussions were also held with teachers andsupport staff.

Summary

1. The school’s strategy aims to be comprehensive,and cover all aspects of school life. From receptionto classrooms, it is clear that Downs View is aschool that puts children first. One pupil observed‘my school is perfect’. Senior leaders were able toprovide robust responses to questions supportedby evidence. There is no requirement to changethe school’s Pupil Premium strategy.

2. The school is restless to improve. High quality staffare in place in key positions. Governance of thePupil Premium is strong.

3. There was an absence of limiting language used inthe school: ‘this is a vulnerable class’ was usedrather than more pejorative terminology.

4. Structured, well led, inclusive and well organisedlunchtimes provide a model of high qualityexcellence for all children.

5. Disadvantaged pupils do very well at the school.Immediate priorities are improvements tooutcomes in English at the end of Key Stage 1,particularly for disadvantaged pupils of whiteBritish Heritage. The school has identified this as apriority and a range of classroom based strategiesare being implemented. Outcomes are expectedto improve in 2017.

Language

1. As identified by the school, there is a need totackle to language deficit experienced bydisadvantaged pupils in Early Years and throughKey Stage 1.

2. To be able to do this effectively, it is important toaudit how ‘language rich’ learning environmentsare. Consider, over a period of at least a day:

● Are repeated running commentaries providedwhen children are undertaking activities? Justlike actions, words need to be repeated.

● How much talk is happening, what is the qualityof that talk and is it happening at the righttimes?

● Are children able to respond to questions?

● Is talk targeted towards disadvantaged pupils?

● In early years, are adults focussed on discussionor observation?

● Can disadvantaged pupils access keyvocabulary, ask questions or persuade?

● Are disadvantaged pupils accessing hands onexperiences to build language?

Early Years

1. To build a better understanding of prior learning,the school should analyse which disadvantagedpupils have accessed Early Years provision, and thequality of that provision.

2. Additionally, the school should work with earlyyears providers to share evidence based, effectiveapproaches for the use of the Early Years Premium.

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Teaching and Learning

1. During the review we observed a number ofexamples of high quality practice that supportsbetter outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Theseinclude ensuring secure understanding ofvocabulary and providing feedback that buildsindependent learning. It is important that any‘ability’ grouping which take place is focussed onthe needs of that learning activity, and does notbecome the default position.

2. Strategies to secure high quality teaching acrossthe school in all subject areas are beingimplemented. These include Lesson Study, teamteaching, filming and robust internal qualityassurance.

3. The Forest School should provide greateropportunities to build children’s language,particularly through hands on experiences. Thiswork could better link to the ‘formal’ curriculumtoo.

Pupil Voice

It is important to ensure strategies to hear the viewsof all pupils (including those that are less likely to beforthcoming) are adopted.

Impact Evaluation

In the school’s action plan, adjustments need to bemade to make success criteria more explicit andmeasurable. A further column identifying how schoolleaders will know those successes have been achievedshould also be included.

Well done on all that has been achieved!

Marc Rowland, November 2016

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“ From reception toclassrooms, it is clear thatDowns View is a school thatputs children first. One pupilobserved ‘my school isperfect’.”

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East Stour Primary School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

January 2017

Context

East Stour Primary is a two form entry school wherejust over 40% of pupils come from disadvantagedbackgrounds. Mobility is high. There is a newleadership team in place at the school. Key Stage 2outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in 2016 werebelow the national average.

Review

1. The review involved classroom visits, discussionswith teachers, teaching assistants, middle andsenior leaders. There was also a pupil discussiongroup and a review of books.

2. The school’s current Pupil Premium strategy iscurrently focused on pastoral issues, enrichmentand experiences, based on identified barriers. InEarly Years, diagnostic assessment is used toscreen children’s speech and language so thatprovision can be based on evidence.

3. Wherever possible, it is important to link theenrichment experiences to classroom learning; toconsider these experiences as part of thecurriculum, rather than as ‘extra-curricular’.

4. Middle leaders should work with colleagues toensure this happens. During pupil discussionschildren were not able to make the link betweenenrichment experiences and learning. Closermonitoring and targeting where necessary isneeded to ensure that disadvantaged pupils aretaking up the opportunities available to them.

5. The school’s middle leadership structure is wellplaced to deliver a successful Pupil Premiumstrategy. This is underpinned by an imaginative,high quality flexible family liaison role which aimsto meet the needs of families wherever possible.

6. Analysis of pupil’s barriers to learning highlightsthe need to develop metacognitive strategies inclass and apply them within day to day teachingand learning. This will need professionaldevelopment and internal quality assurance.

7. Teachers interviewed during the review had aclear understanding of their roles in respect ofdisadvantaged pupils. One teacher said ‘I want todo that’ during discussions about the need forbuilding stronger adult-pupil relationships withdisadvantaged learners.

8. The school currently uses a range of externalexpertise to support the needs of vulnerablepupils. Discussions with teachers highlighted aneed to do more to empower teachers to meetthe learning needs of their disadvantaged pupils.

9. The Pupil Premium should be used to support apersonalised CPD budget focused on pupil need.This will, in some cases, include CPD on stretchand challenge for disadvantaged pupils who arehigher prior attainers and strategies to tackle thelanguage and feedback deficit experienced bydisadvantaged pupils.

