Supporting Disadvantaged Learners

Poole Grammar School Overview

Pupil Premium Expenditure 2019-2020

This report

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruption to the planned interventions to support disadvantaged students during 2019-20. Furthermore, the resulting paucity of internal tracking data and no external examination data means that is not possible to draw meaningful conclusions about the success of the interventions, at this time.

Therefore, this document reports the spending during 2019-2020. A separate document explains the plans for Pupil Premium expenditure over the next three years. Priorities have shifted as a result of the pandemic, so it seems prudent to create a new set of plans to span the next 3 academic years.

Please see ‘Supporting Disadvantaged Learners Planning 2020 – 2023’ for more details.

Review of Priorities 2019-2020

• Increase progress of disadvantaged students in English Language, English Literacy and

During 2019-20 an additional GCSE English class was introduced to reduce class sizes and allow for more targeted, individual support. Smaller class sizes at GCSE for maths have been in place for several years and (although the small cohort does occasionally give some anomalies) this has historically shown some success in ensuring good progress.

EEF suggest that this strategy typically produces a moderate impact of +3 months progress.

This strategy will continue into 2020-21. Its impact may be disguised by the negative impact of the period of remote learning.

English, which has not previously had smaller class sizes will have an additional English class established in 2020-21.

• Continue to monitor attendance to ensure that this does not become a barrier to learning. During 2019 – 2020, Pupil Premium attendance rates were 95.31% (non-PP 96.04%). Attendance amongst students in receipt of Free School Meals was 15%.
• Ensure students have access to adequate supplies / opportunities

Students were supported during 2019-2020 with a range of external services and goods. The total expenditure for which was £7011.06.

Students and parents of PP students were asked to complete a questionnaire during the Summer term to identify any provisions that would be required to enable students to be able to access remote learning / in-school learning more effectively during 2020-21 academic year.

External Services and Goods are often requested by students or their parents / carers.

During 2019-20 significantly less was been spent on Year 7 students whereas other year groups the per capita spend is broadly similar. It is important that we ensure that our Year 7s know how to ask for support for these external services and goods, should it be required. Planning should aim to communicate the opportunity to access support to parents, carers and students, particularly of students prior to admission and during Year 7.

There was lower expenditure per capita on students who are entitled to FSM than those in the Ever 6 or SCIE funding groups. Planning should aim to ensure that FSM students are not missing out.

• Increase support of PP students through dedicated staff

These roles are now in place and investment has been placed in training. The roles have been adapted as the pandemic has created restrictions on interventions and presented new challenges.

• Well-being team

In the last report, it was noted that a large fraction of the students in receipt of Pupil Premium funding had accessed this support. The additional stresses associated with the pandemic caused this area to become an even higher priority.