PUPIL PREMIUM STRATEGY UPDATE
OCTOBER 2015
Schools receive pupil premium funding in order to raise the achievement of disadvantaged students and to
reduce the gap in attainment between them and their peers. Pupil premium funding is £935 per child
registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years and £1900 per looked after child.
We received £439,281 for the financial year 14/15 as 44% of our school qualified for the funding and we
have received £442,393 for this financial year 15/16 as 45% of our school qualify for the funding.
Pupil Premium Strategy 2014-2015
The pupil premium funding was used in the following ways:

Two English pupil premium tutors were employed to work either with one or two students, with
small groups or as in-class specialist support.

Two maths pupil premium tutors were employed to work either with one or two students, with
small groups or as in-class specialist support.

One science pupil premium tutor was employed as specialist support in class with some small group
work.

One humanities pupil premium tutor was employed as specialist support in class with some small
group work in Geography, History and Philosophy & Ethics.

Funding was used to pay staff and pay for refreshments for study plus classes in the holidays and on
Saturdays for both core and foundation subjects. English, maths and science having the first priority
slots.

All subjects were able to bid for pupil premium funding to obtain additional resources, run trips or
pay staff to provide additional classes.

Funding has been used to ensure pupil premium students are able to participate in trips and music
lessons.

Funding has been used to provide focussed independent advice and guidance as regards careers and
pathways.

Funding has been used to enable staff to receive CPD in order to increase the percentage of
outstanding teachers within school and increase awareness of thinking skills.