10. Greater consistency of approach was a key themethroughout the review. Securing this is critical toimproving outcomes for disadvantaged pupilsacross the school, particularly in the followingareas:

● Joint planning

● Use of teaching assistants

● Effective feedback

● Use of metacognition

● High expectations

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11. The Lesson Study approach would be a usefulprofessional development framework for helpingto secure this consistency in the classroom.

12. Discussions with teaching assistants andclassroom visits suggested that a significantproportion of their time is spent with moredisadvantaged and vulnerable learners. If this isthe case on a day to day basis, it would be helpfulto rebalance this. Resources from the EducationEndowment Foundation are useful in accuratelyassessing the effectiveness of current TAdeployment:https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Campaigns/TA_RAG_self-assessment.pdf

13. Pupils spoke positively about the school.Relationships between them were strong andthere were no anxieties when speaking openlyabout vulnerability. Pupils particularly valued thehomework club because of the clarity of purpose;focusing on pupil need to support their learning.

14. Middle Leaders are critical for the success of theschool’s Pupil Premium strategy. Their role canhelp secure conscience in classrooms,empowering teachers to meet the needs ofdisadvantaged learners.

Marc Rowland, January 2017

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“ Analysis of pupil’s barriersto learning highlights theneed to developmetacognitive strategies inclass and apply them withinday to day teaching andlearning.”

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Great Chart Primary School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

8th December 2016

Strategy

1. Great Chart Primary School has excellentoutcomes for all learners, but particularly thosefrom disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds.The school has a ‘no excuses’ approachunderpinned by compassion and understandingof the challenges some of the most vulnerablepupils face.

2. High expectations are evident in every aspect ofschool life. Teachers and leaders consistently talkabout accelerated progress to ensuredisadvantaged pupils achieve at greater depth atthe end of key stages. The ambition for pupils isnever the minimum.

3. The school’s Pupil Premium statement exemplifiesa strategy that is very well led. It is evidencebased, focused on:

● Relentlessly high quality teaching

● Professional learning

● Subject knowledge

● Personalised learning strategies

● Consistency, monitoring and evaluation.

4. This strategy is underpinned by goodcommunication and strong relationships betweenadults. There is a collective vision fordisadvantaged pupils across the school.

School Culture and Ethos

1. Teachers and leaders have a strong commitmentto knowing pupils and their families well. Staff usepositive language when discussing disadvantagedfamilies who struggle to engage with school.There is a consistent understanding of the barriersto learning and the profile of the pupil population,particularly where pupils have multiple barriers.

2. Support for pupil emotional wellbeing is evidencebased, with the school adopting a ‘tag team’approach to avoid individual pupils becomingdependent on individual adults.

3. Where appropriate, the school does not hesitateto draw in outside expertise to developprofessional learning, or to directly meet theneeds of pupils (for example, with the use oftrained counsellors from Barnardo’s).

4. The school’s culture and ethos work well inhelping staff support disadvantaged pupils.Communication is good and adults feel valued.Staff do not wait for a label before taking action,rather they are confident and secure in using theirprofessional judgement. Teachers and other staffare supportive of each other. Teaching Assistantshave paid non-contact time to work effectivelywith teachers.

5. There is a collective ambition for success for allpupils from all staff. The success of one pupilduring the visit was greeted with enthusiasmacross the school community. In classrooms,adults and pupils model the process of learningwell.

6. Governance of the Pupil Premium is good. There isan excellent understanding of the school’sstrategy and how effectively it is beingimplemented. There is a strong understandingthat success for disadvantaged pupils goesbeyond just academic attainment, particularly forthe most vulnerable pupils.

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Teaching and Learning

1. Where necessary, leaders have moved quickly toaddress any concerns in teaching quality.

2. There is a strong focus on the importance ofSubject Knowledge at the school. High qualityteaching strategies are understood andcommunicated to meet the needs of the mostvulnerable pupils.

3. There is a strong investment in time andprofessional development to help teacherssupport the needs of disadvantaged pupils. The‘mop up’ pre and post teaching approachimproves outcomes and also builds even greaterteacher expertise. Teachers and middle leadersfrequently referred to the importance of ‘moredisadvantaged pupils working at greater depth’.There was no sense that the minimum wasacceptable, whether in conversations, classroomsor books.

4. Whilst the culture of sharing and collaboration isstrong, there is also a clear understanding of theimportance of monitoring, evaluation and internalquality assurance through book scrutiny, learningwalks, curriculum discussions, pupil voice andmore. The ‘transition’ Pupil Progress meetingsexemplify this well: where (for example) the futureYear 4 teach attends the final current Year 3 pupilprogress meeting, getting to know andunderstand pupil needs, what has worked welland what has been a challenge.

5. Pupil are very proud of their work. There are highexpectations in the use of language, both inEnglish and Maths.

Areas for Development

1. The school has identified that the attendance ofdisadvantaged pupils remains a challenge. Duringthe review we discussed the importance ofseparating any persistent absence due to ill healthwhen determining strategies to improveattendance and punctuality. Strategies must focuson barriers to attendance.

