Pupil Premium
Pupil premium strategy statement
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.
For a PDF of this information, please Click Here.
School overview
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Detail |
Data |
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Number of pupils in school |
571 |
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Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils |
21% (121) |
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Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers |
2024 – 2027 |
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Date this statement was published |
December 2024 |
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Date on which it will be reviewed |
December 2025 |
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Statement authorised by |
N Simpson, Headteacher |
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Pupil premium lead |
M Sharpe, Assistant Headteacher |
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Governor / Trustee lead |
J Parsons |
Funding overview
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Detail |
Amount |
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Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year |
£120,000 |
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Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable) |
£0 |
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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 |
£120,000 |
Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan
At The Kingsbrook School we believe all children are entitled to an exceptional education. Our mission is to be a school where everyone achieves and flourishes, guided and motivated by our character. We recognise that many personal, family and cultural factors contribute to students’ outcomes, yet we also know that a large body of research indicates that what teachers (and by extension all staff) do, know and believe matter more to the achievement of students than anything else we can influence. We aim to improve life chances by improving outcomes.
The quality of education we offer is hugely important to the outcomes of our young people. It is critical that we successfully implement our curriculum via highly effective teaching so that all our students achieve their full academic potential and have every opportunity to flourish in future life and learning. We have high expectations of all our students knowing that they can achieve.
We are determined that all of our students, but more notably those who are the most vulnerable (i.e. pupil premium students), are empowered through their education. We intend to reduce the barriers that these vulnerable young people face, so that they have the same opportunities as those who are not pupil premium. Our plan therefore looks to identify the barriers, and then to direct spending at strategies which help diminish these barriers. We will ensure that all our decisions are informed by educational research and can be evaluated effectively to ensure impact. We will ensure that Pupil Premium students are always put first in all that we do; early release of appointment slots or trips and visits; support for the most vulnerable in lessons first; marking and feedback first.
The Senior Leadership Team, with support staff, will focus on removing as many barriers as possible, to enable our teaching staff to focus on delivering Quality First Teaching as part of our tiered approach which begins in the classroom. Our Pupil Premium strategy, therefore, draws on TKS Core.
TKS Core
Our teaching is informed by educational research and led by our character. We deliver adaptive and responsive teaching suitable for all. This is supported by predictable routines to create an environment where all learners can ‘achieve and flourish’. The impact of this is verified by active evaluation of learning and progress by all.
Teaching has the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap, and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school. We are determined that all staff will be able to support our students, including those that are disadvantaged, by implementing adaptive and responsive teaching. We will use some of the additional funds to drive a high quality, broad and challenging curriculum and deliver quality first teaching that meets the needs of our cohort. We will target the science of teaching through action research as part of the appraisal system, and using evidenced-based approaches to drive further discussions with staff.
The second tier is focused on targeted academic support and will also support students to demonstrate our core values of ambition and resilience in their learning. We recognise that some of our students have had a range of home and school experiences, and may have gaps in their knowledge, understanding and skills. Our approach will be responsive to the individual challenges and needs of our pupils. It is our intention to provide timely academic interventions that supplement our curriculum offer.
Our third tier delivers wider strategies of improving attendance and offering social and emotional support to improve students’ self-esteem and self-efficacy. High quality pastoral and character development are also at the foundation of this. We foster excellent relationships between staff, students and families, starting to establish a sense of belonging within our new community. Our core values of confidence and compassion are embedded through all aspects of school life and are key to this strategy.
We also recognise that the needs of our Service Children may be different to our other disadvantaged children, and therefore we endeavour to provide bespoke support for these individuals given their differing circumstance. Equally, we recognise that for our Looked After and Previously Looked After cohort, we may need to focus on more therapeutic or social and emotional interventions and support.
Our approach will be responsive to common challenges and individual needs, rooted in robust diagnostic analysis of assessment data as well as individual tutor audits to identify individual barriers so that we can plan to address these. Our overall ambition is to ensure that our disadvantage students achieve and flourish by reaching or exceeding their academic potential and thriving in every element of their school lives.
Challenges
This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils.
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Challenge number |
Detail of challenge |
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1. |
We recognise that the use of technology, as evidenced by the EEF in Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning (2019) and Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools (2012), will have a positive impact on pupil progress and learning. Therefore, all students require access to our online curriculum, and online interventions where appropriate. Some of our families may also find it difficult to meet other non-digital equipment and uniform needs required by our school. SDP 1.3, 4.3 |
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2. |
Our attendance data over the last 2 years indicates that attendance among disadvantaged pupils has been between 8 - 10% lower than for non-disadvantaged pupils. Last academic year the average attendance of pupil premium students was 82%. 42 - 45% of disadvantaged pupils (less than 90% attendance) have been ‘persistently absent’ compared to 12 – 14% of their peers during that period. Our assessments and observations indicate that absenteeism is negatively impacting disadvantaged pupils’ progress.
