Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2022-23

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This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2022 to 2023 academic year) funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged pupils.

It outlines our pupil premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending of pupil premium had within our school. The total budgeted for Pupil Premium 2022-23 is £405,412. 

School overview

School name

The Halley Academy

Number of pupils in school

873

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

30%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)

2020-2023

Date this statement was published

September 2022

Date on which it will be reviewed

June 2023

Statement authorised by

John Dixon – Principal

Pupil premium lead

Mathieu Stevens – Vice Principal (Recovery)
Clive Christian – Assistant Principal (Pupil Premium)

Governor / Trustee lead

Kate Shiner – Chair of Governors

Funding Overview

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£316,678

Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year

£88,734

Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)

£0

Total budget for this academic year

£405,412

Statement of intent

The Halley Academy is committed to creating a universal culture for all pupil’s that demands success. Where aiming high is actively encouraged through the expectation that pupils will strive to achieve regardless of circumstance. To deliver this the academy will set high standards for all pupils, breaking down the barriers that financial inequality creates to ensure that high aspirations are the expectation for all pupils no matter their background.

All pupils will be provided with a highly sequential curriculum that is rooted in the core, but designed to provide its pupils with a dynamic, informed curriculum offer that is as least as ambitious as the National Curriculum. The curriculum will ensure high levels of academic achievement at the end of each Key Stage, whilst promoting pupils’ sense of global identify and contexts. This greater understanding of the 21st Century World will be underpinned through the delivery of the Middle Years Programme (MYP), appropriate Level 2 qualifications and then International Baccalaureate Careers Related Programme (IBCP), which will be centred on enhancing pupil attainment in line with national standards.

Disadvantaged pupil performance and positive learning behaviours will be monitored through robust academy systems, rewarding and applauding success of all kinds through the setting and achievement of challenging targets. These targets will remain appropriate to the ability level of the pupil, irrespective of their background.

Staff at the academy will ensure that Disadvantaged pupils remain a high-profile priority within the academy through the identification and monitoring of academic performance, well-being, attendance and behaviour. This will ensure that all stakeholders are focussed on reducing the difference between Disadvantaged and Other pupils.

The academy’s current Pupil Premium strategy is designed to identify and intervene with Disadvantaged pupils who are falling behind when compared to their peers. The strategy is demonstrates the academy’s belief that all pupils should have access to Quality First Teaching (QFT) and wrap around pastoral support through the academy’s Small School model. This is further enhanced through the provision of additional tuition through a blended face-to-face and remote provision, incorporating the use of cutting edge technology to support the needs of all learners.

The Halley Academy believes that every child matters, with pupil engagement and progress maximised through an appropriately supportive, but challenging learning environment based on strong relationships. This learning environment will be created and maintained by all staff, supported and advanced through its comprehensive evidence based CPD programme and delivered through weekly dedicated professional development time. Subscriptions to evidence-based Department for Education approved providers such as the National College, will augment this further, providing a plethora of resource and materials for staff to continue their development outside of the classroom to support the needs of pupil’s.

The well-being of pupils is a central priority for the academy due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on its pupils. The academy’s Small School pastoral structure will deliver high quality localised care, providing human-scale support that is targeted to meet the needs of all pupils. A dedicated on-site counselling service will be available to all pupils, as well as close links with external agencies and support providers.

The academy’s enrichment, cross-curricular and cultural programmes will provide all pupils with opportunities to excel in areas of passion and interest outside of the realms of academic studies. This programme will develop and promote pupil well-being and supports positive mental health and behaviours, which in turn support academic progress.

The Key Principles of the academy’s Pupil Premium Strategy statement are as follows:

  • The work undertaken through the use of the Pupil Premium Grant will be aimed at improving the lives and future choices of our most disadvantaged pupil’s.
  • Appropriate provision is in place to accelerate pupil progress to meet and exceed age expected standards.
  • Teaching and learning meets the needs of all pupils.
  • The well-being and aspirations of our pupils are enhanced and championed throughout the academy with the provision of high-quality career and enrichment opportunities to facilitate informed life choices.
  • We will ensure that appropriate provision is made for disadvantaged pupils, including the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are assessed and addressed.
  • Pupil Premium funding will be linked to Academy priorities.

Challenges

This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils

Challenge 1

Pupil agency and autonomy – a pupil’s belief and attitude towards their own learning can have a significant impact on academic progress. A pupil is at risk of falling behind their peers if they are unaware of how to engage with learning, representing a significant barrier to their own progression.

Challenge 2

Attendance – attendance below 95% has a negative impact on pupil progress. Persistent absence (below 90%) can seriously damage a pupil’s chance of future success.

Challenge 3

Literacy – a significantly high proportion of pupils join the academy with less than expected literacy and reading ages. This prevents our pupils from engaging fully with the curriculum, hindering their ability to demonstrate progress in their studies.

