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Westgate Primary

Pupil Premium

Funding received 2024-25  -  £78,439

What is Pupil Premium?

The pupil premium grant is an allocation of funding from central government to narrow attainment gaps between pupils from low-income disadvantaged families and their non-disadvantaged peers. The amount received by each school is dependent on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM), who are Children in Care (ChIC) or children of members of the Armed Forces. The pupil premium funding is used to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.

Main Barriers to Learning

At Westgate, we have identified the following main barriers to learning for our disadvantaged pupils:

  • Upon entry to EYFS children have poor speech and language skills including poor communication and language and limited understanding of vocabulary.
  • Low attainment in Reading, Writing and Maths and therefore the attainment gap needs to be narrowed.
  • Weak vocabulary knowledge and poor communication skills.
  • Low aspirations and more limited knowledge of the world.
  • Low confidence and self-esteem, particularly with those pupils who are EAL and/or SEND.

Objectives of the Pupil Premium

Our key objective when allocating the pupil premium grant is to narrow and close the gaps in achievement between all groups of pupils including those who have additional SEND needs or those who are already attaining expected levels. However, we recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered to qualify for free school meals and we reserve the right to allocate the funding to support any pupil or group of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged. The majority of any group will be made up of pupils eligible for free school meals.

The national trend in attainment levels for free school meal pupils is lower than those who do not receive free school meals. Through targeted interventions, together with quality first teaching in class, we have strived to reduce this gap. For any FSM pupils who start school with low attainment on entry, our focus is for them to make accelerated progress to ensure they are 'secondary ready' by the time they leave us in Year 6.

How will the money be used at Westgate Primary School?

At Westgate Primary School, we look at how the money is best spent by considering the individual needs of each child. There are a broad range of uses for the money but when we consider how best it is to be used, the only criteria is that it must support the school in raising the child’s academic achievement so they are at least in line with their peers. 

We ensure teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all the pupils and ensure appropriate provision is organised for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups. This includes ensuring that the needs of disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed. The range of provision includes:

  • Small group work focused on overcoming gaps in learning in reading, writing and maths, e.g., Year 6 booster groups before and after school.

  • Additional support in the Early Years for early intervention programmes.

  • Intervention groups that enable pupils to 'keep up' with learning.
  • The SLT and SENCO ensure appropriate provision is provided across the school.

  • Curriculum enrichment activities, e.g., working with local secondary schools on projects for enrichment in Art and writing.

  • Targeted financial support, e.g. for first hand experiences, technology to enhance and support learning, counselling and well-being programmes.

Together with these initiatives there is a great emphasis on high quality provision within the classroom including:

  • Adapted learning for pupils through careful use of Learning Challenges in all subjects and teaching pupils in small steps.

  • Opportunities for collaborative learning to demonstrate that concepts, that have been taught, can be used and applied independently.
  • Pupils are given sufficient time to respond to marking codes in order to make further progress and deepen their understanding of the work.

  • Daily opportunities are given for children to reflect on their own learning and self-assess or peer-assess work alongside their peers.

  • Regular opportunities are also provided for parents/carers to discuss their child’s learning across each term.

Reporting

The attainment and progress of pupil premium pupils is monitored closely by teaching staff and the Senior Leadership Team. All staff are involved in the analysis of data and discussions during both pupil progress and RSL meetings to identify any concerns and actions being taken to address them.

Regular reports will be provided to the Governing body in relation to Pupil Premium expenditure and impact.

At the end of the academic year, the governors of the school will ensure there is an annual statement to parents, published on the school website, regarding how the Pupil Premium funding has been used to address the issues of ‘narrowing the gap’ for socially disadvantaged pupils. This will be undertaken within the requirements published by the Department for Education.

You can find more about Pupil Premium funding by clicking here: Pupil Premium