2. A greater focus should be placed on theachievement of disadvantaged pupils infoundation subjects. This will help build culturalliteracy and children’s readiness for the secondarycurriculum. If necessary, subject leadership time to

improve outcomes should be funded with PupilPremium.

3. Invest in whole school Attachment Aware trainingso staff can even better understand the barriers tolearning some pupils at the school face.

4. More can be done to build better understandingof the quality and quantity of Early Years provisiondisadvantaged pupils access prior to joining GreatChart Primary School. This will help learners makeeven better progress in Year R, and (in the longerterm) enable the school to influence Early Yearssettings in adopting evidence based practice.

5. Building on existing networks the school couldshare its excellent work on tackling educationaldisadvantage more widely. The school shouldenter the 2016/17 Pupil Premium awards. Externalinterest and feedback will further improvelearning for disadvantaged pupils.

Marc Rowland, December 2016

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“ There is a stronginvestment in time andprofessional development tohelp teachers support theneeds of disadvantagedpupils.”

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Kennington Church of England Academy

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

13th January 2017

Context

Kennington Academy is a three form entry JuniorSchool in Ashford. The proportion of pupils fromdisadvantaged backgrounds is very close to thenational average. The proportion that have English asan additional language is below average, as is theproportion who have Special Educational Needs or anEducation and Health Care plan. The vast majority ofpupils join the academy via the nearby infant school.

Review

1. The school’s Pupil Premium funded activities arewell researched and thought through. Schoolleaders are correctly focusing primarily on QualityFirst Teaching. The use of Pupil Premium ismonitored closely evaluated robustly.Encouragingly, evaluations are informing decisionmaking about what to continue with, what tochange and what to stop. There is a goodunderstanding that some intervention strategieswork only under certain circumstances.

2. Senior leaders have high expectations for allpupils in all aspects of school life. A great deal ofeffort has clearly been put in to help pupils meetthese expectations. The leadership team is proudof its recent achievements. Challenges remainwith the learning environment and access to highquality ICT resources.

3. Good relationships with the local infant schooland a clear transition process is in place. Theserelationships and processes can be used to buildan even better understanding of high qualityteaching strategies and how the Pupil Premiumhas been used for individual pupils. This isparticularly important for those with multiplebarriers to learning.

4. The school uses setting by prior attainment as alearning strategy. Senior leaders are confidentabout this strategy within the academy context. Itis important to acknowledge the risks that comewith this approach, rooted in strong evidenceabout their potentially negative impact ondisadvantaged pupils.

General point: The research and evidence onsetting says that lower groups should not beoffered easier tasks. Whichever group pupils are in,teaching should be aiming for ‘the top’ for all,rather than putting limits on children by offeringthem less challenging tasks. The vast majority ofpupils should have the opportunity to access thehighest challenges. There are also risks aroundaccess to language, vocabulary, self-perceptionand behaviour for learning.

5. Whilst the leadership team felt strongly that this isnot a concern at the Academy. It is important thatsenior and middle leaders monitor closely andfrequently to ensure risks are always negated. It ishelpful if teachers understand the evidence aboutsetting.

6. Where classes are being covered for PPA or CPD,there is a need to ensure greater consistency forall pupils at all times. Senior leaders haverecognised this as an area for professionaldevelopment. Pupil voice is a good way ofmeasuring the impact of planned improvements.

7. During the review, we spent some timeconsidering which disadvantage pupils are mostat risk of not attaining well. The implementation ofa planned programme of pre and post teachingacross the school to tackle gaps in learning wouldsupport this. The pre and post teaching strategywould build on conferencing and precisionteaching are being rolled out across the school anInitial feedback shows this has been well received.

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This has been developed expertly at NewportJunior School in Aldershot – where the vastmajority of pupils consistently make excellentprogress and attain very well.

8. Disadvantaged pupils join the school with a widerange of prior attainment. Teachers have a goodunderstanding of their barriers to learning andarticulated well the need to build metacognitioninto teaching, helping children to betterunderstand how they learn what they learn.Monitoring by middle leaders shows this ishappening.

9. For metacognition to have a causal impact onpupil outcomes children need to use thesestrategies frequently in their day to day learning.Evidence suggests metacognition has adisproportionate effect on disadvantagedlearners, particularly those that are high priorattainers. Improving outcomes for this group is anarea of focus for the school.

10. Disadvantaged pupils speak very positively aboutthe school and the opportunities it provides. Theyalso speak confidently and thoughtfully aboutthings that could be better. This demonstratesthat Pupil voice is well developed across theschool.

11. Governors are very supportive of the school’sefforts to tackle educational disadvantage. Theyknow the school well. It would be helpful ifgovernors could better articulate the school’sstrategy and how leaders are held to account forits impact.

12. The excellent Pupil Premium strategy, activity andimpact file that has been developed by the seniorleadership team at the school needs to beunderstood by governors.

13. A simple covering note should be developed toarticulate the school’s online website statement toparents.

14. Much has been achieved within a sometimeschallenging context. Kennington Academy is verymuch an improving school for disadvantagedlearners.