Challenge 4

Numeracy – a number of pupils join the academy with less than expected numeracy levels. This represents a barrier to their own learning and hindering their ability to achieve the right qualifications and experience for their chosen career path.

Challenge 5

Welfare – a significant amount of our pupils require additional support for a range of emotional, social and family issues. These issues can limit the academic progress a pupil can have, as well as causing the pupil to feel negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and low self esteem.

Challenge 6

Resource – some of our pupils are unable to access appropriate learning resources outside of the academy. This inability to develop their own understanding outside of normal learning hours can have a negative impact on their academic progress and participation of enrichment activities.

Intended Outcomes

This explains the outcomes we are aiming for by the end of our current strategy plan, and how we will measure whether they have been achieved.

Success Criteria

  1. Progress 8 and Attainment 8 continues to have a positive trend from 2019-20 to 2022-23
  2. A reduction in the difference between PP and Other pupils in Key Stage 4 and 5

Success Criteria

  1. Pupils Reading Age to improve in line with National Standards
  2. Pupil Literacy levels and fluency to develop in line with expected standards

Success Criteria

  1. A reduction in absence from the academy for Pupil Premium pupil’s academy when compared to the 2020-21 academic year
  2. A sustained reduction in the number of late incidents for Pupil Premium pupils from 2019-20 to 2022-23

Success Criteria

  1. A sustained reduction in the number of Fixed Term Exclusions (FTE) for Pupil Premium pupils from 2019-20 to 2022-23
  2. A reduction in the difference of FTE’s between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ pupils

Success Criteria

  1. A pupil well-being programme to be embedded across the academy
  2. Pupils feel safe and cared for at the academy

Success Criteria

  1. All pupils will follow a broad and balanced curriculum which is at least as ambitious as the National Curriculum
  2. All pupils to be provided with a wide range of Key Stage 4 and 5 Options to enhance their future employment

Success Criteria

  1. All pupils to be provided with a wide-ranging Enrichment and Cultural Capital programme which enhances their understanding of the world
  2. Pupil Premium pupil attendance is monitored and intervention and support is put in place where appropriate to improve attendance
  1. All pupils to participate in a robust careers programme that is centred on enhancing their future employment opportunities and is in line with Gatsby Benchmarks

Activity in this academic year

This details how we intend to spend our pupil premium (and recovery premium funding) this academic year to address the challenges listed above.

Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost: £196,678

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £88,734

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £120,000

Retention of Small School Pastoral teams

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 5 and 6

Recruitment of Academy well-being team

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 5 and 6

Retention of Onsite Counselling

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 5 and 6

Retention of Academy Attendance Administrator

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 5 and 6

Retention of Educational Psychologists

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 5 and 6

Total budgeted cost: £405,412

Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

This details the impact that our pupil premium activity had on pupils in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

Academic

The academy achieved an unvalidated Attainment 8 score of 40.76, an improvement of +7.78 when compared to 2019 validated results. There was a significant reduction in the gap between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students when compared to 2019 results, with the Attainment 8 gap reduced to 1.44.

The academy has also made a significant improvement in the percentage of students achieving a pass in both English and mathematics when compared to 2019 performance figures. 53% of students achieving a Good Pass (Grade 4+), an improvement of 19%. 36% of students achieved a Strong Pass (Grade 5+), an improvement of 21%. 12% of students achieved a Grade 7+, an improvement of 11% when compared to 2019. The difference between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students across all three measures was less than 3%. EBacc performance mirrored that of English and mathematics, with the average point score (APS) of EBacc subjects 3.61, an improvement of 0.64 when compared to 2019 results.

The outcomes achieved by the academy demonstrate a significant improvement when compared to 2019 performance and demonstrate a diminishing difference between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students, however, will continue to remain a focus for the academy until this difference is removed.

The academy’s attendance of 92.67%, significantly above the national average for the 2021-22 academic year. Pupil Premium student attendance and punctuality was broadly in line with ‘Other’ students, with a difference of 2.9% and was significantly above the national average. The gap in attendance between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students continues to decrease, but will remain a focus of the academy’s strategy to ensure this reduces further.

The average number and percentage of students receiving suspensions remains under the National Average and continues a pattern of significant reduction when compared to 2020-21, ensuring pupils have access to a greater number of lessons, supporting the recovery of their academic progress. The academy will continue to monitor and support student behaviour through its strategic statement, aiming to continue to show the high rates of improvement previously demonstrated.

The academy recognises that pupil well-being and mental health continue to be impacted due to the after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with this impact particularly acute amongst disadvantaged pupils. The academy has used pupil premium funding to provided wellbeing and pastoral support to all pupils, with targeted interventions utilised where required. The academy will continue to allocate funding to this due to its importance in supporting young people’s academic outcomes.