We recognise that as a new, growing school, that the percentage representation will change. The EEF’s rapid evidence assessment report entitled ‘Impact of school closures on the attainment gap’, states that ‘there is a risk that high levels of absence after schools formally reopen poses a particular risk for disadvantaged pupils’. SDP 2.2, 4.3 |
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3. |
Assessments and observations indicate that our disadvantaged students generally have lower levels of reading comprehension than that of their peers, which can result in underdeveloped oral language and limited vocabulary. This impacts their confidence, knowledge and progress across all subjects, making accessing written texts more challenging. Students need support in increasing their vocabulary and oral skills, alongside their written skills, increasing their confidence in expressing their ideas.
NGRT assessments indicate that 28% of our disadvantaged pupils have below age-related reading expectations compared to 18% of their peers. SDP1.2, 1.3, 4.3 |
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4. |
The maths attainment of disadvantaged pupils is generally lower than that of their peers. GL Assessments show that 38% of pupil premium students are below their expected level, in comparison to 17% of non-pupil premium students at TKS (FSM students were 7.1 marks below non-FSM students in the SAS score). |
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5. |
Access to the co-curriculum and school visits to boost cultural capital. SDP1.1, 3.1, 4.3 |
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6. |
Our Pupil Attitude to Self and School demonstrate that our disadvantaged students have a lower self-regard as a learner (56.2% of schools scored the same or higher) compared to their non-disadvantaged peers (58.5% of schools scored the same or higher). Learner Self-regard measures a learner’s long-term and overall view of their self-efficacy for academic achievement. Moreover, in terms of responses to curriculum demands our disadvantaged cohort scored 58.8% and our non-disadvantaged pupils scored 61.2%. This measure focuses on school-based motivation, and we link this to learning behaviours. Our approach to this measure will change this academic year to capture alternative information. SDP 1.3, 2.3, 4.3 |
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7. |
Our data and observations suggest that a number of disadvantaged students have an identified social, emotional, mental health need such as anxiety, or also present with EBSNA. Subsequently these students are struggling to either attend school, or remain in the classroom environment, therefore requiring support in this. SDP 3.2, 4.3 |
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8. |
Our observations and discussions with Parents / Carers suggest that our Service Children may struggle emotionally, and socially when one of their family members is on tour, impacting on their ability to engage productively in learning. |
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9. |
At The Kingsbrook School, the percentage of students with SEND is significant compared to national averages, and the intersectionality between SEND and Pupil Premium should be considered. We have 58 students with SEND whom are also in receipt of Pupil Premium. (48% of all pupil premium students). 26 of these have Education, Health and Care Plans. Ensuring that all of these needs are addressed cohesively is key. SDP 1.1, 3.4, 4.3 |
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.
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Intended outcome |
Success criteria |
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1. All Pupil Premium and Pupil Premium Plus students will have access to our online curriculum and online interventions, where appropriate, via a Chromebook. Some students may have equipment, or uniform provided. |
All PP students to be issued with a Chromebook device free of charge (not including Service Children). Tutors and subject teachers able to request purchase of equipment to meet the needs of individual students. Tutors complete audits to verify the needs of all disadvantaged students. |
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2. To achieve and sustain improved attendance for all pupils, particularly our disadvantaged pupils. |
Sustained high attendance by 2026/27 demonstrated by: ● the overall unauthorised absence rate for all pupils being no more than 1% and the attendance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers being reduced by 7%. ● the percentage of all pupils who are persistently absent being below 10% and the figure among disadvantaged pupils being no more than 15%. |
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3. Improved reading and comprehension standard scores among disadvantaged students across the school.
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NGRT assessments demonstrate improved comprehension skills among disadvantaged pupils and a smaller disparity between the scores of disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers. Reading ages are in line with or exceeding chronological age. Interventions for those in Bands A, B, C and D are implemented. Reading Strategies for Decoding and Fluency are evident during Learning Walks. Guided Reading Templates are used across subjects where appropriate. Students are aware of what it means to be an expert reader in different subjects. Evidence of explicit vocabulary teaching will be evident in student exercise books. (E.g. Frayer Models, where appropriate) Teachers should also have recognised this improvement through engagement in lessons, book scrutiny and assessment data All disadvantaged students are provided with a book of their choice every year. |
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4. Improved outcomes among disadvantaged pupils across the curriculum at the end of KS3 and KS4, particularly in maths and English. |
All disadvantaged parents will be contacted via telephone to invite them to key educational events, such as parents evening, options evening etc. KS3 performance measures in 2026/27 demonstrate that disadvantaged pupils achieve in line with their non-disadvantage peers. KS4 performance measures in 2026/27 demonstrate that the percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieve an average Attainment 8 score and a grade 4 GCSE maths or above in line with FFT 20. KS4 performance measures in 2026/27 demonstrate that disadvantaged pupils achieve average Attainment 8 score and a grade 4 GCSE English or above in line with FFT 20. |
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5. Pupil Premium students are engaged with extra-curricular activities and attend educational trips, and in addition to this Pupil Premium Plus students will be able to access enrichment trips.
