Leasowes High School Pupil Premium Achievement

2014/15

Introduction

Leasowes High School is a multi-cultural, comprehensive school with approximately 44% of pupils being eligible for the Pupil Premium funding. 26% of our Pupil Premium pupils have a Special Educational Need (SEN), as compared to 19% of non-Pupil Premium pupils. No single intervention provides a complete solution to the complex educational issues in any school and it is therefore a multi-faceted approach that we feel offers the best opportunity for pupils to succeed. The key to narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest achieving pupils is careful and thorough monitoring/tracking of pupil attainment and progress.

Strategies for narrowing the gap – a brief overview

During 2014/15, two Deputy Head’s, an Associate Senior Leader and the Data Manager have met weekly to discuss the students who qualify for the pupil premium. Half termly the group also meet with the link governor. This meeting discusses the present attainment gap, attendance and exclusion gap and the interventions that are being practised. Regular data collections covering both academic achievement and also attitudes to learning mean that this tracking can then inform effective interventions. Interventions come in a variety of forms but must be specific to the needs of the student/group of pupils and not simply generic strategies. The interventions are under 5 main objectives.

  1. To support FSM6 students with individual and group interventions.

This has enabled us to:

  • Continue to employ Maths mentor to work closely with disadvantaged students in year 11, within lesson support, intervention time and at after school and weekend tuition.
  • Employ an attendance worker to reduce the gap in attendance of disadvantaged students for whole school attendance and Persistent Absence.
  • Provide additional Maths revision and tuition on Saturdays and during school holidays.
  • Provide a room for year 7 students, the Phoenix Centre, to ensure they receive education for their additional needs and lower attainment on entry. This support gave smaller numbers with additional TA support. Year 7 catch up finance was also used to support this venture.
  • Maintain for all staff a data analysis software package, Sisra, to ensure that better quality assessment supports better teaching in the classroom.
  • Set up intervention groups to support students with well being, including RASP and self esteem with the pastoral team and outside agencies.
  • Invite motivational speakers to speak to year 11 students.

IMPACT

  • Whole school Maths was at 63% A*-C grades with 59%at 3 levels progress. Disadvantaged students gained 43% A*-C grades with 41% 3 levels progress. This includes a 6% rise in attainment and narrowing of the gap, and a narrowing of the gap in progress.
  • The use of motivational speakers with the year 11 students has increased the school’s GCSE attainment. It has also improved for disadvantaged at almost every key attainment point including E-BACC, 5 A*-C including English and Maths, 3+ and 4+ levels of progress in English, and 3+ levels of progress in Maths.
  • 75% of students within the year 7 Phoenix group made 2 sub lop progress in one year in Maths.
  • 25% of students within the year 7 Phoenix group all made 2 sub lop level progress in one year in English.
  • % sessions missed due to overall absence for disadvantaged students was at 7.4% in 2013/14 and this has slightly increased to 7.6%. This shows an improvement of 0.9% over 2 years. .
  • % of persistent absences – absent for 15% or more sessions for disadvantaged students was at 13.3% in 2013/14 and this has improved to 9.1%. An improvement of 4.2%. Individual pastoral sessions also support this improvement in PA.
  1. To support FSM6 students with curriculum enrichment activities.

This has enabled us to:

  • Support individual year 9 students to attend Manor Adventure with the PE department.
  • Support individual students in attending a Performing Arts weekend at Dunfield House in Herefordshire.
  • Support individual students in year 10 to RAF Cosford and Kenilworth Castle with the Humanities department.
  • Allow students to attend Drayton Manor Park as part of the Reward trip or gain the vouchers.
  • Support students across all year groups with different trips with the PE department.

