Pupil Premium

Detail

Data

Number of pupils in school

686 (Years 7-11)

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

31% (217 pupils)

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers

2024/2025 – 2026-2027

Date this statement was published

December 2024

Date on which it will be reviewed

June 2025

Statement authorised by

Mark Trimingham

Principal

Pupil premium lead

Megan Hoar

Governor / Trustee lead

Phil Harris-Bridge

Detail

Amount

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£208, 950

Pupil 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

£208, 950

• We work together as a team, of both staff and pupils, to develop good, well-rounded people
•  We support all pupils to attend school and support families to try and remove barriers to attendance
• We believe in the capability of our pupils to achieve the highest levels both inside and outside the classroom

• We support our pupils who have barriers to learning, including SEND and Literacy, through robust interventions and monitoring
• We use any funding and educational strategies available to us to try to remove barriers to success for our pupils as we believe that social and financial disadvantages should not be an obstacle to our young people's life opportunities
• We are proud of our pupils and support every pupil to believe in themselves and their potential to achieve
• We encourage our pupils to take pride in their achievements and to hold high expectations for their futures

• We support our pupils in developing the skills and opportunities required to access their chosen Post-16 route

'The Best in Everyone'

Challenge number

Detail of challenge

1

There is a significant attainment gap between our disadvantaged pupils and the national cohort of non-disadvantaged pupils. This needs addressing across our curriculum if we are to truly succeed in our intent of ‘The best in everyone’.

2

The attendance of our disadvantaged pupils is lower than that of our non-dis-advantaged pupils, and of their non-disadvantaged peers nationally. This includes the proportion who are persistently absent. This impacts upon their ability to access our curriculum successfully.

3

The reading ages of a significant proportion of our disadvantaged pupils are below the expected level. This impacts upon their ability to access our curriculum successfully.

4

All teachers need to engage with a comprehensive programme of support and training. At HLA, that includes the development of our teaching ‘playbook’ in line with the principles of ‘quality first teaching’.

5

A significant proportion of our disadvantaged pupils do not routinely access a range of cultural experiences, and some experience difficulty regarding the provision of essential items of uniform and equipment.

6

A significant proportion of our disadvantaged pupils do not have a well-developed understanding or appreciation of the opportunities that academic attainment can present. This can contribute to less ambitious destinations at the end of key stage 4.

7

A significant proportion of our disadvantaged pupils require intensive levels of pastoral care and support in order to function within a school environment.

8

A significant proportion of our disadvantaged pupils experience more barriers to the successful completion of homework and revision than their non-disadvantaged peers.

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Narrow attainment gap between PP and non-PP pupils at Heath Lane Academy and nationally

• Attainment 8 gap between PP and non-PP narrows in year 11 (A8 PP moves towards 50%)
• Numbers of Year 11 pupils leaving with Core 4+ increases

Improve attendance of PP pupils and persistent PP absenteeism

• Whole school number of persistent absentees decreases
• PP attendance increases for all year groups (90%)

Improve reading ages of PP pupils across the school

• Reading ages of PP pupils increases and becomes more in line with non-PP pupils (PP moves closer to 50%+ in stanines 4-9)
• PP pupils accessing literacy interventions regularly

Deliver CPD to support quality-led teaching for both teaching and non-teaching staff

• All teaching staff receive regular, ongoing CPD to become experts in their subject areas
• All year 11 teachers are confident in delivering their specification
• Teaching assistants are confident to deliver and monitor progress in their interventions

Increased number of PP pupils’ access first choice destination options

• All PP pupils in year 11 will leave with meaningful destination courses
• Aspirations in year 11 pupils to attend Further Education or University will increase
• Careers team provide information and aspirations to PP pupils in year 10

Numbers of PP pupils accessing Thrive/Wellbeing support decreases

• PP pupils have an increased enjoyment of school, therefore, numbers of PP pupils accessing well-being and Thrive decreases

Establish systems to allow PP pupils to access uniform, equipment and resources for completing homework

• PP pupils are equipped for the day and numbers of pupils borrowing equipment or uniform decreases
• Numbers of PP pupils completing homework increases

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Lead Practitioners in Core subjects and additional year 11 classes in English, Maths and Science

Leaders of more successful schools emphasise the importance of ‘quality teaching first’. They aim to provide a consistently high standard, through setting expectations, monitoring performance, tailoring teaching and support to suit their pupils and sharing best practice (DfE)

1, 2, 4

Resources to support whole school CPD programme e.g. cover, courses, travel expenses

Professional development can be used to develop a mental model of metacognition and self-regulation, alongside an understanding of teaching metacognitive strategies. (EEF)

1, 2, 4

Purchase of NGRT to test reading ages

NGRT reading assessment data reveals that 37% of year 7 are PP. Of these, 30% have a reading age significantly below their actual age.

