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Pupil premium strategy statement

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2021 to 2022 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 this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending on pupil premium had on our school. 

  1. Academy Overview
Detail Data
Academy name Co-op Academy Brownhill
Number of pupils in academy 420
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils 62%
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3-year plans are recommended) 2023-2024 to 2026 -2027
The date this statement was published 30/9/2023
The date on which it will be reviewed 1/9/2024
Statement authorised by AGC Governing body
Pupil premium lead Beverley Blanchfield
Governor / Trustee lead Kirsty Bryden
Funding overview
Detail Amount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year £ 325,920
Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year: school-led funding £0
Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable) £0
The total budget for this academic year, your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding. State the amount available to your school this academic year £325,920
Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan

Statement of intent

Statement of intent

At Co-op Academy Brownhill, we have high aspirations for all children, no matter their background, barriers or prior attainment. We believe no child should be left behind, and we aim to enable disadvantaged pupils to attain in line with all pupils nationally and use an evidence-based approach to ensure that funding is well-used to support this.


Our three-year plan focusses on a tiered approach of high-quality teaching and learning, targeted academic support and broader support for breaking down barriers to non-academic challenges that pupils may face. This plan aims to be responsive to everyday difficulties and individual pupils' needs rather than general assumptions. This practice is intended to support the needs of all pupils, whether they are disadvantaged or not.


There is strong evidence that ‘good teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils … good teaching for all pupils has a particular benefit on children eligible for the pupil premium (EEF guide to the
Pupil premium) Therefore, the academy prioritises high-quality teaching through effective diagnostic assessment, ensuring that teachers clearly understand pupils' learning gaps and needs. A whole school approach and strategy to high-quality teaching, in which all teachers take responsibility for disadvantaged pupils, is adopted so that no learner will be disadvantaged because of a lack of vocabulary, reading ability, opportunity or prior knowledge and understanding of the world.


Provision of effective CPD for all staff, including support staff, focussing on effective delivery using ‘‘the five a day approach’, improving early reading and maths and ensuring EYFS teaching and learning provides a sound basis for future success.
In addition to whole-school teaching strategies, we will aim to maximise the time children have to catch up by providing small targeted interventions. Qualified teachers and well-informed will lead targeted intervention through diagnostic assessment. We will also work alongside the National Tutoring programme to ensure catch-up can be delivered to all those pupils who have been worst affected over the last two years, as well as provide opportunities for social and emotional development outside of school hours.


Beyond providing targeted learning support, we also understand the importance of addressing non-academic barriers to attainment, such as attendance, behaviour, well-being, life experiences and skills.

Challenges

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

Challenge number Detail of challenge
1 Assessment baselines, observations and discussions indicate that pupils enter nursery and Reception with low starting points and that this is often more prevalent amongst disadvantaged pupils. 
2 External and internal data suggests that since the lockdown attainment amongst disadvantaged pupils at the end of KS1 and KS2 is significantly below that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally in reading, writing and Maths, with a gap of between 18% and 26% by the end of KS2.
3

Our assessment and observations indicate that social and emotional issues impact disadvantaged pupils more than other pupils. The current cost of living crisis has impacted heavily on disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged families. 

The number of pupils who have required additional support has increased over the last two years, with increased referrals to support in school and with outside agencies. 

4 Low levels of oracy and vocabulary across the school significantly affect reading, writing, and general knowledge progress. 
5

Attendance data over the last year indicates that attendance for disadvantaged pupils is around 1.4% lower than for non-disadvantaged, and persistent absenteeism is around 3% higher than for non-disadvantaged. 
Internal data shows that pupils with attendance between 90% and 80% have, on average, a -5 scale score compared to pupils with attendance of 95% and above. 

Long periods of lockdown and higher levels of social deprivation due to the cost of living crisis have limited pupils’ exposure to wider opportunities and experiences.
7 High levels of mobility have resulted in significant knowledge gaps, leading to pupils falling further behind age-related expectations. Internal data suggests that disadvantaged pupils with high mobility are less likely to achieve the expected standard than those with a stable education. 

Intended outcomes 

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

Intended outcome Success criteria
Accelerated progress in EYFS strengthens outcomes for pupils and narrows the attainment gap. GLD in EYFS increases year-on-year, and the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged is closed.  
Improve the quality of teaching in schools. Children will have access to all adults in school with good-quality teaching skills.  The attainment gap between the disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged (nationally) will fall, and progress will be accelerated. By the end of the year, PP is broadly in line with Non-PP. The gap at the end of KS2 will have closed significantly from KS1 starting points. 
Children attend regularly, and where there are barriers to attendance, these are addressed. Whole school attendance increases with national (95%), and the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged is no more than 1%. PA is significantly reduced and in line with national, and disadvantaged pupils are not disproportionately represented in this category. 
Increased learning beyond the classroom gives children cultural capital and improved life experiences. 

