2022 to 2023
Pupil premium strategy statement – St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College
This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium) 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 outcomes for disadvantaged pupils last academic year.
School overview
| Detail | Data |
| Number of pupils in school | 922 |
| Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils | 35.03% |
| Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended) | 2022/2023 – 2024/2025 |
| Date this statement was published | 6/12/2022 |
| Date on which it will be reviewed | July 2023 |
| Statement authorised by | Frances Cessford – Headteacher |
| Pupil premium lead | Tracey Robinson – Assistant Headteacher |
| Governor / Trustee lead | Dionne Dunn |
Funding overview
| Detail | Amount |
| Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year | £ 241,325 |
| Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year | £ 31,755 |
| Pupil premium (and recovery premium*) funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable) *Recovery premium received in academic year 2021 to 2022 can be carried forward to academic year 2022 to 2023. Recovery premium received in academic year 2022 to 2023 cannot be carried forward to 2023 to 2024. | £ 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 | £ 273,080 |
Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan
Statement of intent
| “With resources and a strong determination to improve the life chances of all disadvantaged young people, schools have shown that progress can be made” Sir John Dunford St. Bede’s is a Catholic learning community in which all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, are provided with the opportunity to flourish as a whole and complete person in a way that is rooted firmly in the values of the Gospel. Our aim, in partnership with respective parents and carers, is to support pupils in their formation: spiritual and social; intellectual and emotional; aesthetic and physical through the provision of a broad, balanced and aspirational curriculum, a rigorous, vibrant curriculum which responds to needs, and at its heart recognises justice, liberty, peace and human freedom, whilst fostering intellectual curiosity and academic achievement. The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils to achieve this goal, including progress for those who are already high attainers. We consider the challenges faced by vulnerable pupils, such as those who have a social worker and are young carers. The activities and routines outlined in this statement are intended to support their needs, regardless of whether they are disadvantaged or not. We truly believe that every individual is capable of excellence and we encourage each individual to work hard, fulfilling their potential to pursue their next steps in life, whether it be their choice of university, high-quality career or apprenticeship. Based on educational research we are certain that maximising learning through great teaching is the most important tool we have in ensuring the excellent progress of all pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is our intention that the outcome of our high quality, first wave teaching is that the attainment of non-disadvantaged pupils will be sustained whilst closing the disadvantaged attainment gap. Our approach in responding to individual needs is centred around assessment. Within the academy accurate assessment strategies enable an informed and systematic judgement to be made about a pupil’s knowledge, understanding, skills and attitude. Using this accurate assessment of pupil progress, we are able to implement the actions below swiftly and efficiently to ensure disadvantaged pupils are appropriately supported and challenged. In order to provide high quality, individually targeted support we engage with external providers recommended by the DfE and NTP providers. We strive as a school to support all pupils to make excellent progress through robust and systematic approaches to numeracy, literacy, recovery curriculum and extracurricular activities. We believe enriching education has intrinsic benefits. All children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, deserve a well-rounded, culturally rich, education and as a result of these experiences they attain higher. |
Challenges
This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils.
| Challenge number | Detail of challenge |
| 1 | On entry, 62% (45/73) Year 7 pupils are below expected reading age (11 years) following assessments September 2022 using Renaissance Accelerated Reader. |
| 2 | Attendance is an issue for some disadvantaged pupils. Our attendance data over the last 3 years indicates that: Attendance among disadvantaged pupils has been between 2.04% and 4.69% lower than for non-disadvantaged pupils. (gap). PA (less than 90% attendance) Over the last three years 48.6% of all PA are PP students |
| 3 | Many of our PP pupils are socially, culturally, economically and knowledge deprived. Lack of aspiration and poor engagement of pupils and parents in school life particularly affects outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and attendance of disadvantaged pupils. According to IDSR November 2022 The school location deprivation indicator was in quintile 5 (most deprived) of all schools. (lowest 20%) The pupil base is in quintile 5 (most deprived) of all schools in terms of deprivation. (lowest 20%) |
| 4 | Some pupils face significant challenges in their lives and have social, emotional and mental health needs that prevent them from learning. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Pupil feedback informs us that at times of transition in education can bring anxiety and uncertainty. This impacts upon decision making. We will strive to educate and inform pupils at each transition point (KS2-KS3, KS4-KS5, KS5 and beyond) to enabled them to make informed choices about their future. |
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.