Funding has been used to increase the portion size for out hot lunches and to provide a free
breakfast club.
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Closing the Gap Statistics - Results 2015
80 of our year 11 students last year qualified for pupil premium; this equated to 40% of the year group.
Our Disadvantaged Students 2015 Compared to National Other Students 2015
Our Disadvantaged Students within School Gaps 2015
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We were very disappointed that none of our gaps reduced this year. Our whole school results were severely
hit by the changes to the IGCSE grade boundaries in English and unfortunately many of our pupil premium
students were unable to achieve the grades we were expecting for them. Our gap between our
disadvantaged students and national other in expected progress in maths has remained in d=single figures
which is pleasing as is the reduction in the gap in the EBacc threshold.
As our disadvantage cohort is nearly half of the school and in response to our non reduced gaps we have
decided to set higher targets for pupil premium students where we think that they have not performed as
well as they could have done in KS2 due to possible disadvantage. We are aiming for positive progress 8 for
all but higher progress 8 scores for some disadvantaged students that the government’s Attainment 8
estimates would provide. This is to increase challenge for our disadvantaged students and not to have a large
gap in expectations from the beginning due to poor performance earlier in their education.
Despite the disappointment in our gaps there is a plethora of examples of individual success and impact of
the use of our pupil premium funding. Please see below:
Examples of the impact of our pupil premium staff on our
hard to reach students
These case studies detail the support which was in addition to the students’ regular class teachers.
English pupil premium support examples:
Student 1: KS2 Level 3a - GCSE Result C - levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 - 4 levels
During year 10 student 1’s behaviour in class could be challenging and she found it difficult to focus when I
first started support. She had little confidence or interest in English. Through in-class and intervention
support, her confidence and interest in the subject steadily improved and she built a good relationship with
me. During year 11, I was able to work with her on her coursework and she began to develop a beautiful
writing style and gained a B. I also coached and guided student 1 with her speaking and listening assessment
which was based on a family member. We worked together to ensure the content was appropriate and she
went on to achieve an A for her presentation.
Student 2: KS2 Level 4a - GCSE Result B - levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 4 levels
Student 2 was a quiet member of the class. Through in-class support, I was able to improve her use of
vocabulary and spelling as well as explain language devices. I worked with her to improve coursework in
particular her response to an article. She achieved a B for coursework. I also coached her speaking and
listening presentation and she gain an A grade. Student 2 also gained a B grade for her English Literature
exam.
Student 3: KS2 Level 4a -GCSE Result C - levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 3 levels
Student 3 joined set 3 from set 2 as she was struggling to keep up. Her confidence and interest in English
were very low and her working level at the start of year 11 was a D. Through persistence and gaining trust
with this student, I was able to work with her on her coursework (B) as well as improving vocabulary and
language analysis. During the run up to exams, she was happy to work with me on past papers. Despite her
despondency and shyness, she was able to achieve a C in her speaking and listening which was a huge
accomplishment for someone so shy who had such little confidence at the start of the year.
Student 4: KS2 Level 5c -GCSE Result A– levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 4 levels
Student 4 had found coping with full class lessons difficult and even in a 1:1 situation did not accept help on
coursework, insisting that he was better in exams. Taking these things into consideration, he was placed in a
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small group with me, who were prepared to take the writing exam instead of doing the coursework. He
listened closely to the teaching given and responded much more positively than he did in his main class. We
worked on enhancing his strengths and he showed a good understanding of the requirements of the exam.
This work was rewarded for him when he obtained an A grade.
Student 5: KS2 Level 4a -GCSE Result C – levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 3 levels
Student 5 attended intervention group once a week, when in school, to improve her exam skills. When she
first attended, she said she felt like a failure who would never achieve the C grade that she wanted because
she felt that she did not always understand the work and lacked the confidence to ask for help in a whole
class situation. In the smaller group, I was able to spend time with her, helping rephrase and reshape work
in such a way that she slowly began to fill the gaps in her knowledge. Her self-confidence also began to
increase. Throughout her time in the group, she gained in knowledge and confidence, which was reflected in
her final C grade where she had been heading for E or D grade at best.
Student 6: KS2 Level 4a -GCSE Result C – levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 3 levels