Pupils have an increased number of opportunities to experience places of interest beyond the local area.

The number of pupils participating in enrichment activities increases, particularly amongst the disadvantaged group. 

The vocabulary gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils will close over their school career.

At the end of EYFS, KS1, and KS2, there will be a diminished gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in terms of their speaking and listening skills and ability to use a wide range of vocabulary. 

Increased outcomes in reading and writing by 2025-26 show that at least 75% of disadvantaged pupils are meeting the standard in reading by the end of KS1 & KS2

Increasing pupils' focus on learning because they are well-supported emotionally, and they have good learning attitudes and good behaviours % of behaviour incidents for disadvantaged pupils will not be overrepresented in the behaviour logs, and fixed-term exclusions will be reduced for disadvantaged pupils from 1.
Activities 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 mentioned above. Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost £ 158,242

 

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
Quality first teaching for all pupils through the effective delivery of high-quality research CPD for all staff includes a five-a-day approach’, mastery in maths and the use and training of a validated phonics programme, securing better early reading outcomes.

Professional development on evidence, for example-based approaches, for example, meta-cognition, reading comprehension, phonics or mastery of learning. High-quality teaching improves pupil outcomes, and effective professional development offers a crucial tool to develop the quality of education and subsequently enhances children’s outcomes in the classroom. Professional development, on average, positively affects pupil attainment across early years, primary.
https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/guidance-for-teachers/pupil-premium/Pupil_Premium_Guide_Apr_2022_1.0.pdf?v=1650463957

https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/effective-professional-development/EEF-Effective-Professional-Development-Guidance-Report.pdf?v=1648715505

At each assessment data point, pupils who have
shown limited progress are targeted. This
approach aims to focus feedback on the teacher
support in class to enhance the quality of the first teaching for these pupils.
Pupils who are tracked under this process, on
average, show an effect size of 0.9 -1.1 in
Reading and 1.2- 1.4 in Maths.

1,2,4
Purchase of standardised diagnostic NCT tests and Shine intervention programme to ensure teachers can accurately identify and close learning gaps.  Standardised tests provide reliable data to identify specific weaknesses and strengths to ensure the correct level of support, intervention and scaffolding can be given during lessons.

https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/news/Diagnostic_Assessment_Tool.pdf
 
Assistant head time to support the additional release time for ECT and ECT +1 teachers in school and  increase CPD offer

The Academy will continue to focus on CPD development of all staff, those new to the profession, as improving the quality of teaching and learning makes the biggest difference in closing the attainment gap. It is also known to improve the retention of teachers, ensuring that pupils benefit from experienced teachers who have sound subject knowledge and the ability to deliver high-quality teaching.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/retain?utm_source=/projects-and-evaluation/projects/retain&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term

2
Increased CPD offer for all TAs and teachers in the early years, setting up to support scaffolding of the development of communication and language skills through talking. Verbal expression, modelling language. This will include CPD on the delivery of talk boost as well as more general training on supporting pupils within the provision rather than intervention. 

The Early Years toolkit by the EEF shows that the development of communication and language within the early years setting through verbal interaction with pupils has a high impact for a very low cost. This approach places emphasis on the use of a range of strategies and the importance of professional development and support for early years practitioners. EEF research on closing the gap suggests that EYFS education focus has huge potential and that training for early years staff is key

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/early-years-toolkit/communication-and-language-approaches?utm_source=/education-evidence/early-years-toolkit/communication-and-language-approaches&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term

Talk Boost and early talk boost data across EYFS and Year 1 shows that an average effect size of 2.3 is evident for pupils who are part of this programme. 

1
Purchase of a National college and a place to learn annual site to provide targeted CPD for all staff. 

Improving the quality of teaching and learning makes the biggest difference in closing the attainment gap EEF. High-quality teaching improves pupil outcomes, and effective professional development offers a crucial tool to develop teaching quality and subsequently enhance children’s outcomes in the classroom. Professional development, on average, has a positive effect on pupil attainment across early years, primary

https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/effective-professional-development/EEF-Effective-Professional-Development-Guidance-Report.pdf?v=1648715505

1, 2
Additional subject release time for all staff to prioritise continuing professional development and enabling all subject leaders to lead, monitor and effectively support across the whole school

Whole school priorities focus on Improving teaching and learning quality in all subject areas. Research indicates that this alone makes the biggest difference in closing the attainment gap. 


https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/effective-professional-development/EEF-Effective-Professional-Development-Guidance-Report.pdf?v=1648715505

Subject leaders are given time to assess the
effectiveness of the curriculum for all pupils and
PP pupils in this way, the effectiveness of the
curriculum and teaching and learning can be
continually assessed. This has led to a constant
reflective state with regards to the curriculum
effect and enables subject leads to have a clear
understanding of gaps in teacher knowledge.

