Pupil Premium Strategy and Report

Detail

Data

School name

BARKING ABBEY

Number of pupils in school

2569

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

21%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)

2021-2024

Date this statement was published

OCTOBER 2023

Date on which it will be reviewed

SEPTEMBER 2024

Statement authorised by

TONY ROE Executive Headteacher

Pupil premium Lead

PETE FLAXMAN

Executive Deputy Headteacher

Governor / Trustee lead

Mr J Collins and Ms L Thomas Brown

Detail

Amount

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£508,185

Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)

£0

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

£508,185

Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make good, sustained progress and achieve high attainment across the curriculum.  As a school of Character, we also recognise the importance of preparing all our pupils for future pathways and lifelong learning. This is based around our BEST Habits: Bravery, Excellence, Self-Discipline and Teamwork.

The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils to achieve that goal, including the Most Able. We will consider the challenges faced by vulnerable pupils, such as those who have a social worker and young carers. We are also aware that many within our community have suffered during COVID and have experienced significant changes to their circumstances. Mental well-being is a particular focus, and additional funding has been allocated to increase support capacity. To achieve, our community need to be in school and in good health.

Quality First Teaching is at the heart of our approach. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school. Implicit in the intended outcomes detailed below, is the intention that non-disadvantaged pupils’ attainment will be sustained and improved alongside progress for their disadvantaged peers, as the school aims for a Progress 8 score of +0.5.

Our strategy is also integral to wider school plans for education recovery for pupils whose education has been worst affected, including non-disadvantaged pupils. The level of deprivation in our community meant that large numbers of families had limited online access during lockdown.   

Challenge number

Detail of challenge

1

Literacy and Numeracy skills entering Year 7 are lower for pupils eligible for PP than for other pupils, which prevents them from making good progress in Year 7. Reading Age Tests are taking place in the Autumn Term using newly purchased software.

15% of Year 7 Pupil Premium students had a Reading Age of below 9.

On average, there is a 4 month Reading Age Gap in Year 8 between the PP/ non-PP.

16% of Year 8 Pupil Premium students have a Reading Age below 10.

Year 7 Reading Age Average Score:

Pupil Premium: 100

Non-Pupil Premium: 105

2

Lower and Middle ability pupils who are eligible for PP are making less progress than other lower and middle attaining pupils. This prevents sustained high achievement through KS4

Year 11 2018-19

Year 11 2021-22

3

There is an historical attainment gap at Grade 5+ and Grade 4+ EM between Pupil Premium and other pupils.

Year 11 2018-19

Year 11 2021-22

4

Grades 9-7 for Disadvantaged High Ability pupils has been less compared to other pupils.

Year 11 2018-19

Year 11 2021-22

5

Pupil Premium pupils are more likely to be persistently absent from school: they make up 28% of the school population but 37% of the PAs are PP%. Average attendance for PP in 2022: 87%; Average attendance for Non-PP: 90%

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Improved Reading Ages for PP students, to enable greater curriculum access

Average Reading age for current Year 7 PP will catch up with non-PP students.

PP students will make same Progress as non-PP students in Year 7 and 8.

Improved Progress outcomes for Lower and Middle PP Attainers at Key Stage 4.

PP Lower and Middle Attainers will achieve the same P8 score as non-PP peers.

Departments and Pastoral Leads will track progress throughout Key Stage 4, putting in place clear interventions where progress is below expected.

Improved English and Maths outcomes for PP students at Key Stage 4.

PP students to match National Average for non-PP students at 5+ EM (44%) and 4+ EM (66%) in 2022.

Improved outcomes for Higher Attainers (all students) at Key Stage 4.

High Attainers to achieve 50%+ Grade 9-7EM.

Improved Attendance rates for PP students, with a reduction in Persistent Absence.

PP Persistent Absence to reduce to below 30% of all PA.

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Reading Tests introduced throughout Key Stage 3 and 4; New Reading Age Tests to be piloted.

New role of Director of Literacy created at Associate SLT level

We will fund teacher release time to lead Maths Mastery Hub

Appointment of a “Director of Aspirations” to improve More Able outcomes and increase retention

https://app.literacyassessment.co.uk/ Wasted Years report

To improve early intervention for students in all years in the core subjects

KS2_KS3_Maths_Guidance_2017.pdf (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Teaching mathematics at key stage 3 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Mastery learning | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Disadvantaged students less likely to attend ‘more selective’ university courses | UCL News - UCL – University College London

NB Research into aspiration interventions is extremely weak, therefore we will carefully monitor the impact on attainment.

1,4

New role of Director of SEND created at Associate SLT level

Existing SENCO upskilled to Exam Dispensation assessor.

Parallel Pathway introduced in 2021-22 and embedded in 2022-23

SEND, Pupil Premium & parents (sec-ed.co.uk)

Small group tuition | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

2

CPD will be run through the year to support new colleagues and existing colleagues on specific needs.

All SSAs to undergo comprehensive CPD training (buy in to BD SIP)

New SSAs to be appointed including ARP specialists

Teaching Assistant Interventions | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

One to one tuition | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

2

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Literacy Pirates to be piloted in English

Use of PiXL Unlock to support academic language and vocabulary.

Tassomai online tutoring to be piloted in English (62 students identified by teachers)

Development of additional Intervention English and Maths group at Key Stage 4 to support learning in smaller groups.

Targeted Year 11 students to be allocated an English or Maths tutor.

