The Pupil Premium Grant is allocated to schools to support them in narrowing the gap between the achievement of disadvantaged children and their peers. With regards to the Pupil Premium Grant, disadvantaged children are those who have received free school meals at any time in the last 6 years and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months. In addition, children of Armed Forces personnel can also supported through a separate category of this funding. Pupil Premium funding is used to raise attainment, promote social skills, independent learning and positive behaviour in order to support underachieving learners. Across the UK, children who receive free school meals and those who are in care tend to do significantly less well in comparison to their peers.

 

At Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College, it is our aim to use the Pupil Premium to diminish the impact of social disadvantage, and improve the academic and social outcomes of disadvantaged students.

 

Furthermore, it is a key strategic aim that we are equally ambitious for the academic outcomes of all groups of students, harnessing our key values of learning, belonging, pride and ambition, to ensure that all of our students are supported and challenged to achieve the highest standards. The pupil premium plays a key role in ensuring that we can achieve this aim as a school.

 

In line with the current EEF Pupil Premium Menu, we intend to allocate significant resource and actions to improving the academic outcomes of PP students by ensuring their access to High Quality Teaching. This is supported by a strong and consistent CPD offering, aimed at ensuring that all of our staff understand and adapt their teaching for the needs of all learners.

 

These will be further supported by cycles of intervention which will be closely monitored to guarantee their effectiveness.  These cycles of intervention are driven by a highly focused middle leadership team of Heads of Year and subject leads, all of whom are tasked with ensuring diminished differences in performance across groups of pupils.

 

In addition, we aim to ensure that all students benefit from wider strategies beyond the curriculum. It is intended that these will ensure better levels of attendance and parental engagement, all of which will contribute significantly to the positive outcomes, both academic and non-academic, for our students

 

Within the context of this framework, there are a number of specific strategies, that we employ as a school, to ensure the effective spending of the Pupil Premium.

 

Core Intervention Specialist Support programme: The Core Intervention Specialist Support (CISS) programme is focused on raising attainment in the core subjects of maths and English across the school. To facilitate this provision, we employ additional subject specialists in the core subjects to support underperforming learners in identified subgroups.

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Mentoring programme: This a targeted one to one provision which tackles underperformance through intensive mentoring for students who are underperforming including those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

 

Peer mentoring is also used as it is well documented as having high impact on attainment when deployed appropriately. Our peer mentoring programme aims to raise attainment in a range of curriculum areas through the Sixth Form Mentor Team. This team is made up of student volunteers who deliver 30 minute curriculum support sessions to students who are underperforming. Student Mentors are trained in mentoring skills and work under the direction of our Head of Student Leadership.

 

One-to-one tuition programme: This programme supports targeted students who are seriously underperforming. One-to-one tuition is offered at the discretion of the school to targeted students who will benefit most from this very intensive intervention. Through this programme, students are offered a block of funded one-to-one support to remove specific barriers to learning.

 

Literacy & numeracy intervention programmes: There are a range of interventions in place to support students to make progress in the areas of literacy and numeracy. These programmes are run through the English and maths faculties and also through Learning Support. All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 are enrolled on the Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Numeracy programmes. In addition more bespoke support is used with targeted students through programmes like MathsWatch, Read Write Inc, and Indirect Dyslexia Learning (IDL). In addition, any extra capacity in the maths and English is directed toward bespoke interventions for small groups and individuals.

 

Welfare support programmes: Pupil Premium funding is also used in a range of more bespoke, personalised ways. For instance, it has been used to facilitate transport to school, help with providing school uniforms and equipment, payment to ensure equality of access to school trips and visits, to fund programmes which build self-esteem, confidence and motivation, input from external agencies, curriculum resources such as books, ingredients, materials etc. This provision is highly bespoke to the particular needs of the individual and is intended to secure access to school and to the same opportunities as non-disadvantaged students.

 

Student counselling: This addresses the emotional, social and behavioural needs of our students including those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. The role is a complementary service to our Students Service provision and is targeted to our high focus students.

 

Outside agency support: The purpose of this is to provide additional, specialist provision for children who need it and to provide support which goes beyond the expertise within school and the limits of the school day. This might include Child Mental Health Services, Family Support, Education and Welfare, Specialist SEND provision etc. Outside agency support is actively sought and engaged with whenever the need arises. Multi agency work and wrap around care for a child often results in one of our Student Service team taking a lead role in orchestrating the provision which a child might need to allow them to fully engage with school and learning.

Information and Guidance (IAG): provision is offered to all students to signpost and help secure their next steps in learning, education and training. Vulnerable students, including those who are disadvantaged are able to access this type of support as frequently as they need to. This means that they are more likely to make informed choices about their future and the possibilities which are available to them.