Detail

Data

We value the wider curriculum as much as our core curriculum offer.  The curriculum is based on an EBACC style offer meaning that we have based our theme teaching around science, history and geography with English and mathematics skills being developed and applied in these subjects alongside their discrete teaching.  On other days, we offer pupils a varied and in-depth curriculum based around the arts.  This includes detailed music, art and DT teaching.  There are specific opportunities for the application of ICT skills as well as a computing curriculum.  We have incorporated understanding of social media, drama, enterprise and community engagement and self-study as part of our wider curriculum offer.  The curriculum reflects the expectations we have for pupils to be able to explore different subjects and find elements of the curriculum that they love and are good at.  It ensures that there is no opportunity to narrow the curriculum offer.

Teachers are best placed to ensure that pupils achieve the best outcomes but in order to do this they need the chance to develop their own subject knowledge, teaching skills and share good practice.  As a school we value learning at all levels.  We are therefore committed to staff development as we know that it is this that increases outcomes for pupils more than anything else.  We offer staff the chance to work together during the working week to involve themselves in coaching programmes, action research, school development plans, planning, moderation and assessment.  This time is so valuable and ensures that staff are continually learning and implementing new and improved teaching and learning skills from each other and external providers which ensures vulnerable pupils have access to the best quality teaching we can provide.

Our commitment extends further than the academic and the arts.  We know that most pupils at some point in their school career will need additional support to understand and develop coping strategies for various external influences.  We have therefore set up a well-being team who run programmes for specific children and specific needs.  This could be mental health, play therapy, bereavement counselling, ADHD support or just support with confidence and self-esteem.  This is a new team and the programmes on offer are developing but will, we believe, have a significant impact in the long term.  We also offer tutoring to identified pupils and a number of after school clubs run by our own staff and external providers.

All children should come to school excited about learning, eager to achieve and prepared to work hard. We are determined to ensure that our school culture reflects this and that this is provided in a supportive, caring and nurturing environment.  We believe that this will develop pupils into engaged, active members of society having developed resilience and tenacity and ready for the next stage of their school journey.

As a school we have therefore identified these factors as having the potential to affect academic and social development and have targeted strategies to support each.  Having identified that these factors can impact on development we have then sought to identify how they can negatively affect pupils and put in strategies and support mechanisms to mitigate these risks as much as possible.

We also recognise that just because these factors exist and can pose a risk, not all children and families who would recognise the factors within their own environments are negatively affected.  We seek to discuss these concerns with families to ensure that we are not making unfair assumptions about the impact of these factors.

·        Eligibility for free school meals

·        Identification as a Young Carer

·        Experience of domestic violence

·        Personal circumstances of parents including but not limited to experiencing mental health concerns, separation, bereavement etc.

·        Parents finding it difficult to engage with school because of concerns including but not limited to time pressures, their own        experiences of school etc.

·        Family financial concerns

·        Pupils with medical care plans

·        Pupils and/or parents with English as an Additional Language (EAL)

·        Pupils who have or are experiencing being supported by local authority care (Looked After and Post Looked After Children; LAC and Post-LAC)

·        Children whose parents work in the armed forces (Service children)

·        Children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)

·        Children and families who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community

We recognise that this list is not exhaustive and that some of these factors may not cause any disadvantage but they do represent the risk factors that have been identified by the school

Many of the pupils who are associated with any of these vulnerabilities can at times be tired, withdrawn, emotionally drained or worried about what is happening at home.  This can limit their capacity to engage in learning activities to their fullest extent.

Often through financial constraints, children’s access to either physical technology or the means to access learning via stable internet connections can be reduced.

Pupils who are experiencing risk factors can struggle to attend school because of self-esteem issues, parent capacity either physical (lack of transport for example) or emotional (concerns over finance for example can be overwhelming) to get children into school. This increases the likelihood of an attainment gap which can then exacerbate the feelings of low self-esteem.

Pupils and families who have experienced or are experiencing many of these factors may have also experienced trauma, may exhibit unhealthy attachment or trust concerns which need to be supported in order to be able to access learning.

Children who are exposed to any of these risk factors are likely to have gaps in their learning either through their own capacity to learn at the time, lack of attendance, or lack of support at home for example.

Many of these factors can constrain finances, time and capacity and therefore reduce access to opportunities beyond the household.  Sometimes there can be feelings of guilt for pupils and families that they do not want to add any further concerns to each other and therefore do not take up the opportunities offered.

Improvement in subject knowledge in identified areas

Increased capacity within intervention groups to ensure good progress for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils

Social and emotional concerns identified swiftly

Communication with parents effective to ensure that recurrence of concerns is limited

Pupils feel able to access learning quicker and more effectively.

Development of the wider curriculum, particularly resources a more in-depth curriculum.

Trauma and attachment, bereavement, domestic violence, parental separation training.

Support for persistent absenteeism.  Understanding causes and identifying strategies to address these concerns alongside a robust system for analysing data, informing parents and taking necessary action.

Access to Maths Whizz at school has enhanced pupil opportunity for repeated practise.

Information gathered about pupil experiences at home has significantly increased and has enabled the well-being to be more targeted in the approach to support.

The attainment gap between children identified as disadvantaged and others remains significant but stable.