Pupil Premium Strategy Statement

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2022 to 2023 academic year) funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged pupils.
It outlines our pupil premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending of pupil premium had within our school.

School Overview

DetailData
School nameGrace Academy Darlaston
Number of pupils in school Yrs 7-11 (ref: Spring Census 2022)924 funded for 874
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils53.7% – 469
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)2021/2022 2022/2023 2023/2024
Date this statement was publishedNovember 2023
Statement authorised byJulie Anstey
Pupil premium leadHenry Holland
Governor / Trustee leadIan Baker

Funding overview

DetailAmount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year£ 422,481
Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year£ 121,614
Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)£ 9,268
Total budget for this academic year If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year£ 553,381

Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan

Statement of Intent

The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of students from low-income families who are or have been eligible for free school meals in the past six years, looked after children and previously looked after children, and those from families with parents in the Armed Forces.

One of the Vice Principals oversees the progress of the Pupil Premium cohort, whilst the rest of the leadership team help to raise the profile of these students, and will hold colleagues to account for their progress and attendance. This will be done through a variety of methods. Pupil Premium students are a focus of all pastoral, academic and leadership team meetings.

Barriers Post-pandemic have become increasingly more challenging, and whilst those barriers vary greatly in nature, the EEF guide to Pupil Premium states that placing ‘teaching’ at the heart of its strategy is key to building future success for these students.  At Grace Academy Darlaston, the Pupil Premium funding is spent in a variety of ways; this includes investment in both academic and pastoral initiatives, without the pastoral support the academic challenge becomes even greater and vice versa. 54% of our current cohort is eligible for the Pupil Premium (2023/2024), above the national figure of 27.6%. We measure the impact of interventions and additional funding through attendance, progress and attainment. It is well documented that no single intervention closes the attainment gap, and therefore at GAD we use a variety of approaches with a key focus on individual need.

Challenges

This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils.

Challenge number Detail of challenge
1 PP students do not achieve as well as their non-PP peers.  Potential further widening of gaps created by school closure/lockdown and absence due to Covid related health issues.
2 Social, emotional and mental health issues for some PP students which impact on behaviour and learning.
3 Many of our PP students are socially, culturally and economically deprived.
4 Lack of aspiration and poor engagement of some students and parents in school life particularly affecting disadvantaged students.
5 Levels of Attendance of PP students is lower than non-PP students.
6 Higher rates of persistent absence among PP students.

Intended Outcomes

This explains the outcomes we are aiming for by the end of our current strategy plan, and how we will measure whether they have been achieved.

Intended outcome Success criteria
To raise attainment and levels of progress for disadvantaged pupils so they achieve as well as their peers. Attainment and progress gaps between PP students and non-PP decreases.
To improve KS3 literacy and numeracy skills so PP students can access a full and broad curriculum and are well equipped for GCSEs. Disadvantaged students make or exceed expected progress with improved literacy and numeracy skills.
Further develop resilience and mental wellbeing in students in PP students Better outcomes for PP students who struggle with behaviour, mental health and emotional issues.
Further opportunities for disadvantaged students to have access to an appropriate curriculum and a broad range of learning experiences outside of the classroom. Disadvantaged students are engaged in lessons, have high aspirations and are motivated to succeed. Increased rates of participation in extra-curricular activities
Increased attendance at school events for PP students/parents and engagement with school life. Percentage of parents attending parents’ evenings at least matches that of other students.
Improved attendance rates for disadvantaged students Attendance in line with school target of 95%

Activity in this Academic Year

This details how we intend to spend our pupil premium (and recovery premium funding) this academic year to address the challenges listed above.

Budgeted cost: £123,477

ActivityEvidence that supports this approachChallenge number(s) addressed
VP responsible for PP strategy to consistently review the strategy and implement actionsThe members of leadership with responsibility in this area oversees the triangulation of the ‘Early Intervention Programme’, linked with attendance interventions, behaviour interventions, parental engagement and curriculum build in order to have desired impact outlined in this plan.1
AP with responsibility of T&L to look at curriculum/department approach to PP progressThe member of leadership with responsibility for the curriculum/department approach to PP progress monitors and evaluates the impact of current strategies on PP students and intervene where necessary1
CPDCollaborative learning approaches are outlined as having 5 months’ worth of impact by the EEF toolkit. High Quality CPD impact on pupils1
Enhanced leadership roles in key subjects to support with progress of PP pupilsExamples given by the EEF to ensure effective teachers are front of students through recruitment and retention.1

