Pupil Premium
Every school has a duty to ensure that all students have the opportunity of achieving their potential. This duty is central to our existence as a Catholic School and achieving the best for every single student is a key aim of Holy Family Catholic High School.
The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011. It is allocated to schools to support children from low income families, who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) as well children who are in care, who the Government refer to as Children Looked After (CLA). Holy Family School receives £42,526 for the Pupil Premium.
As a school we seek to meet the individual needs of all students in order for them to develop their God given potential. We manage all forms of funding carefully to enable us to offer personalised support for children using wide range of strategies. This report summarises how the funding is used to support students who are eligible for Pupil Premium funding.
1 Specialist SEN Support: £6005
A specialist SEN department who provide support for students with particular educational needs. The funding has enabled the school to establish a department with a high number of teaching assistant who are able to offer specific support
2 Curriculum Support and Advice: £5227
A curriculum that is under constant review, which is designed to offer maximum flexibility to meet the needs of students. This is supported by a programme of guidance for students as they make choices, including one to one support for students and their families where this is required. The funding enables the school to provide appropriate College placements and provide transport where necessary. This positively impacts on student motivation and outcomes.
This support also includes individual careers advice to all students by a trained adviser who is employed by the school for one day each week, with additional support being provided to those who at risk of becoming NEETs.
3 Curriculum Enrichment Opportunities: £2500
A broad and varied extra-curricular programme to offer experience outside the classroom and to help build a supportive community. Financial support to ensure that students do not miss educational opportunities due to financial hardship.
4 Catholic Care Counsellor: £7750
The school employs a Catholic Care counsellor for one day each week. This is a confidential service which provides students with the tools to cope with any problems or issues that they may have which may be impacting on their studies or confidence in school.
5 School Based Counsellor: £8000
The school employs our own trained counsellor who also acts as a mentor meeting students individually on a weekly basis to discuss current grades and any issues that they have. The mentor is also in regular contact with teachers and with parents/carers in order to ensure that all parties are aware of progress and issues that will influence future success.
6 Intervention Programme: £13,147
The sophisticated data systems that we have in school, along with our extensive knowledge of each individual, enable us to identify the students who will benefit from one to one, or small group support in key subject areas, for example English and Maths. The funding allows the school to provide this support, therefore enabling an increased number of students to achieve their potential. The funding has enabled the school to increase staffing in English to further enhance intervention and facilitate smaller group sizes.
Total Spend = £42,629
We have a culture of continuous review and improvement in school that enables us to evaluate the impact of all strategies used to meet the needs of students, including the strategies funded by the Pupil Premium. While we firmly believe that we can always improve, the following points outline some of the evidence that individual needs are being addressed in school:
High levels of attendance, along with positive responses from student surveys tell us that children enjoy coming to school and feel safe and supported. Analysis of National data indicates that attendance rates are higher at Holy Family School than the National average for all secondary schools.
National examination statistics show that students at Holy Family School make good progress. An example is the ‘Value Added’ measure, which analyses progress made by students. This is consistently above the 1000 benchmark. We believe that this is an important measure, which demonstrates that we address the needs of all students, not just specific groups within a cohort. Analysis of National data indicates that students who are in receipt of the pupil premium achieve well at Holy Family school compared with this group nationally.
High standards of behaviour demonstrated by students and low exclusion rates. This shows that students are positively engaged in school, as a result of the support provided. Analysis of National data indicates that exclusion rates are lower at Holy Family School than the National average for all secondary schools.
We have an exceptionally high number of students who progress on to appropriate further education or training after their time at Holy Family School. We believe that this is due to the close links that we have with Colleges, Training Providers and the Careers Service as well as the knowledge that we have on each individual, ensuring that we provide detailed information, advice and guidance. The number of our 2012 cohort of students who are believed to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) is zero.
We have very high levels of participation in extra-curricular activities. This includes lunchtime activities, involvement in sporting and performing arts activities, local and national competitions and educational visits. The richness of these activities is enhanced by the involvement of students of all abilities and from a wide social background.
