Pupil premium strategy

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.

School overview

Detail	Data
Number of pupils in school	210
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils	17%
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)	2022 - 2025
Date this statement was published	April 2023
Date on which it will be reviewed	Nov 2024 and Nov 25
Statement authorised by	David Lodge
Pupil premium lead	David Lodge
Governor / Trustee lead	Jill Knight

Funding overview

Detail	Amount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year	£61,380.00
Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year	£0
Pupil premium (and recovery 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	£61,380.00 for the year 2024/25.

Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan

Statement of intent

Our intention is to challenge the national trend that because a pupil is EFSM they cannot achieve as well as non–FSM pupils.

Our philosophy is that we believe in attainment in education for all pupils; that all have the right to the opportunity and experience of breadth of learning that we offer at Countess Anne.

We therefore spend our Pupil Premium monies primarily on Ever Free School Meal Pupils, recognising that not all of these pupils are able to access opportunities, both inside and outside of school, as freely as others.

How we spend the money has been influenced by the Education Endowment Foundation which recognises the impact of early intervention, formative assessment and individual/small group work. In addition, we have responded to the work of Gutman, L. & Shoon, L (2013) who highlight the importance and impact of non-cognitive skills on the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Therefore, we have targeted monies to ensure that all pupils have access to the full range of our wider enrichment opportunities both within and beyond the school as well as the core curriculum.

Alongside this year’s Pupil Premium money is the Recovery Premium. This money has been set aside to provide tutoring/ small group work for our current year 1 and 6 pupils. The school recognises that these years group have experienced lockdown in years that would have prepared them for their associated tests and so feel that it is appropriate that we use this money to support them to progress. Tutoring will focus on supporting pupils in making progress in Maths, Writing and phonics ensuring that Yr 1 have the phonic skills to engage in the year two curriculum and that Yr 6 are best prepared for secondary school.

Why spend pupil premium money on our Free School Meal (FSM) pupils:

Context:

Acorn Index* Singles and couples live in some of the lower cost terraced housing and flats in the locality. There is some renting, both private and social, and nearly all the owned housing is well below the median price.
There are more young people and pre-school children than average. Relatively few might have educational qualifications at A level and most have clerical, administrative or skilled manual jobs.
Incomes are generally below the national median. The proportions claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance, disability benefits and single parent benefits are well above average. The main earner in perhaps one in ten households will have state benefits as their only source of income. As a result fewer people will have significant savings or investments and some may have issues with debt repayment.
A child becoming a FSM pupil can affect them at any point within their learning journey, for example:
Attainment on entry into the school when they enter Reception Class may be below their peers.
Not passing their year one phonics screening test.
Not being able to access extra-curricular provision such as cycling proficiency, learning to play a musical instrument, support from home or access a club

*Acorn: National data base: population report 2022-2023

Challenges

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

Challenge number	Detail of challenge
1	Attainment gap: Assessment and pupil progress reviews show that our PPG pupils achieve less well than our non-disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and maths. Progress for writing has been further exacerbated by COVID and the lockdowns – writing being harder to teach remotely and our PPG pupils less likely to engage with on-line learning. A range of interventions, both whole school and small group, needs to be implemented to ensure that all pupils have the opportunities to achieve well at school.
2	Assessments, observations, and discussion with pupils indicate underdeveloped oral language skills and vocabulary gaps among many disadvantaged pupils. These are evident from Reception through to KS2 and in general are more prevalent among our disadvantaged pupils than their peers.
3	Phonics understanding impacting on reading outcomes in KS1. PPG pupils are less likely to pass the phonics screening test or to make enough progress by the end of year 2. The pupils typically have less access to books at home and are less likely to read with/to an adult at home on a regular basis.
4	Pastoral needs: Referrals to support pupils with low self-esteem, identity and self-efficacy have increased since COVID. Observations with pupil and parents suggest the need to increase pastoral support for both these groups beyond that of what the class teachers provide.
5	Experience Gap / Removing barriers to the wider curriculum: Teacher and pupil discussions suggest that our disadvantaged pupils have a reduced life experience, for example never having been to London, seen a mountain or visited a zoo. Due to reduced income and the increase in the cost of living EFSM families are less likely to take advantage of wider curriculum opportunities for their children. This is supported by the Acorn Data, which shows that income levels are below the national media and that main earners within a household can be those on state benefits.

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
Improved writing attainment among disadvantaged pupils at the end of KS2.	A greater proportion of disadvantaged pupils meet the expected standard/greater depth in each year group (tracked termly).The gap between PPG and non-disadvantaged is narrowed.
Improved oral language skills and vocabulary among disadvantaged pupils.	Assessments and observations indicate significantly improved oral language among disadvantaged pupils. This is evident when triangulated with other sources of evidence, including engagement in lessons, book scrutiny and ongoing formative assessment
Improved phonics skills among disadvantaged pupils.	Increase in proportion of KS1 disadvantaged pupils passing their Yr 1 phonics screening and achieving the expected standard by the end of KS1.
To achieve and sustain improved wellbeing for all pupils in our school, particularly our disadvantaged pupils.	Sustained high levels of wellbeing as demonstrated by quantitative and qualitative data such as attendance, behaviour analysis, pupil voice and parent surveys.
Increase and sustain participation in the enrichment opportunities and wider curriculum that the school offers.	Increase in participation in enrichment activities among our disadvantaged pupils and 100% attendance at residential.