Student 6 seemed to lack any sense of purpose or motivation towards any of his studies, including English.
His mood varied from day to day but most of the time he used his energy to avoid work or distract others. By
gentle persistence and working with him one to one, I was able to persuade him that it was worth him
completing his coursework as it would take the pressure off the amount he needed to gain in the exam. He
had two outstanding pieces to complete.
During the one to one sessions, we explored the background of the texts ready to complete the controlled
assessments, made notes and made the information accessible to student 6, ensuring he had relevant
information. We then worked out his plan, using the planning sheet. Once writing, he needed gentle
encouragement to keep going as he often felt the task seemed to be going on forever. (The Macbeth
compared to poems controlled assessment had up to 4 hours to complete it.)
Once he had completed it, he was able to feel a sense of relief but we started on the next session with the
next piece (Of Mice and Men) so that he did not lose the momentum. We went through the same process of
preparation to get him ready to write the assessment, which fortunately was only 2 hours in length. Once
again he needed a lot of support to ensure he stayed on task but was relieved when it was completed.
What made a difference to him, was feeling supported and guiding through the preparations, making myself
available to support during lessons and outside of lessons when he was able to work on it.
Following the controlled assessment completion, student 6 not only continued to attend sessions out of
lesson to help him understand the exam paper, but looked forward to attending, often asking if he could
come out at other times to do so. He worked well on the language paper and worked well, listening and
taking revision notes for the literary texts, although he did find poetry challenging.
He managed to achieve an overall B grade for his controlled assessments; he would not have completed his
controlled assessments or studied for his exams without this support. In the final exams, he gained a C grade
in English Language and a B grade for Literature.
Student 7: KS2 Level 5c -GCSE Result C – levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 – 2 levels
Student 7 had reached the point where she was refusing to go into lessons but needed to complete
outstanding controlled assessments and her exam preparation. Absence had also caused some problems for
her this year, as it left gaps in her understanding.
She worked with me and made a conscious effort to fill these gaps; she learned how to expand her
responses through using planning to organise her work and how to support the point with evidence,
resulting in her improving the level of her work. She showed a good understanding of the information
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required for the literature exam, using essay skills learned from coursework to respond well to exam
questions.
Student 7 usually worked well on a one to one basis but found sustaining focus within the class difficult at
times. As a consequence, when possible, I took her out and she worked well.
As the year progressed, she found it difficult to cope at times because of external as well as internal
pressures but responded well to the support given, trying hard to focus and absorb the relevant information.
By March, she became estranged from her normal class lessons and would only work 1:1 with me. She still
found focusing difficult but with my support and directing, she managed to complete all outstanding
coursework, managing to reach a B grade for her controlled assessment folder, where she had been at a D
prior to the support.
As she ended up on home study and only came in when requested, it became increasingly difficult to come
in and give her the additional teaching up to the exam. I did give her revision materials (as did class teacher)
and talked her through the exam. However, she did not come in for the final sessions on poetry with me,
which sadly affected her final literature grade.
She gained a C grade for English Language and a D for Literature, which was due to not attending the final
sessions on poetry.
Maths pupil premium support examples:
Student 1: KS2 Level 3a - GCSE Result D - levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 - 3 levels
Student 1 came into school on a KS2 level 3a in mathematics. He was a very disaffected young man due to
issues at home. His attendance to lessons throughout years 10 and 11 was poor. I realised that without
additional support and some mentoring he would not achieve a GCSE in mathematics. I started supporting
him in class, encouraging him to participate in the lesson and do some work. Once he realised he could
actually do the work this motivated him to try. He started to attend lessons more frequently and attended
study plus with me every week. Student 1 also attended an extra session with me every week instead of
PSHCE and one to one sessions with me during the Easter and May half term breaks. His confidence and his
assessment results started to increase steadily. Although he did not achieve a grade C, he was very close to
one; only 4 mark away. For student 1, this was a big achievement as he achieved his target and made the
expected progress.
Student 2: KS2 Level 4b - GCSE Result C - levels of progress from KS2 to KS4 - 3 levels
Student 2 came into school on a KS2 level 4b. She was a hardworking girl. However, she struggled to retain
what she had previously learnt. I was supporting her in class and built a relationship with her. She started
attending study plus with me and often stayed until 5pm. I gave her additional work to take home and she
