Pupil Premium Report

for the Academic Year

2015/16

Provisional Spending Plan

for the

Academic Year 2016/17

Updated February 2017

Contents

1. What is Pupil Premium?

2. How is Pupil Premium Calculated?

3. How much Pupil Premium funding has the academy received?

4. How Pupil Premium funding is used: academy structure / the timetable / enhanced staffing

5. How Pupil Premium funding is used: improving teaching and learning for 2016/17

6. How Pupil Premium funding is used: intensive literacy support

7. How Pupil Premium funding is used: alternative curriculum and provision

8. How Pupil Premium funding is used: student well-being

9.How Pupil Premium funding is used: rewards, interventions, enrichment and hardship

The Impacts of our Spending

10. Achievement and Standards –To what extent is Kirk Balk Academy ‘closing the gaps’ over time?

11. What other achievements can we demonstrate regarding our Pupil Premium Students

1. What is Pupil Premium or PP?

Pupil Premium is additional funding that the Government gives to schools and academies. This funding is targeted at students facing the greatest disadvantage.

Students targeted by the Pupil Premium are those who have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in the last six years (FSM Ever 6), those who have been looked after continuously by the Local Authority for more than six months and those whose parents are serving in the Armed Forces.

The Government believes that Pupil Premium is the most effective way to address the current underlying inequalities between these groups of students and their peers.

The use of the Pupil Premium Grant is the responsibility of the Academy. However, it is assumed that the funding should be used to remove barriers to learning and ensure each student participates fully in all aspects of academy life and reaches his/her full potential.

The impact of Pupil Premium Funding has been given added weighting under the revised Ofsted framework. Schools will now have to demonstrate how effective they were at using it to improve the life chances of those targeted.

2. How is Pupil Premium Calculated?

Pupil Premium is calculated from the data captured during the School Census in January and May each year.

Funding is then made available to schools and academies for use during the following academic year, which runs from September through to August.

For 2016-17

For each student identified as being eligible for Free School Meals at any point in

the last six years the Academy will be given an additional funding of £935.

For each looked after student the Academy will be given additional funding of £1,900.

For each student adopted from care the Academy will be given additional funding of

£1,900.

For each student whose parents are serving in the armed forces the Academy will be

given additional funding of £300.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS / CARERS

The next School Census, used to calculate Pupil Premium funding for 2016/17, will take place during January 2017. If you believe you are eligible for Free School Meals but are not currently claiming this benefit your child will not attract this additional funding. If you require assistance in claiming this benefit please contact the Local Authority at call 01226 773513 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Thursday; 8.30am and 4.30pm Fridays.

Likewise, if you feel that your child qualifies for category 3 (named above) then we would urge you to contact the school here on 01226 742286 between 8:00am and 4.30 pm Monday to Friday and ask to speak to Sarah Ashton in the data office.

3. How much Pupil Premium funding has the Academy received?

During the Financial Year 2015/16 Kirk Balk Academy received initial funding based on the following student numbers:

  • 362 students on FSM Ever 6.
  • 4 Looked After students – although this money is not now directly made available to schools and academies. Instead we must bid to the Barnsley Schools’ Virtual Head teacher to explain fully how we will spend this money to support our looked after students.
  • 1 student whose parents are serving in the Armed Forces.

Total Funding = £344,170

This funding was used during the academic year 2015/16. An explanation of how this funding was used is contained within this report.

For the financial year 2016/17 Kirk Balk Academy has received initial funding based on the following student numbers:

  • 358 students on FSM Ever 6.
  • 4 Looked After students – although this money is not now directly made available to schools. Instead we must bid to the Barnsley Schools’ Virtual Head teacher to explain fully how we will spend this money to support our looked after students.
  • 0 students identified at the last census as being adopted from care.
  • 1 student whose parents are serving in the Armed Forces.

Total anticipated funding = £334,000

This funding is being used during the academic year 2016/17. An explanation of how we intend to use this funding is also contained within this report.

This report gives details of the actual expenditure of the 2015/16 allocation and the provisional spending of the 2016/17 allocation. The provisional spending plan for this academic year is in red

The finalised expenditure of the 2016/17 allocation will be given in the next Pupil Premium Report.

4. How Pupil Premium funding is used: Academy structures / the timetable /

enhanced staffing

Students make the best progress if they are known, understood and supported as individuals. To enable this to happen in a community of over 1100, the Academy operates a model whereby all students are grouped into one of four ‘vertical’ houses. Each house has a specific, non-teaching, fully available colleague attached to them.

In addition, the Academy hasan Attendance Officer and Student Receptionist, who focus on attendance for all, providing reports and intervention logs particularly for vulnerable groups of children. This substantial investment means the Academy has the capacity to support the attendance of all students, in particular those whom qualify for the Pupil Premium and ensures a focus on learning and progress, and maintains effective communication with parents/carers at all times.