Marc Rowland, January 2017

Further Notes on Setting for Review

Meta-analysis

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/resources/teaching-learning-toolkit/setting-or-streaming/

Current Grouping Study

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/our-work/projects/best-practice-in-grouping-students/

Latest research from New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319408/kids-'aren't-developing-problem-solving-skills'?utm_content=buffer02cb6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

High Performance Learning for All

http://highperformancelearning.co.uk

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“ Teachers have a goodunderstanding of theirbarriers to learning andarticulated well the need tobuild metacognition intoteaching, helping children tobetter understand how theylearn what they learn. ”

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National Education TrustNET

Kingsnorth CE Primary Academy

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

25th January 2017

Context

● 418 pupils on roll.

● Approximately 15% of pupils are from adisadvantaged background.

● In 2016, attainment was above national average,but disadvantaged pupils do not make as muchprogress as they should, particularly in Maths andWriting.

● Universal Free School meals has reduced thenumber of pupils who qualify for Pupil Premiumfunding.

Review

1. Senior leaders have a good understanding of thestrengths and weaknesses of the school’s PupilPremium strategy.

2. Teachers and leaders have a good understandingof the external barriers to learning faced bydisadvantaged pupils at the school.

3. Significant efforts have been made to increase theproportion of disadvantaged pupils who pass theYear 1 phonics screening test. This has beensuccessful, with significantly improved outcomes.The key to success has been the use of astructured approach and deploying the mosteffective staff with the most vulnerable children.

4. Other effective strategies include:

● The introduction of a wellbeing toolkit,particularly to enable all staff to becomeattachment aware.

● A well planned, targeted breakfast club.

● A Family Liaison Officer that works effectivelywith vulnerable families.

5. There are very positive relationships across theschool, but particularly between disadvantagedand more vulnerable pupils and their peers. This isa strong feature of the school.

6. Governance of the Pupil Premium is strong,particularly in holding School Leaders to account

for the use and impact of the grant funding. Itwould be helpful for governors to have a betterunderstanding of the barriers to learning faced bydisadvantaged pupils, and why the Pupil Premiumis spent in the way it is.

7. Across the school, more needs to be done toensure that teachers are working more frequentlywith disadvantaged pupils. In particular, it isimportant that teachers are:

● Marking the books of disadvantaged learners(as opposed to this being done by TAs).

● Leading pupil conferencing.

● Additional teaching sessions: pre and ‘mop up’teaching.

8. There should also be a focus on improvingoutcomes for disadvantaged pupils who are notlow prior attainers; those that do not need ‘catchup strategies’. This could involve:

● Use of metacognitive strategies in class.

● Collaborative learning and peer tutoring.

● Higher impact marking and additional verbalfeedback.

● Hearing pupil voice.

● Personalised support (e.g. access to books).

● Building cultural capital.

9. Many of these strategies are components ofquality first teaching; fundamental to improvingthe outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.

10. In discussions with teachers and middle leaders,there was sometimes too much focus on the needto buy resources and equipment to supportdisadvantaged pupils rather than improving

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teaching and learning. Some Middle leadersrecognised that more targeted teacher supportthrough ‘mop up’ teaching.

11. It would be useful for leaders to have somediscussion with teachers about any professionaldevelopment needs they have to better supportdisadvantaged pupils.

12. In some cases, the marking of disadvantagedpupil’s books has had limited impact. For example,some pupils had gaps in learning with the use ofpunctuation, but continued to consistently makethe same errors more than a term later. Thisprovides a rationale for a short, time limited andtargeted intervention focused on pupil need.

13. This should be closely monitored by middleleaders, but teachers need to decide on the mosteffective strategies and ‘own’ interventions.

14. There is a need to adopt practices as set out in theresearch Maximising the Impact of TeachingAssistants by Rob Webster. More details can befound here:https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Campaigns/TA_RAG_self-assessment.pdf. This will enable the school to self-assess and to deploy Teaching Assistants in themost effective, evidence based way.

15. The school’s strategy for tackling educationaldisadvantage should be better articulated via thewebsite statement, focusing primarily onaccountability to parents and families. Additionalinformation should be prepared for inspectorsand those requiring more information. Thewebsite document should include more than asimple list of Pupil Premium expenditure.

Marc Rowland, January 2017

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“ There are very positiverelationships across theschool, but particularlybetween disadvantaged andmore vulnerable pupils andtheir peers. This is a strongfeature of the school. ”

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National Education TrustNET

Repton Manor Primary School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

12th January 2017

Context

Repton Manor Primary is a new and growing school.In 2016, approximately 20% of pupils came fromdisadvantaged backgrounds. A very high proportionof pupils are mobile, particularly in upper Key Stage 2.High mobility has contributed to some challengingKS2 Mathematics results in 2016.

Review

1. There are very strong relationships betweenadults and pupils, and between adults in theschool. There is a very strong, explicit ethos ofpositivity and care.

2. A committed staff share a collectiveunderstanding of this ethos. This was particularlyevidenced by a conversation with a teacher whospoke intelligently and compassionately aboutsupporting disadvantaged pupils.

3. Looking ahead, senior leaders are working toensure a more even distribution of Pupil Premiumspending across Key Stage two. Historically it hasbeen necessary to focus on Year 6 due to the veryhigh levels of mobility and new arrivals. Theleadership team has recognised the need toaddress this.

