Our vision, as a school with a Christian ethos, is founded on The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4: 3-9), where through God’s love, we are the rich soil where seeds flourish and roots grow. This is the foundation of our motto, Everyone is equal: everyone deserves the best.
As a result, our Pupil Premium Strategy is designed with the ultimate objective of overcoming barriers to achievement for our disadvantaged students and ensuring that every young person leaves our school with meaningful opportunities and ambitious pathways for their future.
Research consistently shows that students facing socio-economic disadvantage are at greater risk of underachievement compared with their peers. To help address this inequality, the government provides additional funding through the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG).
Schools receive Pupil Premium funding for students who are currently eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), have been eligible at any point in the previous six years, have been in local authority care for six months or more, or have parents/carers serving in the armed forces.
Our Approach
Our strategy is built around ensuring that disadvantaged students receive the support, opportunities and experiences they need to thrive academically, socially and personally. We achieve this through:
- Delivering a challenging and ambitious curriculum that enables students to overcome gaps in prior learning and achieve highly.
- Investing in high-quality professional development so that teachers can effectively meet the needs of all learners and respond to gaps in learning.
- Closely monitoring progress to identify barriers to achievement and provide timely intervention.
- Providing targeted academic support to accelerate progress and close learning gaps.
- Ensuring access to the resources and materials students need to fully engage with the curriculum.
- Supporting students to develop and maintain high aspirations by helping them understand the pathways available to achieve their goals.
- Enhancing cultural capital through a wide range of enrichment opportunities and experiences beyond the classroom.
- Removing barriers to learning through personalised pastoral support tailored to individual needs.
Our Key Principles
Our Pupil Premium Strategy is underpinned by the following principles:
- Improving outcomes for disadvantaged students is essential in creating greater opportunities and life chances.
- Funding is allocated using the best available educational research alongside evidence from our own practice.
- Raising the quality of teaching and support has the greatest impact on improving student achievement.
- Eligibility for Pupil Premium is never viewed as a measure of ability; we have high expectations for all students and support them to achieve their full potential.
- Support is responsive, targeted and tailored to the specific needs of disadvantaged students.
- Robust monitoring and evaluation ensure that funding is used effectively and that intended outcomes are achieved.