More often than not students need additional support beyond the usual curriculum and as a consequenceKirk Balk Academy ran a series of ‘catch-up’ groups to support those children who required support and intervention to help close the associated progress gaps. This enhanced staffing allowed our disadvantaged students to benefit from a model whereby an extra team was employed in the form of extra HLTA’s in English, Maths and Inclusion. This investment has meant a reduction in numbers within key groups and so ensured more effective targeted support, enabling the Academy to better meet the needs of all its students and ‘close the gap’ in terms of achievement (bearing in mind that approximately a third of our students are eligible for Pupil Premium funding).

In addition, both Vice Principals carry out duties designed to enhance the progress and provision of disadvantaged students. In addition, we have a full complement of pastoral staff including a Director of Inclusion and a Senior Pastoral Director, all of whom add significant value to the provision and care we are able to offer our disadvantaged students.

Actual spending for the academic year 2015-16:£

  • Non-Teaching Heads of Year115,200
  • Student Receptionist12,400
  • Extra HLTA in English (for intervention)24 500
  • Extra HLTA in Mathematics (for intervention)24 500
  • Senior Pastoral Director35,000
  • Senior Progress Director35,000

Provisional spending for the academic year 2016-17: £

  • Vice Principal – Closing the Gap (2/3 of salary costs)52,900
  • Vice Principal – Raising Achievement (1/3 of salary costs)28,100
  • Director of Inclusion (1/2 of salary costs)20,750
  • Attendance Officer (full salary costs) 25,550
  • 4x Non-Teaching Heads of House (1/2 of salary costs)55,650
  • 3x Extra HLTAs in English, Maths and Inclusion (full salary costs) 74,800
  • Senior Pastoral Director (full salary costs)32,200
  • Student Receptionist (full salary costs) 16,660

5. How Pupil Premium funding is used: Improving Teaching and Learning

The academy recognises the need to do further work on improving the quality of teaching as we know that this has the greatest return with regards to raising the achievement of all students; particularly those who come from the most disadvantaged.

Working with other high performing Academy Trusts, we have also purchased the electronic ‘Teacher Toolkit’ (From Outwood Grange Academy Trust) to launch our ‘Kirk Balk Learning Structures’

Provisional spending for the academic year 2016-17: £

  • Purchase of the ‘Teacher Toolkit’1,000

6. How Pupil Premium funding is used: intensive literacy/numeracy and English/Maths support

Kirk Balk Academy Literacy Intervention Team

The Academy aims to support every student who begins Year 7 with additional needs in literacy, so that they are able to access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve the targets set for them against national data.

Read Write Inc. – Fresh Start/Lexia/CSA Support Sessions/Accelerated Reader

Following NFER and/or STAR reading testing, a cohort of students identified as having additional literacy needs follow a nationally recognised programme called ‘Fresh Start’. This supports an individual’s needs by focusing on a range of skills from phonics, reading and comprehension through to spelling, writing and punctuation. Students are taught for up to five hours a week, dependent on their level of need, in either 1-1 situations or in small groups of up to 5 students. In addition, other bespoke packages such as the use of ‘Lexia’, CSA support, our Alternative Learning Tier and Dyslexikit were also used to enhance student progress. Furthermore, Accelerated Reader has been introduced across the academy.

In order to get this incentive up and running, last year the academy invested in the materials, resources and training required in order to move forwards. The ambition for this academic year is to get more staff trained and to roll out the programme to a wider cohort. We also intend to begin to tackle the shortfalls in numeracy from next year.

In addition, this year we have planned to spend more money on 1:1 tuition and small group intervention sessions in English and Maths. Our disadvantaged students are being priorities in order to benefit from these offers. Work and provision identified above in this section is now accounted for via our Catch Up Premium.

Actual spending for the academic year 2015-16:

£

  • Intensive literacy support (provision, training and staffing) 2 000
  • Intensive numeracy support (provision, training and staffing) 2 000

Provisional spending for the academic year 2016-17: £

  • 1:1 Tuition/Small Group intervention in both English and Maths15,000

7. How Pupil Premium funding is used: alternative provision

We believe it is essential to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all learners. Bespoke provision can take a variety of forms, from an individualised timetable through to a placement designed to provide work related learning, but the aim is always the same: to ensure that the student concerned remains positive about their education and is able to develop the skills they need to access appropriate post-16 provision, so closing the gap in terms of overall achievement.

Internal Alternative Provision

Alternative curriculum provision is arranged, delivered and monitored through our Alternative Provision Centre in school. Programmes of study are delivered by teachers and the overall progress and curriculum for students accessing the Alternative Provision is overseen by our Director of Inclusion.

European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

ECDL equips students with the skills to use a computer confidently and effectively, building on existing knowledge and motivating further learning. It provides proof of digital literacy, it suits learners who prefer a particular type of study, and it increases the employability of students. Students finishing the qualification in Key stage 4 gain full recognition for their efforts. Last year 114 students obtained this qualification, with over a third of them being eligible for the Pupil Premium. This year we have 218students undertaking this qualification in KS4, with a third of them being eligible for the Pupil Premium

Personal Finance: Certificate of Financial Education Lev 2 (CoFE)

CoFE equips students with the knowledge and skills to understand and manage money. This is an invaluable skill for students to acquire and not only will they gain practical advice and guidance of how to budget, manage finances and avoid debt in the future the students will also gain a fully accredited level 2 qualification.