4. The use of Pupil Premium is rigorously monitoredfor value for money and impact on Pupils by ahighly effective business manager.

5. There is a good understanding of the barriers tolearning disadvantaged pupils face across theschool. Senior leaders have recognised that not allvulnerable pupils fit the DfE proxy for‘disadvantaged’, so are working to agree a broaderdefinition that will include those that are fromfamilies who may be just about managing.

6. All staff have responded positively andenthusiastically to a disappointing set of KS2outcomes in Maths. This includes building subjectknowledge and improving assessment,particularly with regards to mobile learners,aiming to ensure that gaps in learning are betterunderstood. The school has invited in external

expertise to validate improvements andmonitoring indicates stronger results from 2017onwards.

7. Starting with the reception area, the learningenvironment is excellent. It is clearly focused onthe needs of children and offers opportunities fora rich, varied and original curriculum, maximisingthe skills and knowledge of all staff.

8. Systems are in place to ensure that pupils at risk ofunderachievement do not ‘slip through the net’.These systems include high quality assessment(supported by CPD and moderation), goodrelations between teachers and leaders, includingsubject and inclusion leads. Also regular andfrequent pupil progress meetings and monitoringand evaluating of interventions.

9. Better use of diagnostic assessments wouldprovide a much stronger evidence base tosupport the learning of pupils new to the school.Diagnostic assessment can include vocabularyand attitudes to learning and help informpersonalised, high quality teaching strategies.Some examples can be fund here:

https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/assessments

http://www.cem.org/attachments/Getting%20the%20measure%20of%20primary%20-%20brochure%20web.pdf

10. The (current) tutoring strategy and (planned)mentoring are well placed to support better

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outcomes for all pupils, but particularly those thatare disadvantaged at Repton Manor. However,greater clarity is needed over the success criteriaand impact evaluation for each of these. Somestaff may need professional development tomaximise impact. Effective evaluation also willprovide a more strategic understanding of someof the barriers to success across the whole school,which should inform future school developmentplanning.

11. There were some very good examples of TAssupporting effective learning. However, therewere also a small number of incidents where TAswere observed talking over to the teacher whenthe teacher was addressing the class. This could beimproved through peer support.

12. High quality feedback is particularly important todisadvantaged learners. During a review of books,it was clear that much effort and commitment hasbeen put into marking. The school has self-evaluated that despite this effort, the impact onlearning is not always strong. A review of effectivemarking and feedback is currently underway. It isimportant that this focused on the latest evidence.See the report from the EEF for more:

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/EEF_Marking_Review_April_2016.pdf

13. It would be useful for school leaders to considerrolling out pre and post teaching consistentlyacross the school to help support theachievement of all disadvantaged pupils,including ‘the quiet middle’. Newport JuniorSchool in Aldershot offers a successful, excellent(and contextually similar) model for this.

14. The school has created an inclusive definition ofmastery, to recognise success in all aspects ofschool life.

Marc Rowland, January 2017

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“ Senior leaders haverecognised that not allvulnerable pupils fit the DfEproxy for ‘disadvantaged’, soare working to agree abroader definition that willinclude those that are fromfamilies who may be justabout managing. ”

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National Education TrustNET

St Simon of England RC Primary School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

1st December 2016

Context

St Simon’s is a one form of entry primary school.Around 25% of pupils are from disadvantagedbackgrounds. A growing proportion have English asan Additional Language. Disadvantaged pupil’soutcomes are reasonably good at KS2, but are heldback by weaker results at the end of EYFS and KS1.

Strategy and Barriers

1. Senior Leaders have a clear understanding of theschool’s strengths and weaknesses in respect ofdisadvantaged pupils.

2. Leaders, teachers and support staff have a goodunderstanding of the barriers to learningdisadvantaged pupils at the school face.Resilience and apathy about learning are commonthemes. Senior leaders have identified someinconsistencies in the quality of teaching.

3. In some cases, there was an over focus on weakparental engagement as a reason for the lowerachievement of disadvantaged pupils. Whilstbetter parental empowerment is an importantlong term strategy, the focus needs to be on whatthe school can do in the short and medium termtoo.

4. More work needs to be done to identify how tobetter support disadvantaged pupils throughquality first teaching. The identification of highquality teaching strategies and development ofmetacognition in classrooms should be a priority.These high quality teaching strategies need to beimplemented in the classroom and theinformation should also be shared at points oftransition. Internal quality assurance is critical toensure these strategies are consistentlyimplemented.

5. The focus on high quality teachings strategiesshould rebalance the focus of Pupil Premium backtowards KS1. This should enable the school tomove further away from the previous interventionculture and loading too much onto KS2.

Teaching and Learning

1. During the walk around the school there was avisit to a lesson with very high expectations for all,challenge, rich use of language of maths and oflearning.

2. In a small number of cases TAs were observedtalking at the same time as the teacher, orwatching the teacher when pupils were notpaying attention. At the same time, other teacherstalked about how powerful TA feedback to themwas about pupils’ learning at the end of lessons.