National Tutoring Programme: 60 Year 11 students in Maths and 60 in English with a focus on Grade 5 success.

Reading comprehension strategies can have a positive impact on pupils’ ability to understand a text, and this is particularly the case when interventions are delivered over a shorter timespan:

Reading comprehension strategies | Toolkit Strand | Education Endowment Foundation | EEF

Tuition targeted at specific needs and knowledge gaps can be an effective method to support low attaining pupils or those falling behind, both one-to-one:

One to one tuition | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

And in small groups:

Small group tuition | Toolkit Strand | Education Endowment Foundation | EEF

1

2,3,4

2,3,4

2,3,4

1,2,3,4

2,3,4

2,3,4

Unifrog to be embedded, to support Key Stage 5 students with UCAS applications; build an Alumni support network.

Disadvantaged students less likely to attend ‘more selective’ university courses | UCL News - UCL – University College London

NB Research into aspiration interventions is extremely weak, therefore we will carefully monitor the impact on attainment.

4

Remote Learning: laptops loaned to PP students without computer access at home

Children without internet access during lockdown | Children's Commissioner for England (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)

Covid-19: The challenges of home-schooling - BBC News

2,3

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Traded Services for Attendance and Welfare.

Admin staff at all 3 Campuses to chase absences.

Associate Heads of Year appointed to lead on attendance.

Appoint a full time School Counsellor

Appoint a Director of Enrichment

Adolescent mental health: A systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions | Early Intervention Foundation (eif.org.uk)

Improving School Attendance advice.

Extending school time | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

6

2023 GCSE results for our Disadvantaged pupils were record breaking:

·                     Disadvantaged achieved 43% 9-5 EM; 63% 9-4 EM, both highest ever.

·                     The Disadvantaged Gap at 9-5 halved 2021-22 to 2022-23.

·                     The Disadvantaged Gap at 9-4 decreased by 10%

·                     For Low Prior Attainers, there was NO DISADVANTAGED GAP at 9-5EM, and only 1% 9-4.

·                     For High Prior Attainers, Disadvantaged students OUTPERFORMED Non-Disadvantaged at 9-4EM.

·                     17% of all Disadvantaged Grades were 9-7

·                     41% Disadvantaged pupils achieved a Strong Pass in the 2x Science element.

70% of Disadvantaged students on the NTP funded My Tutor programme achieved a 9-4 in English.

70% of Disadvantaged students on the NTP funded My Tutor programme achieved a 9-4 in Maths.

40% of Disadvantaged students on the NTP funded My Tutor programme achieved a 9-5 in English (higher than the overall cohort by 9%).

17% Disadvantaged pupils were entered for Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSE.

Pupils who were part of the LSE Maths Tutor Programme achieved 73% Grade 9-7, including 6 Grade 9s and 8 Grade 8s. 86% met or exceeded their Target Grade.

Our  whole school focus on Reading resulted in an increase of 7% in “Above Average” (25% above National) and 9% increase in “Very High” Standard Age Scores in Year 7. 

At Key Stage 5, APS per entry for Disadvantaged students was 30.69; the average Grade for vocational subjects was Distinction (APS 34.60), which demonstrates the ongoing success of our cohort.

100% Disadvantaged A-Level students achieved A*-B in Maths, Further Maths, and Computer Science.

The impact of COVID on these cohorts was mitigated by our resolution to maintain a high-quality curriculum, including during periods of partial closure, which was aided by use of online resources such as those provided by Oak National Academy and Seneca Learning. Staff underwent a comprehensive training programme to ensure outstanding online learning took place.

Overall attendance in 2022-23 for pupil premium students was 3% lower than non-pupil premium; every year group was significantly above the FFT National figure for FSM pupils. Attendance, specifically Persistent Absence, remains a key focus of our current plan, as well as a national focus (What’s behind the rise in school absence rates? The Guardian).    

Our student surveys and pastoral interventions clearly showed that wellbeing and mental health were significantly impacted last year throughout our community, primarily due to COVID-19-related issues. The impact was particularly acute for disadvantaged pupils. We used significant amounts of our pupil premium funding to provide wellbeing support for all pupils, and targeted interventions where required, to ensure they are well and present in school.

Programme

Provider

School Led tutoring (NTP)

My Tutor

PiXL Key Stage 4 and 5

PiXL

Additional activity

Our pupil premium strategy will be supplemented by additional activity that is not being funded by pupil premium or recovery premium, including:

·         embedding more effective practice around feedback. EEF evidence demonstrates this has significant benefits for pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils.

·         offering a wide range of high-quality extracurricular activities to boost wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, and aspiration (see below). Activities (e.g., The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award), will focus on building life skills such as confidence, resilience, and socialising. Disadvantaged pupils will be encouraged and supported to participate. 

Planning, implementation, and evaluation

In planning our new pupil premium strategy, we evaluated which strategies have had the most impact historically, whilst recognising the impacts of COVID on our disadvantaged students. For example, we reviewed the Reading Age tests and decided to switch providers to gain additional detailed information.

We used evidence from multiple sources of data, including assessments, Learning Reviews, book scrutinies, student voice and lesson visits. We also used our partnerships with other schools to discuss best practice.

We used the EEF’s implementation guidance to help us develop our strategy and will continue to use it through the implementation of our activities.

We have put a robust evaluation framework in place for the duration of our three-year approach and will adjust our plan over time to secure better outcomes for pupils.