Pupil Premium Strategy Statement

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2023 to 2024 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 in this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending of pupil premium had within our school.

School Overview

Detail	Data
School name	Grace Academy Darlaston
Number of pupils in school Yrs 7-11 (ref: Spring Census 2023)	948
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils	49.47% – 469
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)	2022/2023 2023/2024 2024/2025
Date this statement was published	December 2024
Statement authorised by	Henry Holland
Pupil premium lead	Kerry Wadelin-Clarkson
Governor / Trustee lead	Grant Kearns

Funding overview for 2024/25

Detail	Amount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year	£ 496,388
Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year	£ 0
Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)	£ 0
Total budget for this academic year If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year	£ 496,388

Part A: Pupil Premium Strategy Plan

Statement of Intent

The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of students from low-income families who are or have been eligible for free school meals in the past six years, looked after children and previously looked after children, and those from families with parents in the Armed Forces.

One of the Associate Vice Principals oversees the progress of the Pupil Premium cohort, whilst the rest of the leadership team help to raise the profile of these students and will hold colleagues to account for their progress and attendance. This will be done through a variety of methods. Pupil Premium students are a focus of all pastoral, academic and leadership team meetings.

Barriers post-pandemic have become increasingly more challenging, and whilst those barriers vary greatly in nature, the EEF guide to Pupil Premium states that placing ‘teaching’ at the heart of its strategy is key to building future success for these students.  At Grace Academy Darlaston, the Pupil Premium funding is spent in a variety of ways; this includes investment in both academic and pastoral initiatives, as without the pastoral support the academic challenge becomes even greater and vice versa. 48.08% of our current cohort is eligible for the Pupil Premium (2023/2024), above the national figure of 20.8%. We measure the impact of interventions and additional funding through attendance, progress and attainment. It is well documented that no single intervention closes the attainment gap, and therefore at GAD we use a variety of approaches with a key focus on individual need.

Challenges

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

Challenge number	Detail of challenge
1	PP students do not achieve as well as their non-PP peers.  Potential further widening of gaps created by school closure due to lockdown and absence due to Covid related health issues.
2	Social, emotional and mental health issues for some PP students’ which impact on behaviour and learning.
3	Many of our PP students are socially, culturally and economically deprived.
4	Lack of aspiration and poor engagement of some students and parents in school life particularly affecting disadvantaged students.
5	Levels of Attendance of PP students is lower than non-PP students.
6	Higher rates of persistent absence among PP students.

Intended Outcomes

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

Intended outcome	Success criteria
To raise attainment and levels of progress for disadvantaged pupils so they achieve as well as their peers.	Attainment and progress gaps between PP students and non-PP decreases.
To improve KS3 literacy and numeracy skills so PP students can access a full and broad curriculum and are well equipped for GCSEs.	Disadvantaged students make or exceed expected progress with improved literacy and numeracy skills.
Further develop resilience and mental wellbeing for PP students	Better outcomes for PP students who struggle with behaviour, mental health and emotional issues.
Further opportunities for disadvantaged students to have access to an appropriate curriculum and a broad range of learning experiences outside of the classroom.	Disadvantaged students are engaged in lessons, have high aspirations and are motivated to succeed. Increased rates of participation in extra-curricular activities
Increased attendance at school events for PP students/parents and engagement with school life.	Percentage of parents attending parents’ evenings at least matches that of other students.
Improved attendance rates for disadvantaged students	Attendance in line with school target of 95%

Activity 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 listed above.

Budgeted cost: £143,537

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
AVP responsible for PP strategy to consistently review the strategy and implement actions	The members of leadership with responsibility in this area oversees the triangulation of the ‘Early Intervention Programme’, linked with attendance interventions, behaviour interventions, parental engagement and curriculum build in order to have desired impact outlined in this plan.	1
AVP with responsibility for T & L to quality assure curriculums to ensure they meet the needs of all learners	The member of leadership with responsibility for the curriculum to monitor and evaluate individual departments  to ensure high quality teaching and learning is taking place to support the progress of all students, including PP.	1
CPD	Collaborative learning approaches are outlined as having 5 months’ worth of impact by the EEF toolkit. High Quality CPD means staff are more skilled and can have more impact on students within the classroom.	1
Enhanced leadership roles in key subjects to support with progress of PP pupils	Examples given by the EEF to ensure effective teachers are front of students through recruitment and retention	1

