Pupil Premium
At Torquay Academy:
- We believe in the capacity of every pupil to achieve at the highest levels
- We do not believe that social or financial disadvantage should ever be an obstacle to a young person’s life chances
- We use every funding source and educational strategy at our disposal to remove barriers to success for our pupils
- We encourage every pupil to believe in themselves and their potential to achieve
- We support every pupil to take pride in their achievements and to always aspire to achieve even more
The Academy aims to use this funding to create a positive impact on the academic achievement and progress of students entitled to it. This includes literacy interventions, evening school classes, the study centre, a breakfast club, music tuition, maths and science intervention, financial support for trips, Thrive intervention, safeguarding support and tackling persistent absence. The relative cost and impact of these interventions are shown in the Pupil Premium Pupil Premium – Allocation, Spend and Impact document.
We use detailed analyses to look at the progress of pupil premium students compared with non-pupil premium students within the Academy and nationally. This helps us identify areas of strength and where we should target resources for individuals or groups of students.
Middle leaders and teachers target different groups for a wide range of bespoke interventions. This is supported with mentoring that is delivered by staff and other students.
Staff have a strong moral commitment to improving opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and a strong belief in what they can achieve. There is a dedicated Senior Leadership Team Champion and Governor Champion for Pupil Premium students.
TA’s Challenge Partner review identified our work in pupil premium as an area of national excellence: “With the academy’s uncompromising drive to improve further, outcomes for disadvantaged students are set to improve year on year. The Principal has plans to recruit even more staff so that pupil premium students will receive enhanced support, almost on an individual basis, that will ensure they make better progress, boosting their life chances even further.
2020-2021 Pupil Premium review
Key aims for 2020-2021:
FUTURE: Ensure the profile of PP students is high and is well-communicated to staff.
ENGAGE: Carefully monitor the provision for PP students; ensure staff analyse PP progress.
DELIVER: Embed structural reform to prioritise PP students.
Summary evaluation
We have implemented a large number of approaches over the last two years focused on quality teaching for all. This has led to an improvement in results generally for students, including pupil premium students.
We have, in addition, established a clear link between students’ effort (as evidenced by their position on the effort boards) and their GCSE outcomes. We have implemented a new careers strategy to improve students’ understanding of their post 16 options.
Now we are focusing more closely on individualised intervention for students. We have analysed the performance of different groups of pupil premium students and have identified that PP4 students (those who have been entitled to free school meals for four out of the last six years) achieve lower Progress 8 scores than other pupil premium groups.
In addition, we have noted that certain pupil characteristics lead to lower Attainment 8 grades. These are:
- poor attendance
- poor effort
- lack of engagement with homework
- low reading age on entry
We track students in each of these categories and particularly identify students with more than one of these indicators. We then intervene and create action plans according to students’ needs.
Date of the next review of the pupil premium strategy: September 2021
PP cohort and budget
Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium (Y7-13): 490 students (32.9%)
Total PP budget: £397,246
Year 7 catch up funding allocation: £18,346
Current achievement (2020 GCSE results)
NB: there are no national performance tables in 2020. These figures, including the national figures, are taken from a data collaboration exercise involving 1277 schools and a total of 211,904 students.
Potential barriers to achievement faced by eligible pupils
In-school barriers
Some PP students are disaffected and achieve low effort grades, which affects their sense of success within lessons.
In key stage 3, some PP students are falling behind their peers, partly due to homework completion quality.
PP students have lower reading ages on average than non-PP students on entry.
Feedback and intervention for PP students needs to be more effective in closing the gap.
PP students are less likely, on average, to take up extra-curricular opportunities.
Additional barriers (including issues which also require action outside school)
Persistent absentees for PP students are higher than non-PP students which impacts progress.
Number of PP students with mental health issues
Parental ability to support students’ academic work, plus attendance at parents’ evenings.
Access to a study area outside of school hours alongside academic resources.
Parental ability to support extra-curricular / cultural capital activities.