Reading comprehension strategies are high impact on average (+6 months). (EEF)

1, 2, 3

Tutor time reading x1 a week

1, 2, 3

Whole school CPD on literacy and supporting weak readers

The DFE in 2016 said that professional development should focus on improving and evaluating pupil outcomes; be underpinned by robust evidence and expertise; and should include collaboration. Above all else, CPD must be prioritised by school leadership

1, 3, 4

Development of oracy across whole school through CPD and curriculum planning

Targeted reading aloud and reciprocal reading allows opportunities for pupils to improve their oracy skills.(EEF)

1, 4

Sparx reader, Seneca, Skills Builder, subscriptions to support homework for whole school

Homework has a positive impact on average (+ 5 months), particularly with pupils in secondary schools. Some pupils may not have a quiet space for home learning. (EEF) 45% of pupils not completing homework at HLA are PPM.

1, 8

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Investment in Lexonic Leap to support interventions for PP and SEND pupils

Reading comprehension strategies are high impact on average (+6 months). Alongside phonics it is a crucial component of early reading instruction. (EEF) This also links to small group tuition which has an average impact of four months’ additional progress over the course of a year. (EEF)

1, 3

LSAs and Librarian and Direct Instruction teacher deliver reading interventions

These interventions are targeted at underachieving pupils and includes those who are PP. This will allow collaborative learning as well supporting pupils meta-cognition and self-regulation (EEF)

1, 3

Additional college courses and study support for PP pupils at significant risk of becoming NEET.

13.2% of all people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in July to September 2024. This is an increase compared with July to September 2023, and up on the previous quarter. (Gov)

1, 6

Thrive Programme – supports several PP pupils who struggle to access the school day, including Anger Management

Data shows that students with low confidence and self-esteem underachieve (Sutton Trust). This is often linked to poor attendance which in turns impacts progress

1, 2, 3, 7

Targeted programme for Year 11 after school intervention.  

Previous internal tracking data highlighted the need for Year 11 PP pupils to receive additional intervention to support achievement.

1

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Uniform and equipment

HLA serve a disadvantaged demographic so it is important to support pupils to access lessons by removing barriers such as uniform.

1, 2, 5

School counsellor to support pupil’s mental health

Data shows that students with low confidence and self-esteem underachieve (Sutton Trust). This is often linked to poor attendance which in turns impacts progress

1, 7

Pastoral support including Teaching Heads of Years

Data shows that students with low confidence and self-esteem underachieve (Sutton Trust). This is often linked to poor attendance which in turns impacts progress

1, 2, 3

Careers Lead to support PP pupils

13.2% of all people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in July to September 2024. This is an increase compared with July to September 2023, and up on the previous quarter. (Gov)

1, 6

We have analysed the performance of our school’s disadvantaged pupils during the 2023 – 24 academic year. We have used a wide range of data, including national assessment data, our own internal assessment data, and our attendance data. We have also considered wider sources of information regarding more qualitative measures, and to help us understand the impact of our strategies.

Attainment at Key Stage 4

In the 2023 – 24 academic year we continued to invest in our teaching staff and their professional development. We designed and launched a school-wide teaching model, and we invested in the recruitment of proven, experienced teachers. We were also able to increasingly draw on and benefit from the support, guidance and resources of United Learning Trust. All these elements combined to improve classroom standards and the consistency in our teaching.

It goes without saying that some of our headline data sits well below our ultimate aspirations for our pupils, but our 2023 – 24 pupil premium cohort included a significant proportion of complex learners. The improvements in teaching standards impacted most strongly on those pupils who were able to access our curriculum consistently. For these pupils we saw positive trends in the attainment data for our pupil premium cohort at 7+ in English, Maths, Science and History. We saw our most significant gains at 5+ in Maths and Combined Science, and in a range of subjects with smaller cohorts: French, Art, Food and Health and Social Care.

Destinations at the end of Key Stage 4

Our pupils’ academic attainment leads them to their respective destinations at the end of Year 11. In 2023 – 24 we continued to invest resources into the support for pupils in Year 11 as they planned for their next steps. We have particularly focussed on encouraging a greater proportion of our pupils to pursue a level 3 pathway. In reality, while the end of key stage 4 provides the ultimate measure of our success in this strand of our strategy, much of the activity is focussed on pupils in the lower years. Pupils enjoyed opportunities to engage with a range of future pathways, including a number of universities. The table below shows the destinations of our pupil premium cohort for 2023 – 24:

Attendance to school

In 2023 – 24 we continued to focus on improving the attendance of all pupils, but especially those with additional potential vulnerabilities, such as socio-economic disadvantage. Our evaluation of key stage 4 outcomes strongly indicated that pupils who consistently accessed our curriculum achieved at significantly higher than their peers with lower attendance.

New leaders implemented a broad-ranging and multi-layered attendance strategy which impacted positively upon our Pupil Premium attendance. Some strategies were firmly focussed on the day-to-day management of attendance, whilst others represent a much longer-term investment in securing a greater level of commitment and sense of belonging from some of our most vulnerable pupils. Disadvantaged boys’ attendance increased by 1.0% and girls’ by 0.4%. Once again, we are determined to build on this position, with many of our current strategies being in their infancy.

Planning for 2024 – 27

New leaders have reviewed our pupil premium strategy and set out a new plan for the next three academic years, which is detailed in the sections above this text. Attendance and attainment remain as key foci, but with the development of our pupils' literacy joining them as one of our headline strands. Many of the activities outlined above had started to take shape in 2023 – 24, and early indications are that as our strategies develop they are already gaining more traction in 2024 – 25.