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. £61,380.00.

Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost: £61380.00 covering the cost of £8509 for continual professional development in the use of resources to support English, Music and Assessment.

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Provide training and support for staff new to teaching of phonics	Phonics approaches have a strong evidence base that indicates a positive impact on the accuracy of the word reading (though not necessarily comprehension) particularly for disadvantaged pupils. £360 – supply cover https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/phonics	1,3
Development of subject specific vocabulary to be a focus of all subject leaders.	Vocabulary is introduced in a logical sequence across subjects. Pupils develop a wider vocabulary and the ability to link words and make connections. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/oral-language-interventions	1, 2, 3
Provide training and support for all staff in the adaption and implementation of a whole school Talk for Writing approach.	Talk for writing programme approach has a strong evidence base for proving to be effective in raising standards in writing across a whole school. 10 days training (3 whole staff training days plus 7 consultancy days of support) £4250 per year https://www.talk4writing.com/about/does-talk-for-writing-work/ https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/talk-for-writing	1,3
Training and support to ensure that there is teacher alignment and confidence in using formative assessment to its greatest impact.	According to EEF, effective feedback can have a ‘very high impact for very low cost based on extensive evidence. £1196 O-track software annual cost https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/feedback	1,2,3
Voices foundation provide a sing coach to model and train teachers in singing.	By providing a high level of coaching and teaching competency for all pupils, all are better equipped to access wider curriculum opportunities in music. £2703 – annual cost https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/arts-participation	1,5

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

Budgeted cost: £0 tutor grant contributing to a cost of £12,192.46

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Additional phonics sessions targeted at disadvantaged pupils who require further phonics support using resources from our systematic synthetic phonics programme.	Phonics approaches have a strong evidence base that indicates a positive impact on the accuracy of the word reading (though not necessarily comprehension) particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Small group intervention means that pupils not making enough progress (especially disadvantaged pupils) can benefit from targeted support. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/phonics https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/small-group-tuition	1,3
Volunteers used to provide additional 1:1 reading support with priority given to PPG reading. Training provided for volunteers who hear pupils read to improve the quality of their intervention.	Improved quality of intervention provided by volunteers in school. PPG pupils given additional opportunities to practise reading skills.	1
Maths group	Regular small group targeted support for disadvantaged pupils. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/small-group-tuition	1
Easter school	Additional intervention planned over the Easter break targeting disadvantaged pupils and those not making enough progress. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/summer-schools	1
Writing group	Small group intervention targeting disadvantaged pupils so that they benefit teaching beyond the school day. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/small-group-tuition	1

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing) Budgeted cost: £67386.05

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Ensure all PPG children have access to at least one club after school or in school enrichment opportunities such as music lessons	ü Enrichment programme including Arts and Crafts, Music & sports club ü Free access to Instrumental lessons one day per week ü Enrichment programme ü Swimming and cycling proficiency https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/arts-participation	5
Ensure that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils are able to access outdoor adventure learning opportunities.	ü Yr2 & Yr 4 Cuffley residential subsidy ü Yr6 Snowdonia and Lake District residential subsidy Outdoor Adventure Learning might provide opportunities for disadvantaged pupils to participate in activities that they otherwise might not be able to access. Through participation in these challenging physical and emotional activities, outdoor adventure learning interventions can support pupils to develop non-cognitive skills such as resilience, self-confidence and motivation.	4, 5
Art therapy	ü Family Support courses https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/parental-engagement ü Art therapy and pastoral support - specialised programmes which use elements of SEL and is targeted at pupils with particular social or emotional needs. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/social-and-emotional-learning https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/behaviour-interventions	4

Total budgeted cost: £61380.00 contributing to a cost of £81985.05

Part B: Review of the previous academic year

Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils

Impact summary of the 2023 – 2024 pupil premium spend at Countess Anne:

