PUPIL PREMIUM STRATEGY

Pupil Premium is an allocation of additional funding provided to schools to support specific groups of children who are vulnerable to possible underachievement. These include students who are entitled to free school meals; children looked after by the local authority and the children of armed service personnel.

Pupil Premium at Icknield School

At Icknield School we have identified the following barriers to educational achievement faced by some of our pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding:

• Behaviour creating barriers to learning

• Lack of communication skills

• Poor self-esteem

• Reduced physical skills

• Sensory needs

• Lack of resilience

• Emotional barriers to progress

At Icknield School funding is used to meet individual needs to overcome barriers to learning and to promote individual progress in specific areas as identified through assessment and discussion with staff, parents and other professionals. The Pupil Premium money is focused on precise areas to support pupils to make progress which will enable them to continue to make advances and lead them to become as independent as possible in the future. The focused use of Pupil Premium has been effective in raising standards for individual pupils.

The literacy and numeracy catch-up premium gave schools additional funding to support Year 7 pupils who did not achieve at least level 4 in reading and/or maths at the end of key stage 2.   

All Icknield Year 7 pupils attracted a ‘catch up’ payment as they have not achieved age related norms at the end of key stage 2.  The funding is used to meet the individual learning needs of these pupils.  Each pupil’s attainment and progress is analysed for each aspect of literacy and numeracy.  Pupils have targets in literacy and numeracy and the funding supports them to achieve these targets.  This includes enhanced staffing and resources as well as dedicated speech and language support.  Communication is an overarching skill which is supported throughout the school environment.  Literacy and numeracy is embraced across the curriculum enabling pupils to make the highest possible individual progress.

Final payments of the Year 7 catch-up premium were made in relation to the 2019 to 2020 academic year. The amount received at Icknield School was £4500.

This has been used as follows:

• Upgrade our online membership of Twinkl (£950) which supports literacy through excellent online games and activities.
• The purchase of additional numeracy resources, including Numicon, so that each class has its on full set of resources (£250).
• New PC for the year 7 classroom to allow improved access to learning resources (£650) 
• Upgrade of ipads and interactive display board during 2021 (£2500)