Pupil Premium
Using the Pupil Premium to Promote Pupil Progress
What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium funding is additional funding to the main school budget to support children eligible for Free school Meals (FSM), children whose parents are in the services, and Looked after Children (LAC). The school determines how the funding is used but its primary aim is to support some of our more vulnerable learners. As a school we continually strive to ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all our pupils and appropriate provision is in place for those who need it most. Not all of these pupils are eligible for FSM and so the schools will at times use the funding to support a wider range of pupils to achieve their very best.
Cams Hill School’s Approach to the Pupil Premium
The school’s ethos with regard to the Pupil Premium is the same as for all pupils: we see pupils as individuals, not stereotypes, and we set high expectations for all – our key words inspire, nurture, achieve and excel sum up our approach.
There is no single strategy that makes an overall positive difference to the progress and life chances of disadvantaged pupils: rather, it is the coherence of the school’s approach that is enabling us to narrow the achievement gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils, although this remains a focus as part of the school’s development plan. Senior leaders set the aspiration for disadvantaged pupils to make more than expected progress and do not accept disadvantage as a reason for poor performance; this message is consistently communicated to all staff.
We focus on identifying and addressing barriers to learning early on, whether these are practical, emotional or academic; our liaison with our primary school partners enables us to know our pupils and to begin personalising their learning journey even before they arrive at Cams Hill School. In some cases, this might take the form of our ‘enhanced transition’ programme, where pupils who need additional support in making the change from primary school to a secondary setting undertake additional small-group visits and one-to-one mentoring from the Year 7 pastoral team; in other cases, the Year 7 team might work hard to engage the support of parents.
We monitor and track pupils’ attendance, attainment and progress and adjust our approach to suit the individual’s emerging needs, whether that be by addressing issues with absence, behaviour or attitude to learning through intervention and coaching or by addressing issues within subjects through tailored teaching approaches or additional support.
Our Key Stage pastoral teams prioritise and target our vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils for emotional support and put significant emphasis on motivation, resilience and good mental health, working with outside agencies where appropriate to support pupils, as well as supporting pupils within school.
All tutors and teachers are aware of vulnerable pupils within their classes and personalise their planning for these pupils. Sometimes this can be as simple as ensuring that these pupils’ work is assessed first to ensure that they are given closest attention and most personalised feedback, or that targeted questions used in lessons are planned specifically to move these pupils forward. For some pupils, one-to-one or small class academic intervention is more effective.
Our relentless focus on high-quality teaching for all is evident through our comprehensive programme of staff development with a teaching and learning focus running through ‘CPL Tuesdays’ and INSET, including the work of a staff focus group specifically working to develop our approach to supporting disadvantaged pupils, including the development of metacognitive strategies.
Pupil Premium Grant
Pupil premium funding allocation for 2023-2024 is £171,330
Recovery premium funding allocation for 2023-2024 is £34,500
Total budget for 2023-2024 academic year is £205,830
Review Process
We review our Pupil Premium strategy and spending in the summer term of each year. Our strategy document for each school year is published during the first autumn half-term.
Please click below for our full Pupil Premium document.