IMPACT

  • % for disadvantaged students at end of year 10 in Geography is 70% A*- C. At the beginning of year 11, SISRA shows a 10% decrease with disadvantaged.
  • % for disadvantaged students at end of year 10 in History is 65% A*- C. At the beginning of year 11, SISRA shows a 10% increase with disadvantaged.
  • The students supported with Manor Adventure now attend PE clubs on a regular basis.
  • The students supported with the Performing Arts at Dunfield House are making more than expected grades in those subject areas.
  • Allowing the trip to Drayton Manor shows improvement in attendance and behaviour with reductions of exclusions.
  1. To support FSM6 students with improved levels of well being, attendance and behaviour.

This has enabled us to:

  • Work with a specialised behaviour counsellor with students on an inschool behaviour programme.
  • Provide bus passes for individual students.
  • Provide uniform for individual students who were not able to fully afford it.
  • Work with specialised workers on self esteem programmes with our Pastoral Support Managers.
  • Update resources in an anti bullying hub, providing assured support to vulnerable students, including all year 7 students receiving Anti Bullying wristbands.
  • All students have participated in the PASS (pupil attitudes to school and self) survey.

IMPACT

  • Fixed term exclusions have reduced dramatically. The whole school data shows a 25% reduction from 2012/13 to 2014/15. Exclusions for 2012/13 for disadvantaged students was at 35.88% (national 16.34%). Exclusions for 2014/15 was at 10.22%.
  • The school have recently gained a national Anti Bullying Award for challenging bullying behaviour and have also gained the local authority pledge award for the work on anti bullying. Over 20 students attend the hub daily which is led by Peer Mentors.
  • Individual students receiving mentoring based on the PASS survey, dependent on need and support analysed.
  • 87% of students receiving bus passes improved their attendance.
  • 87% of students improved their attendance following the work on self esteem.
  • 78% of student attending the breakfast club have significantly improved attendance over 3%.
  • 100% of students improved their attendance following support with uniform from under 85%.
  • % sessions missed due to overall absence for disadvantaged students was at 7.4% in 2013/14 and this has slightly increased to 7.6%. This shows an improvement of 0.9% over 2 years.
  • % of persistent absences – absent for 15% or more sessions for disadvantaged students was at 13.3% in 2013/14 and this has improved to 9.1%. An improvement of 4.2%. Individual pastoral sessions also support this improvement in PA.
  1. To support FSM6 students with alternative education opportunities.

This has enabled us to:

  • Maintain an alternative education placements at our Greenhill Alternative Learning Campus.
  • Ensure staffing for smaller groups with students with behavioural needs and concerns.
  • Train staff in Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and provide equipment for use by the students at Greenhill.

IMPACT

  • Students will be taught English, Maths and Science and a range of other options including DofE.
  • 100% of students passed English and Maths at A*-G grades.
  • 1 disadvantaged student was permanently excluded from Greenhill ALC.
  1. To support FSM6 students in their curriculum through teaching and learning.

This has enabled us to:

  • Tablets for all year 7 students.
  • Music lessons for individual students.
  • Give students opportunity to perform Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream in Dudley Castle and rehearsal in Stratford Upon Avon.
  • Provide software for students to support them in their learning with MyMaths and Yacapaca and Doddlelearn.
  • Test students on the Cognitive Abilities (CATS), reading and spelling.
  • Provide the Humanities department with revision tools and a reference library.
  • Provide the Science department with revision books for individual students.
  • Provide equipment for all students in English and Maths, including calculators and stationary.
  • Additional resources for Resistant Materials for year 11 students.
  • Support individual students with leadership opportunities in Peer Mentoring and Sports Awards.
  • Support individual students with career interviews through Connexions.

IMPACT

  • 100% of students improved their reading level due to the Accelerated reading challenge.
  • A group of students undertook a Summer Reading Challenge with their parents and were rewarded with a new book from the Book Fair.
  • In Maths with the extra support, year 7 had closed the gap with students making 2 sub levels of progress to 71%(against 86%) and for 3+ sub levels 27% (against 42%).
  • In English with the extra support, year 7 had closed the gap with students making 2 sub levels of progress to 58% (against 62%) and for 3+ sub levels 24% (against 27%).
  • Of 205 students leaving Leasowes in 2013/14, 2 students (1%) are NEET. One of those students has moved out of the area and so unable to contact him. Only one of those students was disadvantaged. Information has not yet been provided for leavers of 2014/15.
  • The students given additional resources in Resistant Materials made 3 levels of progress in this subject.
  • Science improved their GCSE results in 2014/15.