This year a large amount of disadvantaged students will undertake the qualification.

Actual spending for the academic year 2015-16: £

  • ECDL costs3,000
  • Commando Joe’ Intervention Service (discontinued for 2016/17) 10,000

Provisional spending for the academic year 2016-17: £

  • Alternative Provision Resources 5,000
  • ECDL Registrations 7,155
  • ECDL Credits 6,445
  • Certificate of Financial Education5,811

8. How Pupil Premium funding is used: student well-being

Student well-being goes hand in hand with academic success. It provides the physical and emotional support to enable students to focus on their learning and so achieve their academic potential. In the year 2015/16 the academy invested in a Parent Support Advisor and a full time EWO. In the year 2016/17 we have modified our provision to include more work via our own Alternative Provision and have appointed our own Attendance Officer.

Learning Support via the Alternative Provision

Finally, some colleagues have done work with individuals who would otherwise face a fixed-term exclusion. Through a process of support and guidance, they help students understand the importance of appropriate behaviours whilst ensuring continuity of learning. During the last academic year, 61% of students accessing ISC were eligible for Pupil Premium.

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and Director of CEIAG

Raising aspirations and indeed the tracking of student destinations, particularly for our disadvantaged students, is of paramount importance for us as an Academy. As a result, we invest heavily in CEIAG and as such, enter in an annual Service Level Agreement (SLA). All students who qualify for the Pupil Premium receive at least one fully structured and personalised interview with a CEIAG professional which is pertinent to their individual needs. Further to this, we have also appointed a colleague who has a responsibility for leading on CEAIG across the academy.

Unifrog

The Unifrog Careers Advice and Guidance online provides students with a ‘one stop shop’ for all the information relating to future pathways including college courses, apprenticeships and University courses. Students are able to view full details about all the opportunities available to them and apply directly through the site. All pupil premium students in Years 8,9,10 and 11 will have full access to the system.

Actual spending for the academic year 2015-16: £

  • Parent Support Advisor 24,500
  • Full time EWO SLA just for Kirk Balk22,500
  • CEIAG SLA 4,750

Provisional spending for the academic year 2015-16: £

  • Director of CEIAG (full salary costs)37,700
  • CEIAG SLA6,500
  • Unifrog1,622

9. How Pupil Premium funding is used: Rewards, Interventions, Enrichment and Hardship

Rewards Much of our academy conduct system centres on the notion of rewarding students and ‘catching them doing things well’ rather than focusing heavily on drawing attention to negative behaviours. As an academy we have therefore invested heavily in the ‘Excellence for Learning’ and ‘Environment for Learning’ systems.

Specific rewards have also been put in place to celebrate attendance improvements, particularly for Pupil Premium students for whom we have had a significant impact.

From the year 2016/17 a separate rewards budget has been allocated to the Pastoral Team alongside the inclusion budget.

Interventions

More often than not, the purchasing of expensive study guides is a major barrier to our Pupil Premium families. To that end, all students in Key Stage 3 and 4 who qualified for Pupil Premium were provided with revision guides for both English and Mathematics.

Intensive support via 1:1 tuition sessions in both English and Maths. Last year 65 students accessed this 1:1 support, with 37 being eligible for the Pupil Premium.

Previously, the Academy invested heavily in external support in the form of consultants for both English and Maths. A specific remit for these colleagues was the notion of raising the achievement of our Pupil Premium students. This year however, we have budgeted for more use of 1:1 tuition in English and Maths due to the successes we have had with regards to the impacts of this particular intervention (please see section 6).

It is our belief that learning to swim is an important life-skill and where students cannot swim 25 meters confidently, we intervene and provide specialist and high-quality coaching; particularly with our disadvantaged students whom may not have been privileged to such activities.

Enrichment We truly believe in lifting the aspirations of all of our learners but in particular those who qualify for the Pupil Premium. We are often surprised by the number of students who cannot swim and we feel that this is vital life skill that we should address and therefore ensured that every student on entry to our academy, including those who qualified for the Pupil Premium, should be given the opportunity to high quality instruction in order to enable all to swim either confidently, or more confidently.

Hardship Fund Money is set aside for students who may want/need to take up certain school offers but simply cannot afford it. Throughout the year we have supported our Pupil Premium students in accessing additional music lessons, attending various trips and expeditions and even supporting the purchasing of our school uniform.

Independent Pupil Premium Review

So that we are ensuring the best possible provision for our disadvantaged students and in recognition that there is still much to do, we plan to commission an independent ‘Pupil Premium Review’ so that we can continue to improve in all that we do for these students and community in which we serve.