1,2
The use of Iris and direct coaching to enhance the quality of teaching Evidence presented at Research Ed 18 in London by Sam Sims showed that 10 out of 15 controlled trials had a ‘statistically significant positive effect.’ Evidence that opportunities for peer coaching increase staff morale, levels of understanding of pedagogy and staff retention. Staff become more analytical and less isolated and help create a cohesive school environment.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/iris-connect?utm_source=/projects-and-evaluation/projects/iris-connect&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term
 

 

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support, and structured interventions) 
Budgeted cost £98,280

 

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed

CLA lead to meet 1:1 weekly with pupils who are or have been child looked after.


CLA and all previously looked after PLA and all other children who have multi-agency support. Diagnostic assessment of learning and well-being is to be used to ensure that regardless of starting points, all pupils have individual sessions.

Internal CLA report for 2022-23 Evidenced
that 1:1 tuition and guidance for targeted
pupils had a positive impact on both pupil
attendance and academic outcomes

Designated teacher CLA report
2022-23.docx


https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/one-to-one-tuition

1,2,3,4
Qualified teachers delivering Individual catch up teaching in early reading and phonics

Phonics intervention data within the
Academy shows that the effect size for
pupils who receive 1:1 phonics tuition
to close the gap is 1:1 in comparison to
small group, which is only 0.8

2, 5, 8
Career-related curriculum and visits across the Academy give pupils the skills, knowledge and understanding of how learning links to life beyond education and the opportunities available to them.

Careers Development Institute


“90% of teachers reported being involved in activities with employers that could impact the academic achievement of pupils.”


After participating in career-related learning events, 82% of around 9,300 children agreed “that now I understand how English/Maths and Science can be
useful in jobs.”

 
Speech and language therapy three days per week supporting the development of language and communication. 

Oral language intervention is seen by EEF research as having significant development in learning. Early intervention is key to support in this area, and therefore, pupils are identified in Nursery and Reception receiving support.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/oral-language-interventions?utm_source=/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/oral-language-interventions&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term

In the last academic year, 69 pupils assessed weekly speech and language therapy. Thirty-two pupils were consequently discharged due to successful
intervention.

 
School-led 1:3 face-to-face tuition Maths and English for pupils inclusive of most able. Provision through qualified teachers and school staff. 

Impact analysis of data for pupils attending tutoring at Brownhill shows an average effect size of 1.0 in reading, similarly in Maths 0.9.

2, 4, 8

 

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, well-being)
Budgeted cost £ 59,258

 

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
Delivery of a breakfast club to targeted pupils at risk of poor attendance. Provision of breakfast for all pupils in school.

Food Research Action Centre (FRAC) evidence ‘A well-nourished child who starts the day with breakfast is more likely to be at school, a better learner, and willing to participate in the classroom. The DFE (Breakfast Clubs programme)  also notes that a healthy breakfast at the start of the day improves readiness to learn, increases concentration and improves well-being and behaviour.


https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Internal data shows that Up-take has improved significantly from 20 pupils to 75 pupils attending daily. This has impacted positively on pupil attendance. Out of 75, 59 pupils have 95% attendance and above.

3, 1, 2, 6
New arrival induction and family support link

EEF research suggests that parental engagement has been proven to impact pupils’ outcomes positively. Strong positive face-to-face induction allows parents to build initial communications and relationships to be built upon.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/parental-engagement?utm_source=/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/parental-engagement&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term

8, 3, 5, 6
Pastoral safeguarding lead The pastoral team is crucial in supporting vulnerable families and pupils in school. Without this support, pupils often cannot focus on learning, and families cannot prioritise education.  3, 7, 6
Attendance lead

Improving attendance is essential in ensuring children have access to the progressive curriculum at Brownhill. Learning is built on previous understanding; therefore, gaps in absence can significantly impact pupils' abilities to learn. Therefore, prioritising attendance is important.

https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/pages/projects/Attendance-REA-protocol-21092021.pdf?v=1632734921

In 2022-23, attendance improved by 2.1%, and PA was reduced from 32.5% to 28%

6
Additional educational therapist support Professional support for staff, families and pupils is important to ensure that barriers to learning are minimised. 

30 pupils in 2022-23 have attended therapy sessions and have been discharged this academic year. The impact on these pupils have been evident in reduced number of negatives/ improved attendance and attainment. 