would bring it back for me to mark. We would spend time after school going through the work so that she
could progress with topics she struggled with. Her assessment results started getting closer to a C and she
became even more motivated and set herself a target of achieving a grade B. Unfortunately, she did not
achieve a grade B but was very close. Student 2 met her target and made the expected progress.
Student 3: No KS2 level - GCSE Result G
Student 3 had little to no English language and was generally a shy, quiet student. I spent my time
supporting her in class. She had come into school halfway through year 11 so was not ready for her GCSE
exam in the summer. She had trouble understanding the work taught by the class teacher so I would talk
through this with her. Her mathematical knowledge was good especially in number work. She was able to do
a lot of mental arithmetic that the other students struggled with and was willing to learn more. Student 3
always tried her best to follow the class teacher. She would write everything down as he explained it, even if
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she didn’t understand it. But she worked very hard in trying to understand what to do. During independent
work, I would explain the method again and she would complete her work quickly.
The class moved on to exam practice before the Easter break and this proved challenging for student 3.
Although she had good mathematical knowledge, she was struggling to apply it in exam questions as she was
unable to understand the language that the questions were written in. She worked hard and was given many
papers to do and did well in the shorter, non-worded questions. She was then put forward for an iGCSE
Exam to give her the best chance at doing well and getting a grade that would reflect her hard work having
only come into the country a few months earlier. She achieved a G at this paper and we were all very proud
that she was able to achieve this grade.
Examples of the Impact of Department Bids for Pupil
Premium Funding
English
Hackney Lit programme training for staff and materials were funded through pupil premium so that staff
could use the materials with lower sets in years 7 and 8 to improve their literacy skills.
The materials purchased were excellent, including quality reading resources and a systematic approach to
teaching reading skills. The updated materials are due to match the changes to the KS4 curriculum and will
be invaluable in the age of uncertain and accelerated change.
Students who arrived and had basic level 3 skills made excellent progress and moved to a strong level 4.
EAL students, students who arrived late to the school or students below or on a level 2 did not make as much
progress as the other students; however, their reading skills and ability to apply key reading concepts was
greatly improved. Students’ writing was also improved and their ability to distinguish between, and use,
different writing styles improved.
Maths
78 disadvantaged students were invited to the Easter study plus targeted revision sessions where staff were
paid from the pupil premium fund. 55 students attended. Of the 55 who attended, 78% achieved a grade C
or above, with only 12 students not achieving a grade C.
The A/A* Saturday sessions (staff were paid from the pupil premium fund) were very well attended. 45 of
the 65 (69%) students that attended all 3 sessions achieved a grade A or A%. Students found them beneficial
and it helped some students secure a grade A or achieve a grade A*. Analysis of the marks shows that 15
students who achieved a grade A were within 6 marks of a grade A*.
78% of students who attended the May half term sessions met or exceeded their target.
Pupil premium students were offered a lot of extra support (small group study plus sessions, small group
Easter revision sessions, small group May half term revision sessions) but quite a lot of them did not take
advantage of it. Some were given calculators so that they could do extra work at home.
Science
The greatest impact on achievement was students going through the PET-xl program. 26/30 got the C grade,
24/30 had 3 levels of progress, 8/30 got 4 levels of progress. Pupil premium funding was used to pay for this
outside resource for a week in the run up to the exams.
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Science – use of the pupil premium tutor to work with individual students to improve controlled
assessment performance
Controlled assessments were excellent with 96% achieving a C grade or above. Most students achieved their
target grade in this area with the pupil premium tutor working with 6 students at a time.
The science pupil premium tutor provided support and guidance to Year 11 students during the Spring and
Summer terms (2015) to ensure that GCSE Controlled Assessments in Core and Additional Science were
completed to improve GCSE grades or to catch up on assessments that had been missed due absence. The
Controlled Assessment component is weighted at 25% of the overall GCSE grade in the Core and Additional
Science courses.
Edexcel GCSE Core Science Controlled Assessments.
Year 10 Grade:
Year 11 Grade:
Student 1
G
C
Student 2
U
C
Student 3
No CA
C
Student 4
No CA
C
Student 5
E
B
Student 6
F
B
Student 7
D
C
Student 8
C
C
Student 9
G
C
Student 10
No CA
B
Student 11
C
B
Student 11
E
B
Student 12
F
B
Student 13
No CA
B
Student 14
E
C
Student 15
C
A
Student 16
No CA
B
Student 17
C
B
Student 18
D
B
During science lessons the pupil premium tutor supported pupil premium students in Science in 11A Set 3,
11D Set3, 11X Set 4 and 11Y Set 3 and provided them with many opportunities to develop and improve in
the following skills:

Numeracy skills e.g. graphing skills, quantitative chemistry topic.
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


Literacy skills e.g. answering different types of examination question, writing extended answers,
learning keywords and their definitions.
Practical skills e.g. following instructions, handling apparatus, presenting results in tables and graphs.
Scientific skills e.g. writing chemical formulae, balancing chemical equations and completing
calculations in the Quantitative Chemistry topic.
The students were provided with the opportunity to answer GCSE questions in class and as a result they
have become more confident in their skills of interpreting data in the form of tables and graphs and
presenting answers that require descriptions and explanations of scientific concepts to be written.
Edexcel GCSE Additional Science Results:
Science Group: 11A Set 3.
Name of student
Working level at start
of Year 11
PPG Grade
GCSE Result
Student A
F
E
C
Student B
F
C
C
Student C
E
E
D
Student D
F
C
C
Science Group: 11D Set 3.
Name of student
Working level at start
of Year 11
PPG Grade
GCSE Result
Student E
E
D
C
Student F
F
D
D
Student G
G
G
E
Student H
E
D
C
Student I
E
E
D
Edexcel GCSE Core Science Results:
Name of student
Working level at start
of Year 11
PPG Grade
GCSE Result
Student J
E
D
C
Student
E
D
C
Student K
E
C
C
Student L
F
D
D
Student M
E
D
C
Student N
C
C
C
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Student O
E
E
D
Student P
F
E
C
Student Q
F
C
B
History
Funding was used to facilitate additional classes run by teaching staff and the pupil premium advocate in the
Easter and May half term holidays and to provide text books for students to use at home.
There were some notable successes among the pupil premium students:
Student 1: made 4 levels of progress.
She struggled at the start of the course, grades were below target. However because of attendance at study
plus and one to one help after school she gained in confidence and went on to do really well.
Student 2: made 3 levels of progress.
Despite finding the course difficult student 2 achieved his C grade and made 3 levels of progress. He was
given the textbook to take home and utilise, he also attended additional session on a Monday P5 instead
of PSHCE where he worked in a small group on examination skills and questions. He was provided
with scaffolded exam questions to aid his preparation for the exam and model answers to support self
assessment of his skills and knowledge.
Student 3: made 3 levels of progress.
Due to student 3’s erratic attendance she did well to achieve a C grade and make 3 levels of progress. She
was given a range of photocopied work from exemplars to enhance her knowledge of key topics. Additional
support one to one in lesson and during her controlled assessment preparation which ensured a good result.
She attended the session in the half term and was supported in a smaller group.
Student 4: made 4 levels of progress.
Student 4 was targeted a C yet achieved a B and made 4 levels of progress. He was given the textbook to
take home and utilise, he also attended additional sessions on a Monday P5 instead of PSHCE where he
worked in a small group on examination skills and questions.
Student 5: made 3 levels of progress.
Student 5 was targeted a D yet achieved a very good C and also made 3 levels of progress. He did not start
course until late and struggled at first. He was, however, a regular attendee at study plus sessions and this
undoubtedly helped him to achieve his result in the summer.
Student 6: made 5 levels of progress.
For a long time student 6 found the course difficult especially in terms of the need to recall large amounts of
factual information. Consistent attendance at study plus and regular help in class from the pupil premium
advocate boosted her confidence and helped build up a secure knowledge base that clearly paid dividends in
the summer exam. She was targeted a C yet achieved an A and made 5 levels of progress.
Student 7: made 4 levels of progress.
Student 7 had to be consistently reminded of the need to attend study plus and though at times he was a
reluctant attendee his results clearly reflect the benefits of the extra sessions. He was also supported by the
pupil premium advocate with his controlled assessment. He was targeted a C yet achieved a B and made 4
levels of progress
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Student 8: made 4 levels of progress.
Student 8’s hard work and an excellent attendance at study plus where she would often stay on after the
session to continue to work with the pupil premium advocate clearly had a major effect on her final grade.
She was targeted a C yet achieved a B and made 4 levels of progress.
Spanish
Saturday sessions were funded by pupil premium funding. The impact was positive, as all of them achieved
A*-C. All pupil premium students met or exceeded their targets and made 3 levels of progress, with one of
them making 4 levels of progress.
Food Technology
Targeted support was offered to all pupils, with extra Saturday classes particularly targeting PP students. For
all those pupils who attended regular Saturday sessions this helped them to improve their coursework grade,
thus improving their overall grade. However although the target group for this support was PP many more
NPP students attended regularly which helped them to achieve and exceed expected progress.
PP students who were falling behind during the course were targeted and additional sessions were offered
to them helping them to make a similar level of progress to NPP students, however only 50% of these
students attended these sessions regularly.
From the 50% of PP students who regularly attended Saturday interventions, 75% of these managed to move
their grades up at least one level higher than their target levels, as did NPP pupils. Most students achieved or
exceeded their target grades, a great achievement for those with level 3 at the end of KS2.
Pupil premium funding was also used to pay for ingredients so that students in all years who could not
source ingredients due to financial constraints could cook.
Catering
Funding was used for staff payment for 6 Saturday classes
Extra Saturday revision classes were targeted particularly at PP students helping many of these students
make very good progress.
3 levels progress PP=75%/non PP=33%.Gap= 42% in favour of PP
4 levels progress PP=75%/non PP= 25 %. Gap =50% in favour of PP
Additional classes on Saturday have made a real impact for those pupils who attended regularly. One PP
student who did not attend extra classes and did not make their expected levels of progress.
Health & Social Care
Funding was used to pay staff for 1:1 sessions with students in the holidays and evenings on coursework.
94% of the pupil premium students made 3 levels of progress compared to 88% of the non-pupil premium
students resulting in a positive 6% gap between the pupil premium and the non-pupil premium students.
PP/ non PP attainment gap at A*-C = 89 % of the pupil premium students achieved an A-C grade compared
to the non-pupil premium who achieved 75% resulting in a positive 14% gap.
Art
The intervention classes on Saturday morning were a huge success. All students were invited to attend but
particularly our PP students. We identified our PP student’s needs in early September 2014 and targeted
those students in particular. Funding was used for 10 sessions plus refreshments.
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88% of PP students achieved 3 levels of progress and 87% of Non PP students achieved 3 levels of progress.
A gap of +1%.
50% of PP students achieved 4 levels of progress 46% of Non PP students achieved 4 levels of progress. A gap
of + 4%.
88% of PP students achieved A-C grades. 91% of non pupil premium students achieved A-C grades.
This is a gap of -3%. This compares to a -10% gap from last year.
Music
Music lessons are seen as a middle class activity, available only to those who can afford it, however, those
students who are entitled to pupil premium funding last year were offered a range of opportunities to have
instrumental and vocal lessons. This made music lessons accessible to all, narrowing the achievement gap,
and gave the students a creative output as well as the opportunity to develop desirable skills for future
careers and academic applications.
The last GCSE cohort had a number of students who took instrumental lessons funded by pupil premium.
This helped them achieve high performance grades, which equates to 40% of the overall grade:
Name
Performance Grade
Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4
A
A
B
B
It also had a positive impact on their compositions and overall listening skills as the theoretical knowledge
gained and deeper understanding of their instrument filtered into the other stands of musical
understanding.
78% of students achieved A*-C; 87.5% of Pupil Premium students achieved this.
Updated after publication of RAISEonline, December 2015
Karen Corcoran
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