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £306,823

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
HLTA/Learning Support Assistants The EEF toolkit suggests that interventions from teaching assistants and classroom support has a positive impact on pupil’s progress. 1 & 2
SEND support The EEF toolkit suggests that interventions from teaching assistants and classroom support has a positive impact on pupil’s progress. 1 & 2
Increased staffing in English and maths to allow for smaller group sizes and targeted interventions Reducing class sizes can result in 3 months additional progress (EEF). 1 & 2
Year 11 English Lunchtime Intervention Club Previous success with improvements in progress for PP students who took part, experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.   1, 3 & 4
Year 11 Before and After School Intervention The EEF toolkit suggests that extending time in school has been shown to have 3 months’ worth of impact. 1, 3 & 4
Data Manager – Intervention triggered by data provision and analysis Evidence suggests that collection and analysis of data on groups and individual pupils. 1
Use of external training providers to support with teaching and learning strategies The most impactful strategy outline in the EEF relates to students being able to self-regulate and apply metacognition techniques – evidence suggests it contributes to 8 months’ worth of progress. 1, 2 & 4

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £150,659

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
Use of external training providers to support with PP student’s behaviour and well-being EIF’s report on adolescent mental health found good evidence that interventions support young people’s social and emotional skills and can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.  2, 3 & 4
External Mentoring – use of outside provider for group work and 1-2-1 support for PP students identified as needing further support One to one tuition has been shown to have 5 months of positive impact.  Similarly, ‘mentoring’ has been identified as having 2 months of impact.  A combination of both strategies is used with PP students.  2, 3 & 4
Role of Attendance officer slightly changed in order to have more time to work on initiatives to reduce level of persistent absenteeism, alongside the attendance administrator EEF ‘wider strategies’ page 9 states that good attendance means that stakeholders understood and follow school systems to make early identification and thus interventions, ending in improvement in attendance. A large part of this work is through parental engagement, which the EEF toolkit suggests adds 4 months of impact.  5 & 6
‘Early Intervention Programme’ introduced in order to improve outcomes for PP students reduce number of PP students moving to EHL3 EEF toolkit states that ‘Evidence suggests that, on average, behaviour interventions can produce moderate improvements in academic performance with a decrease in problematic behaviours.’   Behaviour interventions have been highlighted as having 4 months’ worth of impact using the EEF toolkit.   The EEF toolkit references parental engagement as having 4 months’ worth of impact.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Enrichment + initiative – targeted PP students  Arts participation has been highlighted as low cost and moderate impact adding on 3 months as part of the EEF toolkit.   Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact. 1, 2, 3 & 4
Hardship Support to support the needs of PP students and their families The EEF toolkit references parental engagement as having 4 months’ worth of impact. The hardship support helps to facilitate this engagement with the parents of PP pupils. 3 ,4, 5 & 6
Revision Guides for PP students The EEF toolkit references parental engagement as having 4 months’ worth of impact. The hardship support helps to facilitate this engagement with the parents of PP pupils.  1 & 3
Extra – Curricular activities targeting PP students   Arts participation has been highlighted as low cost and moderate impact adding on 3 months as part of the EEF toolkit.   Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.  1, 3 & 4
Subsidised trips and visits for PP students Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.  1, 3 & 4
DofE – targeting PP students to participate Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.  3 & 4
Literacy Resources and Initiatives for PP students Reading comprehension strategies have been highlighted as having 6 months’ worth of impact using the EEF toolkit.  1

Total budgeted cost: £580,959

Part B: Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

Pupil premium strategy outcomes

This details the impact that our pupil premium activity had on pupils in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Disadvantaged 2023 P8 score: -0.21
Disadvantaged 2023 A8 score: 40.2
English P8 score 2023 (Disadvantaged) -0.71
Maths P8 score 2023 (Disadvantaged) -0.19
EBACC P8 score 2023 (Disadvantaged) -0.35
Open P8 score 2023 (Disadvantaged) 0.25
Activity Impact
Teaching     Actual cost £117,526
VP responsible for PP strategy to consistently review the strategy and implement actions Implemented and embedded the intervention strategy that has resulted in attendance being above national average. Interventions have also contributed to a reduction in behaviour incidences including removal from lessons and suspensions. 
AP with responsibility of T&L to look at curriculum/department approach to PP progress  Progress for disadvantaged students was below that of non – disadvantaged students in some subjects, however disadvantaged students in single sciences, Spanish, RE, textiles, Engineering, Food Technology, Health and Social Care, Music, Sport and Travel and Tourism made above expected progress in their GCSE courses. 
CPD High quality CPD has resulted in the quality of education being rated as Good during Ofsted.
Enhanced leadership roles in key subjects to support with progress of PP pupils  Recruitment of Director of Learning in MFL and Science has raised the standard of the quality of education within both subjects .This has resulted in the improvement in progress of students in the subjects, disadvantaged students achieved above expected progress in MFL and single sciences, out performing non disadvantaged students. 
Activity Impact

