As with all schools we have seen restrictions brought about by COVID-19, which in effect shut the school to normal operations for nearly two thirds of the academic year. This itself meant that we were not able to spend the combined allocation of PPG and Notional funding. Notional funding was also down on the previous year.
COVID-19 Recovery Funding
We have an estimated £2350 of this funding for 2020-21. The overwhelming majority of the funding will be supporting additional payments to staff covering two extended school days on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 4.30 pm on each day. We expect to need around £50 to £100 of additional resources to meet the expectations. It is likely that we may exceed this, but the costs from this will be drawn from the existing budget.
Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)
Revision of the premium grant expands this allocation to include not only pupils currently on FSM but all pupils who have been eligible for FSM within the last six years and registered at our school.
We are allowed to allocate the money in a manner that will benefit these children and to ensure they have the opportunities to achieve their full potential, both academically and socially; this allocation of funds is unique to each setting.
Our Pupil Premium grant is being used for the most part to boost one to one support and Learning Support Assistant support for small groups within the classroom. This time is being focused on helping the children in this category towards attaining their full potential in both Literacy and Mathematics.
How much PPG Funding did we receive for 2019 – 2020?
Our Pupil Premium Grant for 2019 – 2020 amounted to just under £13,000
Notional SEND Funding £17,725 2019 – 2020
Combined fund of approx. £30,725
Summary of PPG and Notional SEND Expenditure
| Area for PPG Spend | Approx. Value | Impact |
| Learning Mentor salary | £5,000 | +5 |
| Teacher-led Booster Classes and related support | £1,000 | +4 |
| After School and Out of School Clubs | £900 | +4 |
| Resources and related support | £2,000 | +2 |
| School Improvement & Staff Professional Development | £3,100 | |
| IT Support | £1,000 | +4 |
| £13,000 |
| Area for Notional Spend | Approx Value | Impact |
| Early Intervention | £11,500 | +5 |
| Reading Comprehension & other Strategies (1:1) | £2,225 | +6 |
| Contingency for Outside Agency Support | £4,000 | n/a |
| Total | £17,725 |
Impact of PPG Funding – Our Pupil Premium Strategy
The use of pupil premium in this manner is reflected in the substantial and quantifiable progress of those children involved, which in some cases have seen pupils move up to 3 levels in Reading, which in turn boosted confidence in other subject areas.
SEN – Special / Additional Educational Needs / Education Health & Care Plans (EHCP)
Our academy embraces the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational needs of every child are different; this is certainly the case for children with Special / Additional Educational Needs.
All schools / academies in Staffordshire have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with EHCP / Special Educational Needs and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, are given every opportunity to make the best possible progress.
All schools and academies are expected to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.
The four broad ‘areas of need’ can be broken down as follows;
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and Learning
- Sensory or Physical Needs
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
Please see our SEND Progress chart below for further information.
Note – Due to COVID-19 the information below relates to 2018-19.
| SEND / PP PROGRESS 2018 – 2019 | |||
| Subject | Maths | Reading | Writing |
| SEND pupils at or above expected progress | 71% | 57% | 43% |
| Pupil Premium pupils at or above expected progress | 83% | 100% | 83% |
Swimming Proficiency
The National Curriculum states that by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils should be taught to:
- swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- use a range of strokes effectively, for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke
- perform a safe self-rescue in different water-based situations
We offer all pupils access to what we term ‘Flexi-Swimming’ where we provide funding for each child for 1 term (12 weeks) to have a place in group lessons at their local pool with an accredited Swim England provider, outside of core day school hours.
This approach allows us to meet DfE expectations by the end of Year 6 and also releases time in the curriculum otherwise used for swimming and its associated travel arrangements for other subjects, thereby easing pressure on teaching.
During FY2019 – 20 Despite the impact of COVID-19 our pupils were able to access swimming prior to the March lockdown and during the summer as restrictions were eased. Those children in Year 6 that departed our school at the end of July, all of them more than exceeded the 25m requirement with one child achieving a distance of 2,000metres.
Physical Education (P.E.) / Use of PE-Sport Grant – A key focus in the use of the Sports Grant here at Hollinsclough in the early years of the grant being available was to develop a programme of replacement / upgrade, during which time we were able to renew most, if not all of our P.E. equipment and make provision for more robust items to be permanently installed on the playground and playing field.
Over the intervening years we have also focused on Staff development and additional swimming lessons for all pupils.
Our Outdoor Adventure weeks allow all of the pupils from Reception through to Year 6 to take part in a variety of outdoor pursuits, trips and special events, some of this cost is met by parents