3. The use of ‘ability’ grouping within maths setsshould be reconsidered. This approach may leadto an ‘I can’t’ approach, enhances affixed mind-setand creates dependent learners.

4. In a number of cases, there was a sense thatteachers ‘wait’ for pupil progress meetings beforetaking action to support disadvantaged pupils. Itis important that an ‘every moment counts’approach is adopted and teachers are moreproactive about any action and interventionneeded.

5. Teaching staff and pupils spoke very positivelyabout the impact of outdoor learning and sportsopportunities.

6. Implementing metacognition into day to dayclassroom practice will build on (and maximise theimpact of ) work to improve resilience currentlytaking place through outdoor learning and sport.

The Growth Mindset Pocketbook (Barry Hymer) isuseful to build teachers understanding of whygrowth mindset matters for St Simon’s pupils.

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General Reflections

1. The school should adopt more robust practice inrespect of success criteria and impact evaluation.This should inform which activities are effectiveand which are less so. Activities such as breakfastclub, enrichment, learning reflection groups allneed to be monitored for quality, have tightersuccess criteria. There should be sharperevaluation about impact on disadvantaged pupils.

2. Teacher professional development needs to bemore sharply focused on the needs of pupils,particularly those that are disadvantaged. Oneteacher spoke in detail about how theOutstanding Teacher Programme has enabled herto do this.

3. See http://www.reflectedlearning.org.uk for moreabout developing metacognition is primaryclassrooms. The focus should be on childrenreflecting on their learning, the aim should be tobuild disadvantage learners that have a strongdisposition towards learning, who are able to seekout approaches independently to problems andchange strategies when things don’t go to plan.

Marc Rowland, December 2016

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“ Implementingmetacognition into day today classroom practice willbuild on (and maximise theimpact of ) work to improveresilience currently takingplace through outdoorlearning and sport. ”

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National Education TrustNET

Victoria Road Primary School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

8th November 2016

Context

Victoria Road is a one form entry Primary School inAshford. There are 210 pupils on roll. 28.1% of pupilsare from a disadvantaged background.

The review was designed to support senior leaders inadopting a more effective, evidence based PupilPremium strategy.

Review

During the review there were a series of classroomvisits. There were also meetings with the Chair ofGovernors, Headteacher, Senior Leaders and teachers.Action plans and pupil’s books were analysed.

There are two priorities for the school:

To build a language rich learning environmentacross all aspects of school life.

Secure leadership and accountability fordisadvantaged pupils across the school, starting withsenior leaders. Using the Pupil Premium to create thenecessary capacity, senior leaders should work tocreate systematic quality assurance of the school’sPupil Premium strategies. This should include securingquality first teaching.

1. Senior leaders are enthusiastic about adoptingevidence based activities to improve outcomes.However, these will be most effective if they areunderpinned by a relentless focus on securinghigh quality teaching in each class each day.

2. Senior leaders should monitor how teachers aresupporting disadvantaged pupils in the classroomwith the highest quality learning experiences.Where appropriate, additional support andcoaching should result from this focussedmonitoring.

3. More work needs to be done to build a school-wide understanding of the barriers to learningdisadvantaged pupils at the school face. Further,teachers and support staff should betterunderstand the evidence base about how toeffectively improve outcomes for disadvantagedpupils.

When asked about effective use of Pupil Premium,there were a number of cases where teacherstalked about having a ‘TA to work with them’. Theuse of the term ‘Low Ability’ was apparent atseveral points during the review.

4. There is some excellent practice in evidenceacross the school. In particular, the knowledgeand understanding of barriers to learning andhow they should be tackled was strong in EarlyYears Foundation Stage.

5. Further, there was good evidence of independentlearning, high quality assessment for learning andstrong adult-pupil relationships which could beused as a model in other areas of the school.

6. More time is needed for senior leaders to workwith the EYFS teacher to develop carefullytargeted strategies to further improve outcomesfor disadvantaged learners.

7. Across the school, there should be a relentlessfocus on building oracy, vocabulary and languagein classrooms and beyond. Where appropriate, thePupil Premium can be used for professionaldevelopment, teach teaching and coaching tosecure and embed this. Senior leaders should betaking a baseline to measure the language deficit

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across the school and then monitor for quality ofimplementation and impact.

Here is the most recent report on oracy in schools:https://cdn.lkmco.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Oracy-Report.pdf

8. SALT intervention, should be accessed whereverpossible, as part of class teaching rather thanthrough removal of pupils from class. The supportshould be linked learning in the classroom. Pupilsshould only be withdrawn from class whereabsolutely necessary. Senior leaders shouldmonitor the frequency and impact of anywithdrawal. This encourages a culture of teachersfeeling accountable for the outcomes of all pupils,regardless of background or barrier to learning.

9. Where additional adult support is in place (andthis may be particularly useful in early yearsfoundation stage), those adults need to be of highquality and have absolute clarity over theircontribution to pupil learning and buildinglanguage. The most effective practice is wheresupport staff enable the teacher to work withsmaller groups of disadvantaged and vulnerablechildren to maximise learning opportunities.