The cost of each activity is set out against key objectives as follows. Detailed information of this spend is held in school.

Key Objective / Cost
To support FSM6 students with individual and group interventions. / 136100
To support FSM6 students with curriculum enrichment activities. / 5910
To support FSM6 students with improved levels of well being, attendance and behaviour. / 11850
To support FSM6 students with alternative education opportunities. / 86500
To support FSM6 students in their curriculum through teaching and learning. / 49490
PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING ALLOCATED TO LEASOWES Apr 14 - Mar 15 / 289850

Plans for 2015 including revised School Development Plan

Throughout the school development plan there are links with the achievement of pupil premium students. The targets include:

Leadership & Management

  • Demonstrate an ambitious vision, have high expectations for what all children and learners can achieve and ensure high standards of provision and care for children and learners
  • Improve staff practice, teaching, learning and assessment through rigorous performance management and appropriate professional development
  • Provide learning programmes /curriculum that have suitable breadth, depth and relevance so that they meet any relevant statutory requirements, as well as the needs and interests of children, learners and employers, nationally and in the local community

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

  • To ensure that homework is being set in line with the homework timetable at appropriate levels according to the abilities of the students.
  • To embed literacy and mathematics where appropriate across the curriculum.
  • To improve the average reading age for students by one year using data from July 2014-15 as a baseline.
  • To improve the average reading age for students by one year using data from July 2014-15 as a baseline.

Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare

  • To improve whole school attendance over 4 HTs and 5/6 HTs with focus on: Yr 10, Females, Disadvantaged, SEN & Low attenders
  • To reduce the amount of students at Persistent Absence (10%) at HT4, 5 & 6 from: 2014/15 - HT4 – 112 students - 14.35%; HT5 – 94 students - 12.05%; HT6 – 97 students -12.34%
  • To reduce the level of Fixed Term Exclusion and Permanent Exclusion
  • To reduce the level of Fixed Term Exclusion and Permanent Exclusion
  • Development of leadership opportunities for students to improve wider outcomes in behaviour and achievement

Outcomes for pupils

  • Students across all year groups to make progress and attainment at least in line with, or above, national figures.
  • To continue to raise levels of attainment of disadvantaged and SEN students across all years.
  • To narrow the gaps in terms of attainment and progress of disadvantaged and SEN students across all year groups
  • To ensure that all students progress to relevant post-16 career pathways.

As part of a PP review with the team in June 2015, the team set out 4 key objectives against the school development plan. This is below with the projective costings for 2015/16.

Key Objective / Cost
To improve levels of progress with pupil premium students in Maths across both key stages / 90800
To improve the level of students well-being, focusing on attendance and behaviour / 144100
To reduce gaps in literacy across key stage 3 focusing on reading / 37750
To introduce a student passport/individual plan at KS3 to support intervention and impact / 3300
PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING ALLOCATED TO LEASOWES Apr 15 - Mar 16 / 275950

Year 7 Catch-up with the Intervention group

Using the finance allocated to the school for year 7 catch-up, a room was refurbished for intense work, with most of the lessons being taught in the same room to support nurture and also different learning styles. It is overseen by the SENCO and the Learning Development Centre. The funding has supported a higher student/adult ratio as well as equipment including the use of tablets for the students. Progress of these students has been excellent with all making a full level of progress in English and Maths, and one student making 2 levels of progress in Maths.

Matthew MynottDaniel Taylor

Deputy HeadteacherDeputy Headteacher

Nicky WhitehurstNatalie Wills

School GovernorAssociate Senior Leader

Harvey Smith

Data Manager

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