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PP students will be attending trips in line with their non-PP peers. Tickets for educational trips will be pre-released to Pupil Premium students two days prior to general release. All disadvantaged parents will be contacted via telephone to invite their child to the trip / visit where appropriate. Tickets for educational trips will be subsidised where appropriate. Co-curricular data will be monitored and PP students’ parents contacted if participation is deemed to be beneficial. PP students access the same opportunities as non Pupil-Premium students, such as music lessons. PP students access relevant educational trips. Pupil Premium Plus students may access subsidised enrichment trips as supported by the Virtual School.
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6. There will be an increase in the percentage of disadvantaged pupils reporting positive responses to curriculum demands, using our new Edurio Survey measure. |
Thrive Approach Intervention to be more systematically targeted and implemented. At least one member of the Raising Achievement Team, and one member of the SEND Team to be trained each year, resulting in one member of RAO per year group, and 4 members of the SEND team are trained. Character education curriculum shows content to increase ambition and future aspirations as well as building resilience. Student voice, learning walks and observations show students are more able to regulate their own learning, reducing time spent in ‘The Orchards’ and increasing their time in lessons. Edurio survey results report an increase in positive experiences in school. Nurture group is implemented for targeted individuals. AV1 robot is implemented to support access to lessons for those disadvantaged and with an EBSNA profile. EBSNA procedure to be written and implemented within school. |
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7. Students with an identified social, emotional and mental health need, or those with an EBSNA presentation will demonstrate increased resilience and will access an increasing amount of education.
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8. Students that intersect across SEND and Pupil Premium will experience a joined-up approach in terms of support, allowing consistent and targeted support to be offered, making maximum impact on educational achievement. |
All Pupil Premium interventions and support to be put onto Provision Map. Assistant Headteacher: SENDCo to lead on Pupil Premium. RAC meetings to continue to share information regarding both cohorts. Intervention Provision Map to be developed, and criteria and process for request and implementation to be developed. Intervention approaches to be shared amongst RAO, and SEND. At least 75% of intersecting students achieve or exceed their individual academic targets. |
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9. Service Children will be provided with academic, social, and emotional support during times where a family member is serving abroad for a fixed period of time, or appropriate bereavement support if required. |
Service child and family report increased sense of support during difficult times. Raising Achievement Officer or other trusted adult, meets at key times when required. |
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: £ 60,000
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Activity |
Evidence that supports this approach |
Challenge number(s) addressed |
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Improving literacy in all subject areas in line with recommendations in the EEF Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools guidance. We will provide professional development and support focussed on each teacher’s subject area, allowing the development of resources, rehearsal of strategies and development of procedural documents to boost reading across the school.
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Acquiring disciplinary literacy is key for students as they learn new, more complex concepts in each subject: Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools Reading comprehension, vocabulary and other literacy skills are heavily linked with attainment in all subjects: word-gap (Oxford University Press)
Reading comprehension strategies | EEF Comprehension strategies are high impact and forms a crucial component of early reading. |
2, 3 |
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Ongoing purchase of standardised NGRT and NGST diagnostic reading and spelling assessments. Training will be provided for staff to ensure assessments are interpreted correctly. |
Standardised tests can provide reliable insights into the specific strengths and weaknesses of each pupil to help ensure they receive the correct additional support through interventions or teacher instruction: |
2, 3 |
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All PP students are issued with a Chromebook device free of charge, to enable full access to the curriculum in and out of school. Equipment and textbooks to be provided for PP students where appropriate. |
Dfe Guidance Using pupil premium guidance for school leaders
Technology and other resources focussed on supporting high quality teaching and learning.
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1. |
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All teaching staff to be engaged in pedagogical research of their own choosing, using key strategies to support the attainment and progress of disadvantaged students, for example, using Teach Like A Champion by Doug Lemov to drive practice. |
SecEd article explained the importance of a solid framework for teaching practices and how Teach Like A Champion has been instrumental in achieving this. Teach Like a Champion: Implementing Lemov - SecEd
The TES explains how effective this has been within schools with disadvantaged students. Pedagogy Focus: Teach Like A Champion | Tes Magazine
In discussions with another local school, they also used this approach to support their most vulnerable students.
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2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 |
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INSET / Meeting time given to ‘knowing our PP students’ and pedagogy to use in the classroom.
