Pupil premium strategy statement – Meadowhead School and Sixth Form

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium) funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged pupils. It outlines our pupil premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils last academic year  (The full policy is available at the foot of this page).

School overview

Statement of intent

Our intention is that all students, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve well across the curriculum. Our aims are to close the disadvantage attainment gaps that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and support all students to achieve. 

The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged students to achieve that goal, including progress for those who are already high attainers. We will consider the challenges faced by vulnerable students, such as those who have a social worker and young carers. The activity we have outlined in this statement is also intended to support their needs, regardless of whether they are disadvantaged or not.

Quality first teaching is at the heart of our approach with a focus on areas which disadvantaged students require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged students in our school.

Our strategy is also integral to wider school plans for recovery, notably in its targeted support through our detailed Student Personal Development and Enrichment program. Targeted academic intervention will take place within each faculty with early intervention as the key driver in delivering impact.

Our approach will be responsive to regular feedback and assessment to identify any trends as well as support individuals. We aim to empower and train all staff to understand the impact of disadvantage on students’ learning habits to address common challenges faced by disadvantaged students. The approaches we have adopted complement each other to help students excel. To ensure they are effective we will:

• adopt a whole school approach in which all staff take responsibility for disadvantaged students’ outcomes and raise expectations of what they can achieve. Implementation of adaptive teaching within lessons.
• use the STARS strategy effectively within lessons.
• act early to intervene at the point need is identified.
• ensure all students are stretched and challenged.
• embed oracy within the Curriculum at all Key Stages.
• raise the profile of reading/literacy using a disciplinary approach to vocabulary across the curriculum.
• focus on attitudes to learning and positive behaviours through the Personal Development program and tracking and monitoring Reporting Point data.
• use targeted personalised interventions (academic and behaviour)
• promote and encourage attendance to extra-curricular clubs and enrichment activities.

Funding criteria

Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It can be used:

• to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer
• for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils

Meadowhead School strives to provide an outstanding education for all 11 to 18 year olds, ensuring that students aspire and are challenged to achieve academic success whilst supporting and developing individuals to prepare for the future.

Please see the document below for the full Pupil Premium Strategy Statement for Meadowhead School Academy Trust.

For Parents: Free School Meals and Pupil Premium Registration form can be found here: Free School Meals - Meadowhead School