| Activity | Evidence that supports this approach | Challenge number(s) addressed |
| Promoting the Invest IN courses for PP students where there is a need | Previous students have been on these courses and fed back that they valued the opportunities and that they helped to raise awareness of ambitious careers. | 3 |
| Provision of an independent counsellor which Pupil Premium students have priority access to. | We know from previous students who were PP (as well as others) that mental health can definitely be a barrier to learning. There is a current national focus on this, and our counsellor Sally Grey can confirm its benefit. The EEF mentions that social and emotional development is on average the equivalent to ‘four months additional progress in academic outcomes’ over the course of one year. Groups like ‘Inspiring Learning’ who presented at the 2024 national Pupil Premium convention in Birmingham, have pointed out that building resilience in this way is essential for PP students to make academic progress. | 2 6 |
| Provide financial support for ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistance) training for relevant SEND staff so that PP and other students can benefit from this to improve wellbeing | The latest EEF guide to pupil premium states that ‘disadvantaged pupils with SEND have the greatest need for excellent teaching’. Also, ‘social and emotional skills support effective learning and are linked to positive outcomes later in life’. | 2 6 |
| Support a SUMO (stop, understand, move on) programme to support parents and to encourage resilience in students- this programme takes place for 6 weeks after School in the Spring. PP students would be prioritised if this is needed. | The EEF guide to pupil premium states that ‘social and emotional skills support effective learning and are linked to positive outcomes later in life’. | 2 6 |
| Support uniform costs, printing costs and lockers. | At a recent PP conference that MC attended, several speakers mentioned the importance of PP students feeling disengaged if they stood out, and this support helps resilience and a positive attitude to School. | 2 |
| Support all curriculum trips. | As a staff, we strongly support curriculum trips as valuable learning activities for all pupils- this is why they are organised. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. Curriculum trips have direct relevance to the departmental Schemes of Learning. Groups like Kingswood have provided evidence that outdoor learning benefits all students- they presented their findings at the 2024 national Pupil Premium Convention in Birmingham | 1 5 4 |
| Support Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. Groups like Kingswood have provided evidence that outdoor learning benefits all students- they presented their findings at the 2024 national Pupil Premium Convention in Birmingham | 5 |
| Encourage higher participation in 11+ tests via more website information, a change in our Admissions Policy to prioritise PP students for 2024 entry onwards, and information for local primary schools to encourage applications for our 11+ tests, especially from PP students. We also plan to engage more with primary schools to allow potential students to develop a link with us prior to applications. | It is self-evident that we cannot provide support for the most able in this selective context if they don’t arrive in the first place, which is why we see this as a key focus. | 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
| Supporting music lessons for all KS4 musicians who do GCSE music. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. This also ties in with our belief that a broad curriculum with an emphasis on creative subjects helps all learners to make good progress. Our exam results also support this belief. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. This obviously has direct links to outcomes in GCSE music. | 5 1 |
| Support for residential outward bounds trip for all Year 7 eligible students. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. The EEF says that the evidence base is weak, but that these kind of outdoor experiences do ‘show positive impacts’. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. Groups like Kingswood have provided evidence that outdoor learning benefits all students- they presented their findings at the 2024 national Pupil Premium Convention in Birmingham | 2 5 1 |
| Support Year 9 residential outward bounds course. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. The EEF says that the evidence base is weak, but that these kind of outdoor experiences do ‘show positive impacts’. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. Groups like Kingswood have provided evidence that outdoor learning benefits all students- they presented their findings at the 2024 national Pupil Premium Convention in Birmingham | 2 5 1 |
| Prioritise careers advisor if this is needed. | As we know from many programmes, such as the Gatsby Benchmark scheme and Compass, careers education is beneficial to all learners in helping them prepare for their futures. Effective and individual careers advice was recommended as a strategy for supporting PP students at the 2024 national Pupil Premium Convention in Birmingham. | 3 |
| Attendance monitoring and intervention to support attendance problems, including financial support for the position of attendance officer and SLT overview of this. | It is self-evident that learning must be disrupted by low attendance, and the national picture in the wake of the pandemic emphasises the importance of this- the Teaching Unions, for instance, have all outlined this. We therefore see it as a key focus for all students. The EEF mentions the importance of ‘attendance data and levels of absence’ in student progress. It says in the guide to Pupil Premium that ‘poor attendance at School is linked to poor academic attainment across all stages’. The EEF guidance ‘Working with parents to support children’s learning’ includes a focus on supporting attendance as a key priority for student performance. | 6 |
| We will support students on a planned cultural and library based city trip | The EEF states in its toolkit that Arts Participation helps progress, and the DfE guide to Pupil Premium says that ‘maths and literacy’ should be a focus. | 5 1 |
| Support for cost of costumes in the School Play and encouragement for PP students to get involved in School drama. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. In this case, speaking and listening in English would particularly benefit. | 5 2 1 |
| Buy in to external presentations for Personal Development to improve confidence, resilience, health and wellbeing and preparation for the wider world. | The importance of creating resilient and confident learners is underlined by the importance of PSHEE in the National Curriculum, and by the emphasis on Personal Development in the new Inspection Framework. The EEF mentions that social and emotional development is on average the equivalent to ‘four months additional progress in academic outcomes’ over the course of one year. In the guide to pupil premium, it states that ‘social and emotional skills support effective learning’ | 2 1 |
| Transition package to help smooth entry to Year 7 | Our own feedback from all students and parents in Year 7 shows how much they value the transition arrangements and support as they enter the School. | 1 2 4 |
| Buy into the BOSS programme or use money to support PSP provision if needed to support behaviour management. | The EEF states that ‘social and emotional skills support effective learning’. The Teaching and Learning toolkit also supports this as a useful support. | 2 1 |
| Money to support extra-curricular recreation opportunities at breaks and lunchtime and encouragement for students to use these. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. The EEF says that the evidence base is weak, but that these kind of outdoor experiences do ‘show positive impacts’. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. | 2 5 1 |
| Monitor extra-curricular participation and encourage students to engage with extra-curricular provision frequently. | At a recent PP conference before the pandemic, there were many speakers who emphasised the importance of pupil engagement and attainment benefiting from extra-curricular activity. The EEF says that the evidence base is weak, but that these kind of outdoor experiences do ‘show positive impacts’. As the EEF states: ‘extra-curricular activities are an important part of education’ and develop confidence and skills which can benefit outcomes in a whole range of subjects. | 2 5 1 |
