Do you remember what you were doing in April 2011?
It was the month Kate Middleton married Prince William, when tensions in Syria reached new heights, when the mobile game Angry Birds game was at its zenith – and when Pupil Premium was first introduced.
Since then, we’ve seen the arrival of a whole new assessment and accountability system, a new curriculum, two Ofsted frameworks and the turnover of five education secretaries (not to mention three prime ministers, at least at the time of writing).
Equitable, not equal
Practice has certainly changed and evolved as the years have gone by, but what’s remained fairly constant is a general level of worry regarding Pupil Premium funding. That’s hardly surprising, given the (quite rightly) high level of accountability linked to it. Pupil Premium outcomes aren’t just published, but scrutinised by Ofsted and regularly subject to external reviews and governors’ lines of enquiry.
In my experience, the worry stems from misinformation or conflicting opinions as to what school are ‘supposed to be doing’ with Pupil Premium. I’ve seen some schools track with forensic detail what’s been spent on every ‘Pupil Premium child’ as though it were a bursary attached to the child (it isn’t). I’ve seen desperate attempts to transform the academic achievements of a ‘Pupil Premium child’ within a term.
With knowledge, however, comes confidence. When leading on Pupil Premium, examine the guidelines and communicate them to those who need to know them. Then, instead of being asked to achieve the unnecessary by anxious colleagues or board members, you can refer to the facts and develop your strategy from there, safe in the knowledge that your advice is based on accurate information, rather than myth. Knowing the guidance inside out brings you great freedom, given that they’re clear, yet broad.
In summary, the Pupil Premium grant is designed to improve the academic outcomes of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities, and close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers across the country. That’s the long and the short of it. The guidance also states that there’s no expectation that schools should spend the grant only on eligible pupils, or on a ‘per-eligible pupil’ basis. In essence, it’s a grant to be used equitably (rather than equally), and is there to be used on a needs basis. On this, the guidance is clear.
Short, mid and long
It’s ill-advised to throw everything into the last term of Year 6, as this alone does little to improve the lifelong chances of a disadvantaged child. That might get them over the line, but it’s sustained support and sustained school improvement that will have the most far-reaching and meaningful impact. I’d recommend taking a short-, mid- and long-term approach to Pupil Premium planning, since some short term projects are perfectly legitimate. Setting aside some of a reserved ‘inclusion pot’ for children to attend a residential they might not otherwise be able to, for example, or for a specialist to work with a child who has experienced trauma for half a term before transition.
A longer term project might involve committing to a three-year development programme to improve an area of school practice, such as providing ‘Power of Reading’ training for a number of teachers each year for three years.
It would be disingenuous to list the ‘best ways’ of using Pupil Premium funding. What’s key is that it meets the needs of your pupils. Assessing this requires careful attention, and is worth committing some spend to.
Forensic analysis
I once worked with a headteacher who was a master at this type of forensic analysis and would scrutinise everything. That included pupils’ historical attendance data, which days they missed, which clubs they attended, even which parts children played in school productions, along with parental attendance at consultation evenings. Combined with the school’s attainment data, she developed a detailed understanding of various barriers and trends. In one instance, she identified a drop-off in KS2 attendance figures, whereby children in receipt of free school meals came to school less often from Y3 onwards. This informed her targeting of support and additional investment in the Y2 to Y3 transition, instructing the family support worker to target this age group and building a careful plan of enrichment for the entirety of Y3 that met the interests of that particular year group. Attendance subsequently went up and was sustained into Y4.
I’m a strong advocate for specialist assessment. Secondary school SENCos will often undertake specialist assessment training, so that they’re qualified to assess for access arrangements. Sadly, however, few primary SENCos get to complete such qualifications. The Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing offered online by Real Training, for example, is a fantastic form of professional development. Having someone on staff confident enough to conduct a range of assessments and report accurately on phonological skills, auditory processing and the like is a great asset. It won’t replace input from educational psychologists, but can be a very affordable way of gaining extra insight into the barriers to learning faced by some children which might otherwise be head-scratching.
Yes, there’s the worry that you may eventually lose the staff member you train, but I’m of the view that one more qualified person in education is better than none. It’s just the gamble that schools have to take.
Reaching out
One practical advantage of the accountability standards baked into Pupil Premium is that schools have to publish their impact statements online, which can be a rich source of insight and ideas. Explore just the five schools closest to you, and there’ll be something there you might not have previously thought of. Their strategies may not necessarily fit the needs of your school, but they could certainly send you in new directions.
Having tried this myself, I came to read about CPD in spaced and interleaved learning, a ‘100 must read’ book challenge and an outreach project with one school’s local university, as well as the more standard fare of increased early intervention in speech and language and additional TA support in certain classes. You could go a step further by forging links with these schools and hopping in on each other’s training. I’ve also been able to benefit from match funding provided by other organisations – building up links with local charities, trusts and community interest companies is always something worth exploring.
Finally, concentrate on maximising your grant funding. Is your census being completed accurately? Investing a little time and training in this area will reap dividends. Some schools give out items of school uniform to families for free in return for completed initial enquiry forms regarding free school meal eligibility. The cost of a few jumpers is a small investment for what could be a high return. Persevere with the reminders and efforts at encouraging parents to inform you of their eligibility. Additional school letters, Class Dojo reminders and Facebook posts can potentially bring in several thousands of pounds, which isn’t to be sniffed at during these times of tightened budgets. After all, the children deserve it – which at the end of the day is surely what our job is all about.
Rebecca Leek is director of strategy at ASSET Education and a former SENCo