10. Despite the very best efforts of the EYFS teacher,the Reception classroom environment is anti-inclusion and leads to a number of lost learningopportunities, particular for children who are notschool ready. The classroom does not offer easyaccess to outdoor learning.

11. The Headteacher’s strategy to introduce acoaching model to help improve teaching andlearning is a positive one. This will lead to morecollaborative working, better discussions abouteffective practice. There is clarity about theschool’s approach to a mastery curriculum shouldensure that disadvantaged children do notexperience low expectations.

12. More work is needed to ensure thatdisadvantaged pupils are properly accessingenrichment opportunities and after school clubs.Club leaders should monitor attendance and

report to senior leaders and agree strategies toimprove take up.

13. Similarly, the parent ‘contact book’ should bereviewed to ensure that families of disadvantagedpupils are being contacted proportionately. Again,the outcome should be fed back to senior leaders.

14. The School’s Pupil Premium statement needsupdating to reflect the new DfE requirements.

15. All teachers need to be clear about the proportionof disadvantaged pupils in the school and whothose pupils are in their school. Senior leadersshould monitor to ensure that knowledge andunderstanding is secure.

Marc Rowland, November 2016

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“ The Headteacher’sstrategy to introduce acoaching model to helpimprove teaching andlearning is a positive one. Thiswill lead to more collaborativeworking, better discussionsabout effective practice. ”

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National Education TrustNET

Willesborough Junior School

Pupil Premium Strategy Review

4th November 2016

Context

● Willesborough Junior is a large school with 472pupils on role. 26.7% of pupils are from adisadvantaged background.

● Progress and attainment for ‘non disadvantaged’pupils is in line with the national average. In recentyears disadvantaged pupils at the school have notdone as well as disadvantaged pupils nationally.There is a significant achievement gap within theschool. Disadvantaged pupils from white Britishbackgrounds are particularly at risk ofunderachievement.

● From 2016, the school has worked to improve itsstrategy to focus on ensuring that disadvantagedpupils receive consistently high quality teaching. Inthe past there has been an over emphasis onintervention. Senior leaders have wished to moveaway from this approach and adopt a longer termstrategy.

Review

During the review we visited classrooms, spoke withsenior leaders, middle leaders, teachers and pupils. A data analysis was also carried out.

Key issues and actions

1. The strategy the school is implementing is astrong one, being evidence based and sharplytargeted on pupil’s barriers to learning. However,it is not yet sufficiently embedded to be showingpositive outcomes for disadvantaged learnersacross the school.

2. A key area of development is middle leadership.There are inconsistencies in Year Group Leader’sunderstanding of the most effective strategies forimproving outcomes for disadvantaged learners.

3. In particular, not all Year Group leaders havedeveloped a deep enough understanding of thequality of teaching and learning in their yeargroup. The consistency and quality of teaching is akey issue for the school’s Pupil Premium strategy.

4. Year Group Leaders need to play a greater role inensuring the following in their year group:

● That disadvantaged pupils are receivingfrequent, high quality feedback on theirlearning which better helps pupils makeprogress.

● That disadvantaged pupils are notdisproportionately working with less qualifiedstaff.

● That teachers are supported through coachingand team teaching where possible.

● That barriers to learning for disadvantagedpupils are better known and understood.

● There is not a reliance on ‘nurture style’approaches, and that the purpose of anynurture provision should be to remove thebarriers disadvantaged pupils may face inaccessing high quality teaching.

5. If appropriate, Pupil Premium funding should beused to create the additional capacity for this.Additional capacity should be underpinned bycontinuing professional development for middleleaders. Ray Lodge School in Redbridge havedeveloped an excellent model of securingaccountability across all aspects of the school. Thiswould be a good starting point for school toschool support. The Headteacher is AmandaJennings [email protected]

6. During the review, there were suggestions thatthe legacy of an intervention culture still exists inpockets. School leaders should work to ensurethat teachers are clearly accountable for theoutcomes of their disadvantaged learners. Whereinterventions are needed, leaders should monitorto ensure that the progress made in interventionsare sustained in class.

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7. School leaders have implemented a new, mixedability teaching approach in classes. However, insome cases, teachers used limiting language wasabout pupils, including statements such as ‘mylow ability group’.

8. It is important that senior and middle leaderswork together to ensure there is a sharedunderstanding of the strong evidence base thatsupports the school’s new Pupil Premium strategy.Without that shared understanding andcommitment, the strategy will not be successfullyembedded.

9. Similarly, it is important that all teachers andsupport staff understand the school’sperformance data for disadvantaged pupils andthe rationale for the changes being made.

10. A new programme called ‘top table’ has beenintroduced, where disadvantaged pupils areinvited to lunch with the Headteacher forconversation and social skills. This approach canbe further developed by a) involving otherteachers and leaders (as it builds theirunderstanding of children’s back stories) b)recording children’s reflections of their experiencein a ‘guest book’ for evidence of impact.

11. More work needs to be done with partner infantschools to support better progress early in in Year3. Knowledge and understanding of how the PupilPremium has been used to support the priorachievement of disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage1 is not fully established.

Final Reflections

The new strategy the school has adopted is strong,with a firm evidence base behind it. It needs to beembedded at all levels of school life with relentlessperseverance. This will lead to better outcomes fordisadvantaged pupils.

