Context

At Copleston High School we ensure that all subject areas plan their curriculum so that the students they teach have every chance to maximize their potential. As part of this process teachers plan very carefully for the needs of those students where national research has shown that they may be vulnerable to underachievement. This includes students that are within the following groups:

• Pupils who are or have been in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM)
• Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Students with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• Students that are Looked After (LAC/CIC)

At Copleston our underlying principle is that lessons should allow ALL young people to make progress and reach their potential. We know that good teaching will improve the attainment of the above vulnerable groups of students and, as a school, we have invested very heavily in this. We have trained all our staff in the nationally renowned Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme (TEEP) and have also created some high quality learning environments for students. A focus has now developed onto a “Growth Mindset” strategy based around students being empowered to become better learners.
 
Alongside good teaching, we also receive additional funding to help support students who may be vulnerable to underachievement.

Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium is allocated to high schools and academies with pupils in Key Stage 3 and 4 that have been in receipt of free school meals (FSM) at any time in the last six years (so-called Ever 6 Pupils). Schools have the freedom to spend their allocation in a way they think will best support raising the achievement of funded pupils in comparison with their non-Pupil Premium peers. Pupil Premium Plus students are looked after children (LACs) and the school receives additional funding for these students.

Copleston High School currently has 18 % of its population receiving Pupil Premium funding.

• In 2015/16 Copleston High School received £283,305
• In 2016/17 Copleston High School received £285,175
• In 2017/18 Copleston High School received £281,000
• In 2018/19 Copleston High School received £283,000
• In 2019/20 Copleston High School received £261,381
• In 2020/21 Copleston High School received £261,065
• In 2021/22 Copleston High School received £286,246
• In 2022/23 Copleston High School will receive £307,928 (estimate as July and Aug not received until Oct).

How has the Pupil Premium been used at Copleston High School?

The DfE has stated the following:
 
“Schools, Headteachers and teachers will decide how to use the Pupil Premium allocation, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils”.
 
At Copleston we have a sophisticated system to track and assess pupil progress and this allows us to ensure that any interventions that are put in place are tailored to the individual needs of a student. These systems of tracking are applied to all students including those in receipt of the Pupil Premium so that we can identify areas of underperformance and target intervention appropriately.
 
Where it is evident that despite our “Quality first teaching” approach and proactive teaching environments, students still require additional support and intervention, this is carefully managed using strategies that have been proven to have the greatest impact.
 
Identification of students for specific courses is completed through termly progress checks. Teachers, Heads of Department and our Pastoral team are challenged on how immediate impact can be gained so that any slow progress can be reversed. This is completed through an action planning process with funding made available.

Overview of projects undertaken using Pupil Premium Funding

Overview