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £317,271

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
HLTA/Learning Support Assistants	The EEF toolkit suggests that interventions from teaching assistants and classroom support has a positive impact on pupil’s progress.	1 & 2
SEND support	The EEF toolkit suggests that interventions from teaching assistants and classroom support has a positive impact on pupil’s progress.	1 & 2
Targeted academic support – additional sessions delivered during school holidays	The EEF toolkit suggests that extending school time can result in 3 months additional progress. Research consistently shows the positive impact that targeted academic support can have, including for those pupils who are not making good progress across the spectrum of achievement. Identified pupils will be invited to attend sessions delivered by specialist teaching staff to support their overall progress.
Year 11 Lunchtime Intervention Club	Previous success with improvements in progress for PP students who took part, experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.	1, 3 & 4
Year 11 Before and After School Intervention	The EEF toolkit suggests that extending time in school has been shown to have 3 months’ worth of impact. Small group tuition will be provided to support the progress of identified students to support their overall progress.	1, 3 & 4
Data Manager – Intervention triggered by data provision and analysis	Evidence suggests that collection and analysis of data on groups and individual pupils can lead to more timely interventions been put into place.	1
Delivery of high quality CPD to support teaching staff with  developing the most effective teaching and learning strategies	The most impactful strategy outline in the EEF relates to students being able to self-regulate and apply metacognition techniques – evidence suggests it contributes to 7 months’ worth of progress. A member of the Academy Leadership team takes responsibility for overseeing and co-ordinating CPD based on needs identified through quality assurance processes	1, 2 & 4
Mental Health support	According to the EEF, social and emotional learning approaches can add up to 4 months’ additional progress in academic outcomes over the course of an academic year. As part of our Early Intervention programme, pupils identified as requiring emotional or mental health support are offered assistance through 1:1 or group work sessions to help them develop strategies to help them manage their emotions day to day.

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £128,776

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Use of external training providers to support with PP student’s behaviour and well-being	EIF’s report on adolescent mental health found good evidence that interventions support young people’s social and emotional skills and can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.	2, 3 & 4
External Mentoring – use of outside provider for group work and 1-2-1 support for PP students identified as needing further support	One to one tuition has been shown to have 5 months of positive impact.  Similarly, ‘mentoring’ has been identified as having 2 months of impact.  A combination of both strategies is used with PP students.	2, 3 & 4
Role of Attendance officer adapted in order to have more time to work on initiatives to reduce level of persistent absenteeism, alongside the attendance administrator	EEF ‘wider strategies’ states that good attendance means that stakeholders understand and follow school systems to make early identification and intervention, ending in improvement in attendance. A large part of this work is through parental engagement, which the EEF toolkit suggests adds 4 months of impact.	5 & 6
Development of attendance rewards programme	Persistent absence is an immediate issue facing schools across the country. According to EEF data, almost one in four pupils missed more than 10 per cent of sessions in the autumn term of 2021, and 1.4 per cent of pupils missed at least 50 per cent of sessions. When students are rewarded, this helps to improve their engagement and a sense of belonging. By providing incentives to encourage pupils to attend, pupils will attend school more frequently, leading to better outcomes over time.	5 & 6
‘Early intervention programme” developed in order to improve outcomes for PP students reduce number of PP students moving to EHL3	EEF toolkit evidence suggests that on average, behaviour interventions can produce moderate improvements in academic performance with a decrease in problematic behaviours.’   Behaviour interventions have been highlighted as having 4 months’ worth of impact. The EEF toolkit references parental engagement as having 4 months’ worth of impact.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Extra curricular activities – targeted PP students	Arts participation has been highlighted as low cost and moderate impact adding on 3 months as part of the EEF toolkit.   Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.	1, 2, 3 & 4
Hardship Support to support the needs of PP students and their families	The EEF toolkit references parental engagement as having 4 months’ worth of impact. The hardship support helps to facilitate this engagement with the parents of PP pupils.	3 ,4, 5 & 6
Recruitment of staff to support the needs of students ALT Attendance lead	Ensuring that teaching and support staff are available to provide high quality teaching and pastoral resources will help build positive relationships with students, which in turn will improve outcomes,
Subsidised trips and visits for PP students	Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact. By providing opportunities for students to take part in trips allows them to see and experience places they may not be able to in their day to day lives.	1, 3 & 4
D of E – targeting PP students to participate	Experiences of aspiration intervention is referenced in the EEF and having the potential for positive impact.	3 & 4
Literacy Resources and Initiatives for PP students	Reading comprehension strategies have been highlighted as having 6 months’ worth of impact using the EEF toolkit.	1
Development of active & sensory rooms, as well as other areas to support student mental health and wellbeing	According to the EEF, social and emotional learning approaches can add up to 4 months’ additional progress in academic outcomes over the course of an academic year. Students accessing these resources are provided with opportunities to emotionally regulate, with the aim of keeping pupils in school and reducing the risk of exclusion.
National Schools Breakfast Programme delivering free breakfast for students.	Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of behaviour, cognition, and school performance.