Marc Rowland, November 2016

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“ A new programme called ‘top table’ has beenintroduced, wheredisadvantaged pupils areinvited to lunch with theHeadteacher for conversationand social skills. ”

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National Education TrustNET

“We found the review really useful. It was reassuringthat our wide range of good practice was recognised.The main benefits were recognising the need to havemore precisely measured outcomes which we are nowworking on. Our ‘light-bulb moment’ was when Marcasked me what I would do if I had a wish. I wished forearlier access to parents. It wasn’t in our plan becauseI couldn’t see how it was possible, however, we nowhave a PP project with DV, EY settings and Healthvisitors!”

Gerry D’Cruz, Ashford Oaks Primary School

“We found the whole valuable experience of the PupilPremium audit a reflection tool which enabled us togain greater awareness of our strengths, ie ourstrategy, governance and lunch time provision and tocelebrate these with all staff, valuing the key impactwhich midday supervisors have on disadvantagedand all pupils at lunch time. We are always open tonew ideas to continue to move forward and this hasled to an exciting project with Ashford Oaks and otherCATs schools and outside agencies which we hope willmake a difference to tackle the language deficit ofdisadvantaged pupils from birth. Watch this space….”

Tracy Kent, Downs View Infant School

“From my point of view the visit was excellent –it made us reflect strategically on our use of PupilPremium in addition to the day to day requirements. It has helped me have a clear picture of where we arenow and focused actions to move forwards.”

Emma Law, East Stour Primary School

“The Pupil Premium Review was such a positiveexperience for the school, highlighting the positiveoutcomes we achieve through our strategy. It gavethe SLT comfort in the knowledge that all that hasbeen put in place has resulted in some of our mostvulnerable children benefitting from the additionalsupport and experiences we are able to provide forthem.”

Wendy Pang, Great Chart Primary School

“Following the Pupil Premium audit we havecelebrated the systems and procedure that we have inplace and the positive impact they are having for thechildren. We have carried out a review of the Mathsgroups. The feedback has been very positive withsome small changes for the future.”

Katie Wratten, Kennington Academy

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SCHOOL REFLECTIONS

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“What we have learned from the review is that a clearfocus on First Quality Teaching should be the focus ofwhat we do in school. This should run through all thatwe do and say including our PP statement as this willensure that all children make progress.”

Amanda Love, Kingsnorth CE Primary Academy

“We found the discussion around telling our schoolstory especially useful. Concisely expressing thestrengths of our school data alongside our ethos andapproach and the balance between these two areas ofevidence. We are now considering the precise successcriteria to ensure the whole school community areaware of their direct impact on vulnerable children.”

Matt Rawling, Repton Manor Primary School

“Having carried out the review at St Simon’s, Marchelped us to clarify our own rationale as to why wewere offering the different interventions andinitiatives. The review has enabled us to build uponand develop a more robust system of success criteriato evaluate our strategy.

This is still an ongoing process but we have developed‘case studies’ for individual disadvantaged childrenand show more clearly the impact of the support thatwe have put into place for them. “

Peter McCabe, St Simon’s

“The review was invaluable in prioritising what shouldbe the focal aspects of the strategy:

● The importance of building a language richenvironment across school particularly in the EYFSstage.

● Securing leadership and accountability fordisadvantaged pupils by securing QFT.

● Promoting the growth mind-set model.”

Lyn Simmons, Victoria Road Primary School

“It was reassuring to be told we have a strongevidenced- based strategy. We need to assess theimpact of ‘nurture style’ approaches in overcomingbarriers to accessing high quality teaching. We needto develop our year group and subject leaders,making them more accountable for the progress ofdisadvantaged children.”

Ruth Runciman, Willesborough Junior School

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PUPIL PREMIUM SELF EVALUATION TEMPLATE

Briefly describe your Pupil Premium strategy Three to four bullets, no more than 15 words per bullet

How well embedded is your Pupil Premium Strategy? Is it understood by all staff andgovernors? How do you know? 50 words maximum

To what extent is your Pupil Premium strategy and activity evidence based? 50 words maximum

Is Pupil Premium integrated into senior and middle leadership roles? Is there sufficientleadership capacity to monitor, evaluate and quality assure Pupil Premium funded activity?Include the role of governors. How do you know? 50 words maximum

Have you identified barriers to learning for disadvantaged learners (including childrenlooked after and those adopted from care) at Pupil, School and Community level? Brieflydescribe these. 50 words maximum.

Pupil Premium Self Evaluation Template

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How is the Pupil Premium used to help overcome these barriers? 50 words maximum

How does the school’s curriculum build cultural literacy for disadvantaged pupils? 50 words maximum

Briefly describe outcomes for disadvantaged pupils at each key stage. Are there anystrengths or weaknesses to be aware of? 50 words maximum

What evidence do you have that all staff have high expectations of all pupils, regardless ofbackground or barrier to learning? 50 words maximum

How well do disadvantaged pupils take part in wider school life? How do you know?50 words maximum

How does Pupil Premium funded activity work towards achieving the school’s overarchingschool improvement aims? 50 words maximum

Pupil Premium Self Evaluation Template cont/