3, 7,
Behaviour support provides interventions for individual pupils. 1:1 and small group support for targeted individuals, as well as driving whole school ethos and approach

EEF research shows that whole behaviour interventions can have a moderate impact, but interventions which are specific to individuals can have much greater benefits and impact on learning. Through the use of a whole school approach and intervention, as stated by the EEF this approach aims to improve attainment by reducing challenging behaviours and the effects this has on the ability of the class and individual to learn but also aims to support pupils' learning behaviours and become motivated and engaged.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/guidance-for-teachers/learning-behaviours?utm_source=/guidance-for-teachers/learning-behaviours&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_searchh&search_term

Whole school suspensions have dropped this academic year from 8 to 2.
Zero-tolerance incidents have also
significantly reduced from 140 to 98

3. 2
Family support and pupil therapy delivered by Beck with a trained therapist. One day per week. 

Professional support for staff, families and pupils is important to ensure that barriers to learning are minimised. 

Fourteen pupils have received 1:1 therapy as part of the beck training. Out of these, ten have been discharged with improved emotional and social resilience. This has been evident in reduced incidents recorded on class charts for some.

3, 6, 7
Residential and school trips for all pupils. Strong links to learning.Increase opportunities after school.

There is strong evidence that building effective relationships with pupils improves behaviour and, in turn, learning. Residential trips are used to support this as well as increase pupils' cultural capital and self-esteem.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/guidance-for-teachers/life-skills-enrichment

3,7

 

Total budgeted cost £366,965
Part B: Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

Pupil premium strategy outcomes

This details our pupil premium activity's impact on pupils in the 2021 to 2022 academic year. 

Pupil premium strategy outcomes

At Co-op Academy Brownhill, 238 (59%)of our children were eligible for pupil premium funding in 2021-22, with most year groups having just over 50% of the cohort eligible for funding.

  • To raise attainment of eligible children to achieve at least in line with their peers in English and Maths.

Our philosophy remains the same and is aligned with EEF research: “Good teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.” As a result, the additional teaching capacity in schools by qualified teachers has enabled strong intervention. This has also been increased with the national tutor programme and school-led tutoring. 

2022-23 Data 


KS1 data showed that PP pupils outperformed others in all areas, exceeding trust targets.

Year 1 phonics data also evidenced that the number of PP pupils meeting the expected standard had increased by 25% and exceeded the national. Additional tuition for pupils in Year 1 phonics funded by PP funding impacted significantly on low starting points. Small-group phonics intervention had an effect size of +0.9, and 1:1 interventions had an effect size of +1:1

Year 2 phonics data evidenced that through this additional phonics and reading support alongside quality first teaching PP pupils did as well as all national pupils. By the end of the 91% of pupils had met the expected standard. Again these pupils
outperformed All pupils in the school 

KS Data outcomes 

Although raw data suggests that at the end of the key stage, there is evidence of gaps between All National and PP national pupils, high levels of mobility have affected end-of-year data, academic analysis demonstrates that the gap is less and has significantly reduced since 2022-23, but the Academy is aware that this is still an area which needs significant improvement.

Speech and language support reached 90 pupils during the year. Of the 90 pupils, 27 were discharged following exceptional progress against their targets. Targeted support for speech and language will continue to be offered in the next academic year with a focus on early identification.

  • Strengthen pupils' emotional well-being and resilience.

Having an effective pastoral team has been crucial to supporting children and families. The welfare of all pupils has been a priority during the year. Strengthening the team's capacity with the addition of additional hours through the Educational Psychologist and with the full-time employment of a play therapist one day a week. Over the year, 37 pupils were additionally referred to work with the therapist, and this support included drop-in sessions and more lengthy hour support sessions. Twenty-two pupils were discharged as a result of support, and a further five were referred to more focused support through the cluster.

Through the use of the national breakfast programme provision, 100% of our pupils' premium children have access to a daily. Healthy breakfast: a further 20 % attend extended breakfast provision daily, which also supports improving attendance for these individuals. 

Residential trips for years 5 and 6 were able to go ahead this academic year, and extended school activities were able to go ahead, as well as class trips in the term. In total, after-school provision enabled 60% of PP pupils to access additional after-school clubs. All PP pupils had access to at least two school trips/ experiences during the year and this
will remain a priority for the 2023-24 budget. 

Pupils' social and emotional needs continue to be an important factor and arguably even more so since COVID 19; therefore, Brownhill will continue to use its PPG to support and increase capacity within this area.

  • To reduce persistent absenteeism for disadvantaged pupils.

Whole school attendance 91.2 PP Attendance 91.4. This is significantly lower than in previous years. Whilst the gap is less than 1% between PP and Non-PP, it is clear that it continues to be a focus to ensure reduced barriers to learning within the 2023-24 budget.


Persistent absent
Persistent absenteeism remains high for pupil premium at 30.7% but represents a reduction from last year at 32%.


This remains a significant priority in the 2023-24 spend.