| Intended outcome | Success criteria |
| Closing the gap of PP and non PP (outcomes 2022) Progress 8 for non PP students was +0.21 compared to PP +0.15. Attainment 8 non PP students 54.49 (GCSE score 5.45) compared to PP 45.99 (GCSE score 4.6) Boys PP A8 50.54 (5.05) P8 +0.66 Girls PP A8 41.1 (4.11) P8 -0.44 By the end of our current plan in 2024/25, the number of disadvantaged pupils entering the English Bacca-laureate (EBacc) route will increase. Uptake in 2020 16% of Ebacc students were PP; 2021 26% (yr11); 2022 30% (yr10); Target uptake for 2024 40% of Ebacc pupils will be PP. Closing the gap between PP and non PP pupils GCSE English/maths basics 9-4 year on year. Outcomes 2022 English/maths match up 9-7 PP 11.1% non PP 14.3% 9-5 PP 40.7% non PP 55.1% 9-4 PP 63% non PP 77.6% English and maths progress needed | |
| Reading comprehension tests will demonstrate improved comprehension skills among disadvantaged pupils and a smaller disparity between the scores of disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers. Teachers will also have recognised this improvement through engagement in lessons, scholarly reading, daily reading, extended writing and book scrutiny. | |
| Synthetic phonics training with staff via Sounds Write completed and embedded across the school. Improved understanding of phonics, fast pace reading, word cards, dictated sounds and word sentences and how to develop this with pupils. Assessment sheets in reading books indicate pupil level understanding. Pupils read for pleasure -pupils survey. | |
| 2022 outcomes for PP Subject SPI Art -0.53 (5 pp students) Biology -0.53 (5 pp students) BTEC Sport -0.53 (6 pp students) English Literature -0.39 (28 pp students) Spanish -0.81(3 pp students) | Professional training in place and embedded for all staff. Learners demonstrate mastery on unit tests, typically 80%, before moving on to new material. |
| Sustained high attendance from 2025/2026 demonstrated by: The overall absence rate for all pupils being no more than 3%, and the attendance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers being reduced by 2%. | |
| Current 35% of student regular attend enrichment are pp sept-oct 2022 47% SEND | A significant increase in participation in enrichment activities, FAITH award, Duke of Edinburgh, university and STEM visits, volunteering and impact projects in the local community particularly among disadvantaged pupils. 100% of Y7 and Y8 pupils involved in enrichment. Significant decrease in referral to Mental Health Support Services. |
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: £66,124.50
| Activity | Evidence that supports this approach | Challenge number(s) addressed |
| A robust and consistent approach to behavioural expectations within the school which allows all pupils to thrive in positive learning environments. Reflecting on the consquences of their actions when things go wrong. Class charts | 2,3,4,6 | |
| Teacher training is focussed on ensuring quality first teaching through the Great Teaching Toolkit. Teachers reflect on the key elements of excellent teaching and the science behind learning. , maths, RE, 2xgeog, 2xSLT, senc and ass senco, 2xTA, librarian, history, DT, Spanish | EEF Attainment Gap Report 2018 – “Ensuring every teacher is supported in delivering high-quality teaching is essential to achieving the best outcomes for all pupils, particu-larly the most disadvantaged among them. It is cru-cial; therefore, that schools | 1,5,6 |
| 1,5,6 | ||
| Modelling develops strategies for planning, monitoring and evaluating pupil’s own learning. These focus pupils on the self-regulated learning of cognition. Pupils are able to consider the mental process involved in knowing, understanding, and learning. Visualizers; RE, English, maths, geography | 1,5,6 | |
| 1,5,6 | ||
| 1,5,6 | ||
| Extending the school day (STEP afterschool). Focussed on year 11 students, allowing teachers to review core content and allow pupils to develop a deeper understanding of the taught curriculum. Focus PP YR11 Offered to all PP students only 30 taken the opportunity) | 1,5,6 | |
| Teaching assistants to be deployed into lessons to support acquisition of knowledge for SEND disadvantaged pupils. This work will be planned in collaboration with the classroom. | 1 |
Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support, structured interventions)
Budgeted cost: £ 142,398
| Activity | Evidence that supports this approach | Challenge number(s) addressed |
| Pupils are taught strategies in small groups to improve their reading comprehension. Focussing on decoding words, understanding language structures or de-veloping vocabulary. Use of Reading Plus intelligent adaptive software to support. | EEF Small group tuition has an average impact of +4 months’ additional progress over the course of a year.Small group tuition is most likely to be effective if it is targeted at pupils’ specific needs. Diagnostic assessment can be used to assess the best way to target support. | 1,6 |
| Pupils will be given the opportunity to read out loud in front of peers every day to develop their oracy skills. With small group interventions for pupils who need support in this area. | EEF 5+ Months over the course of a year. Oral language interventions with frequent sessions (3 times a week or more) over a sustained period appear to be most successful. Some pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds are behind their advantaged counter parts. | 1,3 |
| 1,5 | ||
| Phonics interventions, supporting pupils in small groups to develop their literacy skills through the development of pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the relationship. | EEF 5+ Months over a year when taught explicitly and systematically to support children in making connections between sounds and written word. Some disadvantaged pupils may not have developed phonological awareness at the same rate as others. | 1,3,5 |
| Numeracy intervention sessions each week to develop core numeracy skills. | Evidence on mathematics from the Teaching and Learning Toolkit alongside the findings from recent EEF projects suggest that interventions should include; explicit and systematic instruction, clear support for whole class instruction and must motivate pupils. | 1,3,5,6 |