Part B: Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

Pupil premium strategy outcomes

This details the impact that our pupil premium activity had on pupils in the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

Disadvantaged 2024 P8 score:	-0.40*
Disadvantaged 2024 A8 score:	3.80*
English P1 score 2024 (Disadvantaged)	-0.5*
Maths P1 score 2024 (Disadvantaged)	-0.5
EBACC P8 score 2024 (Disadvantaged)	-0.40*
Open P8 score 2024 (Disadvantaged) -0.20*   Provisional awaiting DFE confirmation

Activity	Impact
Teaching     Actual cost £139,508
VP responsible for PP strategy to consistently review the strategy and implement actions	Intervention strategy was frequently reviewed and adapted according to identified needs within the Academy. Despite this, attendance of students to school dipped just below national average.
AVP with responsibility of T&L to look at curriculum/department approach to PP progress	Progress for disadvantaged students was below that of non – disadvantaged students in many subjects, however disadvantaged students in Religious Education and Sociology made above expected progress in their GCSE courses. Disadvantaged students who completed vocational courses in Engineering, Food Technology, Health and Social Care, ICT & Sport also achieved positive progress.
CPD	High quality CPD has resulted in the quality of education being rated as Good during Ofsted.
Enhanced leadership roles in key subjects to support with progress of PP pupils	Recruitment of a Head of Department in MFL has raised the standard of the quality of education within this subject. Although progress was not as positive as it could have been, work continues to be done to develop the curriculum, raise the profile of languages across the Academy and improve outcomes in this area.

Activity	Impact
Targeted Academic Support     Actual cost £384,052
HLTA/Learning Support Assistants	Recruitment of support staff and training of current TA’s to HLTA level has enhanced the quality of provision that has been provided. It has also allowed more small group intervention and in class support to happen allowing move disadvantaged students to receive specific support.
SEND support	Small group interventions and in lesson support continues to support students who may be behind their peers and raise the quality of lessons across the Academy. Specific year 11 Disadvantaged students were supported in lessons and in their GCSE examinations.
Increased staffing in English allows for smaller group sizes and targeted interventions	A Director of Learning in English was employed and has raised the standard of the quality of education within the subject. This has resulted in an overall improvement of the progress of students in the subject. Although the 2024 outcomes for English suggest the impact wasn’t as effective as desired for year 11 students, work is continuing to drive the improvement of overall progress through reviewing and adapting the curriculum
Year 11 English Lunchtime Intervention Club	Increase in the groups progress score from -0.95 at the start of the intervention and moved to -0.37 at the end of the 6 week cycle.
Year 11 before and after School Intervention	Targeted support in Maths and English for PP students showed that an average improvement in Maths of +0.68, and + 1.12 in English.
Data Manager – Intervention triggered by data provision and analysis	Consistently used throughout the year to inform staff of underperforming pupils, plan and implement support, target interventions, and measure the impact of these.
Use of external training providers to support with teaching and learning strategies	School improvement directors have allowed staff to receive bespoke support to develop their teaching practice through coaching and observations.

Activity	Impact
Wider Strategies     Actual cost £165,025
Use of external training providers to support with PP student’s behaviour and well-being	Staff have received training on Mental Health and Wellbeing, and personal development in order to provide suitable support to students
External Mentoring – use of outside provider for group work and 1-2-1 support for PP students identified as needing further support	1 to 1 mentoring to support student’s needs, this has been implemented to support progress and behaviour. Some students made improvements in behaviour.
Role of Attendance officer slightly changed in order to have more time to work on initiatives to reduce level of persistent absenteeism, alongside the attendance administrator	Attendance of our whole Academy cohort for 2023 – 2024 is below national average. However, attendance of our disadvantaged students was higher than the national attendance average. This is due to the work of our Attendance Officer and Family Support Worker, who has developed links with some of our disadvantaged students’ families. A high number of students continue to be persistently absent, and this will be a focus for 2024 – 2025 academic year.
‘Early Intervention Programme’ used in order to improve outcomes for PP students, and to reduce the number of PP students moving to EHL3.	The use of the Early Intervention Programme has reduced the numbers of students moving to EHL3 in 23-24 from the previous year.

Activity	Impact
Enrichment + initiative – targeted PP students	A wider offer of Enrichment sessions have been delivered over the year. We have also seen an increase in students attending Enrichment sessions.
Hardship Support to support the needs of PP students and their families	Difficult to measure impact, however a large proportion of families accessed support with some improvement in attendance and progress.
Revision Guides for PP students	All year 10 and 11 students have received revision guides which are used both in lessons and as part of home learning.
Extra – Curricular activities targeting PP students	Number of students attending extracurricular activities has increased. The range of activities available for students this year has also increased.
Subsidised trips and visits for PP students	Numerous trips across a variety of subjects and year groups were fully funded by the school.
DofE – targeting PP students to participate	40 students enrolled on the DofE course at a subsidised rate. 9 students have completed the course in full, with the number set to increase before the end of 2024.
Literacy Resources and Initiatives for PP students Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary identified across all subject areas	Implemented the reading programme for all students working below functional reading. Students also access reading for pleasure lessons as part of their curriculum. Impact of this is: Year 7 – Average improvement in reading age: 8.8 months, students reading below functional reduced from 28% to 21% Year 8 – Average improvement in reading age: 4.23 months, students reading below functional reduced from 9% to 6%. Year 9 – Average improvement in reading age: 1.79 months, students reading age below functional is 2%. Year 10 – Average improvement in reading age: 0.80 months, students reading below functional 1%

Externally Provided Programmes

Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you purchased in the previous academic year. This will help the Department for Education identify which ones are popular in England

Programme	Provider
Mentoring (1-2-1 and group support)	Reflexions
Mentoring (1-2-1 and group support)	Base 25