"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.
All members of staff, governors and teaching assistants accept responsibility for ‘socially disadvantaged’ pupils and are committed to meeting their pastoral, social and academic needs within a caring Catholic environment. This is an essential, integral part of the spiritual development of the whole school community.As with every child in our care, a child who is considered to be ‘socially disadvantaged’ is valued, respected and entitled to develop to his/her full potential, irrespective of need.
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 in order for pupils eligible for FSM for example music lessons and offsite visits.
Social and Emotional Support – Provide additional adult support, Thrive and Counselling to help facilitate social and emotional development for identified children.