Pupil Premium Spending & Impact Summary
- Investment in Staffing – Vice Principal with responsibility for Narrowing the Gaps, Full-time Safeguarding officer on SLT, smaller class sizes for key stage 3 nurture group students, intervention/SEN teaching assistants
- Investment in Quality First Teaching
- Investment in Aspiration
- Investment in Data Analysis
- Investment in Most Able Pupil Premium Students
- Investment in Intervention
- Investment in safeguarding and attendance
Investment in Quality First Teaching
- TAPD (Torquay Academy Professional Development sessions)
- Coaching
- Twilight based on TLAC (Teach like a champion)#
- Teaching Assistant training
- Most Able training
- Feedback stickers
- Resourcing data driven teaching – assessments, green stickers
- Staffing English and Maths
Investment in Aspiration
- New bespoke exercise books showing university options
- Effort boards
- Growth mindset displays
- Careers Advice
- Music tuition
- University boards
- Challenging targets DfE +1.33
Investment in Data Analysis
- SISRA Analytics
- RAISE internal
- Atkinson reports
- ALPS
- Full time data manager
Investment in Most Able Pupil Premium Students
- High Performance academy
- Production of challenge tasks
- Funding of enrichment activities
- Brilliant Club
- B-to-A* / 6-to-9 sessions and stickers
Investment in Intervention
- Study Centre
- Lexia
- Lexonic
- Lexplore
- Rise and read
- Breakfast club
- Evening school
- Thrive
- Period 6
- School Counsellor
Investment in safeguarding and attendance
- Attendance officers
- Full time safeguarding officer on SLT
2019-2020 Pupil Premium review
Key aims for 2019-2020:
Future (PROFILE): Ensure the profile of PP students is high and is well-communicated to staff.
Engage (STAFF): Carefully monitor the provision for PP students; ensure staff analyse PP progress.
Deliver (ACTIONS): Embed structural reform to prioritise PP students.
Summary evaluation
We have implemented a large number of approaches over the last two years focused on quality teaching for all. This has led to an improvement in results generally for students, including pupil premium students.
We have, in addition, established a clear link between students’ effort (as evidenced by their position on the effort boards) and their GCSE outcomes. We have implemented a new careers strategy to improve students’ understanding of their post 16 options.
Now we are focusing more closely on individualised intervention for students. We have analysed the performance of different groups of pupil premium students and have identified that PP4 students (those who have been entitled to free school meals for four out of the last six years) achieve lower Progress 8 scores than other pupil premium groups. Our strategy for this year is positive discrimination for PP4 students.
Full details of our Pupil Premium review are given in the Pupil Premium Strategy 2019-2020 document available below.
Date of the next review of the pupil premium strategy: September 2020
PP cohort and budget
Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium (Y7-13): 496 students (34.6%)
Total PP budget: £395,804.80
Year 7 catch up funding allocation: £18,699.00
Current achievement (2019 GCSE results)
Potential barriers to achievement faced by eligible pupils
In-school barriers
Some PP students are disaffected and achieve low effort grades, which affects their sense of success within lessons.
In key stage 3, some PP students are falling behind their peers, partly due to homework completion quality.
PP students have lower reading ages on average than non-PP students on entry.
Feedback and intervention for PP students needs to be more effective in closing the gap.
PP students are less likely, on average, to take up extra-curricular opportunities.
Despite the strong overall performance in English 2019 there is a larger gap (+1.120 vs -0.059). In maths the gap is narrower although overall performance is weaker (+0.498 vs -0.282). EBacc subjects, particularly humanities, underperform (-0.010 vs -0.660).
Additional barriers (including issues which also require action outside school)
Persistent absentees for PP students are higher than non-PP students which impacts progress.
Number of PP students with mental health issues
Parental ability to support students’ academic work, plus attendance at parents’ evenings.
Access to a study area outside of school hours alongside academic resources.
Parental ability to support extra-curricular / cultural capital activities.
Pupil Premium Spending & Impact Summary
- Investment in Staffing – Vice Principal with responsibility for Narrowing the Gaps, Full-time Safeguarding officer on SLT, smaller class sizes for key stage 3 nurture group students, intervention/SEN teaching assistants
- Investment in Quality First Teaching
- Investment in Aspiration
- Investment in Data Analysis
- Investment in Most Able Pupil Premium Students
- Investment in Intervention
- Investment in safeguarding and attendance
Investment in Quality First Teaching
APD (Torquay Academy Professional Development sessions)
Coaching
Twilight based on TLAC (Teach like a champion)
Teaching Assistant training
Most Able training
Feedback stickers
Resourcing data driven teaching – assessments, green stickers
Staffing English and Maths
Investment in Aspiration
New bespoke exercise books showing university options
Effort boards
Growth mindset displays
Careers Advice
Music tuition
University boards
Challenging targets DfE +1.33
Investment in Data Analysis
SISRA Analytics
RAISE internal
Atkinson reports
ALPS
Full time data manager
Investment in Most Able Pupil Premium Students
High Performance academy:
Production of challenge tasks
Funding of enrichment activities
Brilliant Club
B-to-A* / 6-to-9 sessions and stickers
Investment in Intervention
Study Centre
Lexia
Lexonic
Rise and read
Breakfast club
Evening school
Thrive
Period 6
School Counsellor
Investment in safeguarding and attendance
Attendance officers
Full time safeguarding officer on SLT