| allowing pupils to focus on their specific learning gaps and progress at an individual level. Identified Yr7 and 10 and 11 pupils will access 15-hour blocks for English, Maths and Science with a regular impact review. | EEF 4+ months of additional progress. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to have a poor attendance rate and therefore will have knowledge gaps. Individualised instruction can allow pupils to consolidate learning and practise new skills. | 1,5 |
| Attendance officer supports individual attendance gaps, liaising with families and tracking progress. Increased capacity through appointment of pupil support officer – attendance focus. | 2 | |
| Blue Support – intervention targeted at students with the lowest progress to date following prelims (focus PP boys following positive impact on 2022 outcomes). The support consists of weekly one to one academic mentoring to set and monitor personal targets alongside daily check-ins. | EEF : The impact of mentoring varies but, on average, it is likely to have a small positive impact on attainment.Positive effects on attainment tend not to be sustained once the mentoring stops, so care must be taken to ensure that benefits are not lost. | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
| Academic mentoring for 6th Form students consisting of action planning and target setting focusing on increasing VA | EEF : The impact of mentoring varies but, on average, it is likely to have a small positive impact on attainment.Positive effects on attainment tend not to be sustained once the mentoring stops, so care must be taken to ensure that benefits are not lost. | 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Specific targeted intervention with female pp pupils, consist of one-one and small group sessions focusing on confidence, target setting and tools to succeed | EEF : The impact of mentoring varies but, on average, it is likely to have a small positive impact on attainment.Positive effects on attainment tend not to be sustained once the mentoring stops, so care must be taken to ensure that benefits are not lost. | 1,3,4,5,6 |
| One to one support and small group activities for PP students identified as being in risk of NEET. Support and sessions provided by DWP | 1,3,4,5,6 |
Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)
Budgeted cost: £ 64,557.50
| Activity | Evidence that supports this approach | Challenge number(s) addressed |
| Reading Canon – 3 books per year group (7-13) . | 1,3 | |
| Developing oral language skills through spoken language and verbal interaction in the classroom. This occurs through targeted reading aloud and book discussion linked to 9 protected characteristics – 25-minute slots five times per week. | EEF – 5+ Months progress over a year. Pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to be behind in language and speech skills which affect future learning. Oracy interventions allow pupils to catch up with peers. | 1,3,6 |
| Embedding a school wide approach to enhanced numeracy development – ALL staff as leaders of numeracy. | 1,3,5,6 | |
| Regular opportunities for parental engagement allow leaders to involve parents in the learning process focussing on main transition points in KS2/3, KS4/5 and KS5/University. These sessions cover; assessment; revision strategies; LMI and careers; purpose of homework; reading; literacy and numeracy strategies. | 2,3,5,6 | |
| 1,2,3,4,5,6 | ||
| 3,4,5 | ||
| 2,3,4,5,6 | ||
| activities which develop metacognition and leadership skills such as FAITH, Duke of Edinburgh and John Paul II Award, Business Magnets | 2,3,4,5,6 | |
| A careers curriculum which offers breadth and depth to pupils throughout their time in the academy through university visits, work experience, information, advice and guidance. | 2,3,4,5,6 | |
| Ambition programme to promote Higher Education opportunities to pupils yrs 7-13. Ambition Scholars to identify and support students to gain access to more competitive universities and career paths. | “Young people from a disadvantaged background are more likely to move to higher education after Key Stage 5, compared to those from a more advantaged background” Going Further 2021, Sutton Trust | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
Total budgeted cost: £ 273,080
Part B: Review of the previous academic year
Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
| Outline outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the 2021 to 2022 academic year and explain how their performance has been assessed. KS4 Outcomes Progress 8 for non PP students was +0.21 compared to PP +0.15. Attainment 8 non PP students 54.49 (GCSE score 5.45) compared to PP 45.99 (GCSE score 4.6) Boys PP A8 50.54 (5.05) P8 +0.66 Girls PP A8 41.1 (4.11) P8 -0.44 Outcomes 2022 English/maths match up 9-7 PP 11.1% non PP 14.3% 9-5 PP 40.7% non PP 55.1% 9-4 PP 63% non PP 77.6% Ebacc Uptake in 2020 16% of Ebacc students were PP; 2021 26%; 2022 30%; Target uptake for 2024 40% of Ebacc pupils will be PP KS5 Outcomes Attainment L3 Overall average grade Non PP B- (37 students) PP C(5 Students) Overall average points per pupil Non PP 111.31 PP 83.75 (5 Students) Students achieving AAB Non PP 24 PP 2 |
Externally provided programmes
Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you used your pupil premium (or recovery premium) to fund in the previous academic year.
| Programme | Provider |
| Adaptive Literacy and Intervention. | Reading Plus |
| Careers guidance | Careerwave |
| Duke of Edinburgh Award | St Bede’s |
| Music Tuition | Durham Music Service |
| Work related support | Durham Works |
Service pupil premium funding (optional)
| For schools that receive this funding, you may wish to provide the following information: How our service pupil premium allocation was spent last academic year |
| The impact of that spending on service pupil premium eligible pupils |
Further information (optional)
| Use this space to provide any further information about your pupil premium strategy. For example, about your strategy planning, or other activity that you are implementing to support disadvantaged pupils, that is not dependent on pupil premium or recovery premium funding. |