Targeted Academic Support     Actual cost £279,669

HLTA/Learning Support Assistants Recruitment of HLTA’s and training of current TA’s to HLTA level has enhanced the quality of provision that has been provided. It has also allowed more small group intervention and in class support to happen allowing move disadvantaged students to receive specific support which has contributed to the positive progress of SEND students. 
SEND support Small group interventions and in lesson support continues to support students and raise the quality of lessons across the Academy. Specific year 11 Disadvantaged students were supported in GCSE examinations. 
Increased staffing in English allows for smaller group sizes and targeted interventions  2023 outcomes for English suggest the impact wasn’t as effective as desired for year 11 students, work is continuing to drive the improvement in progress through reviewing the curriculum and the staff responsibilities within the department.
Year 11 English Lunchtime Intervention Club Increase in the groups progress score from -2.12 at the start of the intervention and moved to -1.05 at the end of the 12 week cycle. 
Year 11 After School Intervention Overall P8 data shows students made progress in line with their peers nationally with a P8 score of 0.07 Disadvantaged performance was below the national average score with a P8 score of -0.21 
Data Manager – Intervention triggered by data provision and analysis  Consistently used throughout the year to inform staff of underperformers, plan and implement support, target interventions, and measure the impact of these.
Use of external training providers to support with teaching and learning strategies  School improvement directors have allowed staff to receive bespoke support to develop their teaching practice through coaching and observations. 
Activity Impact
Wider Strategies     Actual cost £108,416
Use of external training providers to support with PP student’s behaviour and well-being Staff have received training on Mental Health First Aid and Suicide First Aid (ASSIST) to allow staff to provide adequate support to students. 
External Mentoring – use of outside provider for group work and 1-2-1 support for PP students identified as needing further support  1 to 1 mentoring to support students needs, this has been implemented to support progress and behaviour. The majority of students made improvements in behaviour, attendance and progress. 
Role of Attendance officer slightly changed in order to have more time to work on initiatives to reduce level of persistent absenteeism, alongside the attendance administrator  Attendance for 2022 – 2023 is above national average. Attendance of our disadvantaged students was higher than the national attendance for disadvantaged students. High number of students that are persistently absent, which will be a focus for 2023 – 24 academic year. 
‘Early Intervention Programme’ introduced in order to improve outcomes for PP students reduce number of PP students moving to EHL3Behaviour has improved within PP students; however the progress of PP students is below the national average.  Behaviour has improved within PP students; however the progress of PP students is below the national average.
Enrichment + initiative – targeted PP students Wider offer of Enrichment sessions over the year. We have also seen an increase in students attending Enrichment sessions. 
Hardship Support to support the needs of PP students and their families Difficult to measure impact, however a large proportion of families accessed support with some improvement in attendance and progress. 
Revision Guides for PP students All year 10 and 11 students have received revision guides which are used both in lessons and as part of home learning. 
Extra – Curricular activities targeting PP students   Number of students attending extracurricular has increased. This is to be developed further with Enrichment + measuring the number of PP students attending. 
Subsidised trips and visits for PP students Numerous trips across a variety of subjects and year groups were fully funded by the school. 
DofE – targeting PP students to participate 30 students enrolled on the DofE course at a subsidised rate. All students have passed the practical section and are working through the other sections. 
Literacy Resources and Initiatives for PP students Implemented the reading programme for all students working below functional reading. Students also access reading for pleasure lessons as part of their curriculum. Impact of this is: Year 7 – Average improvement in reading age: 25 months, students reading below functional reduced from 22% to 18% Year 8 – Average improvement in reading age: 12 months, students reading below functional reduced from 10% to 1% Year 9 – Average improvement in reading age: 11 months, students reading below functional is 22% Year 10 – Average improvement in reading age: 5 months, students reading below functional reduced from 37% to 29% 

Externally provided programmes

Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you purchased in the previous academic year. This will help the Department for Education identify which ones are popular in England

ProgrammeProvider
Mentoring (1-2-1 and group support)Think For The Future
Mentoring (1-2-1 and group support)Base 25

Total actual cost: £505,611

Use this space to provide any further information about your pupil premium strategy. For example, about your strategy planning, or other activity that you are implementing to support disadvantaged pupils, that is not dependent on pupil premium or recovery premium funding.