Intended outcome	Impact
Improved writing attainment among disadvantaged pupils at the end of KS2.	There continues to be an improving picture from 2022 with 71.4% Countess Anne (CA) disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard or higher compared to 77% national non-disadvantaged (NN-D) in 2024. 14.3% of CA’s Yr 6 disadvantaged pupils compared with 15.5% of NN-D pupils achieved the higher standard. When compared to other Hertfordshire figures for CA disadvantaged pupils (71.4%) is significantly higher: Hertfordshire: 52.9% Welwyn Hatfield: 52.3% Overall 73.3% of CA pupils achieved the standard or higher compared to 71.8% of national. In summary, introducing the Talk for Writing (started Jan ’23) project and the targeted support has had impact especially in the area of % achieving greater depth. However, more progress needs to be seen in closing the gap in those dis. pupils and NN-D pupils achieving the standard or higher. This is expected to happen as both staff and pupils become more familiar and skilled in using the talk for wring approach.
Improved oral language skills and vocabulary among disadvantaged pupils.	Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are growing in confidence when having to talk knowledgeably about a range of subjects: Science 2023: A parent comment via email to the school: ‘This morning, at the science museum, he took the time to explain all the models in the year 6 display. Not only was he very knowledgeable, but unbelievably polite and courteous. I felt I needed to acknowledge his behaviour. He really was such a credit to the school. It's lovely to see the children with so much confidence’. Music: Email from a visiting group of professional singers: ‘We were all so struck by the children's exemplary behaviour, precocity with musical terminology, and singing ability. We've all done this sort of workshop in a large number of primary schools - personally this is definitely the best group I've ever had and the others said similar’. Pupil voice: Do you play a musical instrument? What difference does this make to you? Yes – piano and violin. It makes a big difference to me. I can now play Twinkle, twinkle because I’ve been practising. Work scrutinys show that key subject specific vocabulary is beginning to be used correctly in the foundation subjects, e.g. Humanities work scrutiny Summer 2024 – recorded that a strength was the wider use of subject vocab, whilst the expansion of pupils’ vocabulary is being addressed through the use of Cracking Comprehension, Talk For Writing and a new reading spine which has been introduced throughout the school. Disadvantaged pupil voice shows pupils to perceive themselves as learners e.g: 07/02/24: 1) Yes I am a learner – I have learnt about maths and I have learn to how to draw – in science put vinegar on crystals and they didn’t fizz. In art I made a self-portrait with wire - I think it’s about line. 2) 2) Accelerated reader – helps me to understand the book. My Mum helps me with maths. The other adults in the classroom – they help by starting the question and then letting us do the rest. They show how to do stuff and then expect us to do it on our own. 3) That the Nile is the longest river and it goes through 11 or 12 countries. Reading Results at the end of KS2 2024 were higher than national with CA disadvantaged pupils (85.7%) performing better than national non-disadvantaged (78.9%). In addition, at greater depth KS2 CA disadvantaged (57.1%) achieved higher than national non-disadvantaged (32.6%). In summary excellent progress is being made in building pupils’ vocabulary this is evident across the breadth of the curriculum and also in pupils’ key stage reading results.
Improved phonics skills among disadvantaged pupils.	Effective interventions in yrs 2 and 3 mean that only one pupil who hadn’t passed their phonics screening in yr 1 at CA has yet to pass – this is due specific learning difficulties. The school’s % threshold has increased (86.7%) and is now above the national (78.9%) 2024. A highlight and very positive feature is that 60% of the cohort achieved a mark of 38/40 or higher. 4 pupils didn’t pass in 2024 – however two scored in the high 20s and 50% of pupil premium pupils did pass scoring 40 /40 and 38/40. The school continues to review its English provision wanting to make further improvements. To this end, all staff are being trained in the use of a new synthetic phonics approach called Sounds–Write. This approach complements the Talk for Writing approach and provides appropriate support for all pupils from Reception to Yr 6.
To achieve and sustain improved wellbeing for all pupils in our school, particularly our disadvantaged pupils.	Autumn 2024/25: Parent and pupil voice remains very positive amongst the vast majority of pupils including those of disadvantaged pupils; 100% families reported their children as safe and happy at school. This is particularly evident in the school’s attendance figures – at the time of writing this impact review 2024/25 the school attendance was 97.1% which is significantly higher than national 94.1%. Where disadvantaged pupil’s attendance is inline with that of non-disadvantaged. Examples of disadvantaged pupils’ voice taken from governors’ and SLT monitoring: ‘Violin – when I play with others we can work together and it makes me feel special. I count it as one of my talents and it gives me confidence’. ‘I do lots of clubs, netball, band and football – they are important to me so that I can get better – I learn new skills each time. I play the violin – this makes me like classical music. If you took the violin away from me I wouldn’t feel normal – I’ve played it for two terms now – I used to play the glockenspiel and it wouldn’t feel that normal. Yes the school gives me enough support learn and enjoy school’.
Increase and sustain participation in the enrichment opportunities and wider curriculum that the school offers.	Registers show that 100% of disadvantaged pupils are attending at least one of our enrichment clubs (these occur at lunchtimes and after school). 100% attended their residentials – yrs 2, 4 and 6. Examples of disadvantaged pupils’ voice taken from governors’ and SLT monitoring: *Do you feel you can do more than you thought possible?* T- Yes, because before I climbed the mountain I wasn't that fearless, but now I feel that if I can climb the mountain I can do anything, easier or harder than that. ‘Snowdonia – I enjoyed it. The mountain was scary, especially Devil’s Kitchen as it was really windy and very high. But then I realised that I could do it and was really brave and started giving people a hand up – it made me realise I was going to be a leader’. ‘I enjoyed Cuffley – I learnt that I like the outdoors much more than I used to because I am always on technology. I go out now – e.g cycling and my Mum rides with me’.