"A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.”

(Pope Francis, June 13)

 Every child with his/her individual needs is a unique gift from God. 

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that providing quality first teaching gives the best intervention for catch-up. Everything we do must be underpinned by a commitment to support our teachers to be the best they can be so that we positively impact on the improvement in outcomes for our most disadvantaged children and all children. Our ultimate goal is that no child is left behind socially, or academically, because of their disadvantage. That the differences in attainment and progress between disadvantaged children and their peers continue to decrease. We strive to remove the stigma of low expectations, to raise lifelong aspirations and to enable all children to be their best self. We promote pride and perseverance, to ensure children become active and responsible contributors to their communities. This will be strengthened by our whole school ethos of high and inclusive expectations, understanding academic and emotional needs and growing potential in every child.

 The pupil premium is a Government initiative that targets additional funding at pupils from deprived backgrounds, which research shows underachieve compared to their peers. The premium is provided in order to support these pupils in reaching their full potential. The funding is allocated to schools based on the following criteria

• Children who are entitled to Free School Meals
• Children who have been entitled to free school meals in the last six years
• Children of services personnel
• Children who have a parent who has been in the Services in the last seven years
• Children who are looked after and have been in care continually for at least six months
• Children who have been adopted from care

 At St. Mary’s the objectives for spending the Pupil Premium Grant are:

Pupil Performance - To continue to minimise the gap for those pupils not on track to achieve at or above age related expectations and make expected or more than expected progress at the end of Foundation Stage, KS1 and KS2 through the use of targeted and strategic support.

Targeted Interventions – To provide well researched, targeted interventions that have a proven track record and create a measurable impact in a relatively short block of time, so that every child is subject to quality first teaching in the classroom.

Staff Training- We are committed to developing all our staff in ‘Successful Teaching and Learning’ using research based strategies and current resources. All teaching and support staff are given CPD opportunities based on effective marking and feedback.

Enrichment - Provide experiences, for example, music lessons or offsite visits.

Social and Emotional Support – Provide additional trusted adult support or TIS (Trauma informed schools) support to enable emotional development for identified children.