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Effective Professional Development Guidance | EEF
Delivering training that supports continuous and sustained professional development is crucial to developing teacher practice, and will be balanced to build knowledge, motivate teachers, develop specific techniques and embed new approaches. |
2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
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Year group attendance spreadsheets to incorporate PP/SEND data for tutors to monitor more closely and intervene.
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Understanding the context and needs of our cohort more in depth will support with increased school attendance. |
2 |
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Development of a PP student tracker to monitor and intervene in a timely manner, to ensure progress. |
Understanding the context and needs of our cohort more in depth will support with increased school attendance.
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2 |
Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support, structured interventions)
Budgeted cost: £ 30,000
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Activity |
Evidence that supports this approach |
Challenge number(s) addressed |
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Delivering well-evidenced phonics / reading intervention (Read Write Inc – Fresh Start) for students that are in the A, B, C and D bands of the NGRT. |
In England, positive effects have been found in studies where teaching assistants deliver high-quality structured interventions which deliver short sessions, over a finite period, and link learning to classroom teaching: Teaching Assistant Interventions | Teaching and Learning Toolkit | EEF
The EEF have also reported, in their teaching and learning toolkit, that phonics based interventions have low cost and significant impact: Phonics | Teaching and Learning Toolkit | EEF |
2, 3, 4 |
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Deliver well-evidenced reading interventions, such as Lexonic and Lexia, for other students not captured by NGRT bands A and B. |
In England, positive effects have been found in studies where teaching assistants deliver high-quality structured interventions which deliver short sessions, over a finite period, and link learning to classroom teaching: Teaching Assistant Interventions | Teaching and Learning Toolkit | EEF |
2, 3, 4 |
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Music lesson tuition. |
As well as being valuable in itself, arts participation can have a positive impact on wellbeing and education outcomes, including English and maths, when interventions are linked to academic targets. |
5, 6, 7 |
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Nurture Group established to meet the SEMH needs of pupils. |
Studies have shown that nurture provision allows children to perform better academically (Sanders, 2007; Reynolds et al. 2009; Seth-Smith et al 2010), increases school attendance (Sanders, 2007), school enjoyment (Sloan et al. 2016) and reduces pupil exclusion (Ofsted 2011).
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2, 4, 7, 8 |
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Service Pupil Premium: Provide academic, social, and emotional support during times where a family member is serving abroad for a fixed period of time, or appropriate bereavement support if required. |
Service Pupil Premium: examples of best practice - GOV.UK
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9 |
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Individual or small group tuition for core subjects to target specific, individual gaps. |
Intensive support - either one to one or as part of a small group can support pupil learning if provided in addition to, and explicitly linked with, normal lessons. |
4 |
Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)
Budgeted cost: £ 30,000
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Activity |
Evidence that supports this approach |
Challenge number(s) addressed |
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All PP students are engaged with extra-curricular activities and attend educational trips.
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Allowing students to feel included by removing barriers to enrichment opportunities. Culture, Creativity and Narrowing the Gap | A New Direction
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5 |
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To support those students in receipt of PP, who are experiencing hardship, with being properly equipped for school, where possible. |
Schools may be justified in funding items not listed where this is necessary to overcome specific barriers to student attainment, for example to meet acute needs around student equipment to ensure readiness to learn.
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1. |
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Mentoring of PP students via tutors, Raising Achievement Officer and ARC staff using techniques such as the EBSNA toolkit and The Thrive Approach to break down barriers leading to low attendance, or struggling engagement. |
Tutoring vs mentoring | The Good Schools Guide
DfE Working together to improve attendance
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7, 8 |
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Use a dedicated Attendance Mentor to support the attendance of those disadvantaged, including carrying out interventions with those students, and working with our EBSNA AT. |
Evaluation of the attendance mentors pilot - GOV.UK
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2, 7 |
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Develop the role of our Nurture AT to incorporate supporting the attendance of the EBSNA students that are Pupil Premium. |
Evaluation of the attendance mentors pilot - GOV.UK
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2, 7 |
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All trips and visits, and parental events to be released to PP students first, with follow-up conversations with parents that struggle to engage. |
Reducing the barriers for parents to engage with events will support the progress of students. |
5 |
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Offer of meetings nearer to parental home to secure engagement. |
Ensuring positive parental engagement with school to drive academic performance has proven to make long standing progress, even beyond the initial pupil.
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2, 4, 6 |
Total budgeted cost: £120,000
Part B: Review of the previous academic year (2023 - 2024)
Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
As a growing school we increase our cohort every September, and our cohort comes from a wide range of feeder schools, although this is likely to reduce each year as the estate which we are based comes to completion. Equally, our intention of how to grow the school in Year 1 will have shifted and moved as we enter Year 3. Therefore, it is important to note that whilst the challenges our pupils face remain fairly consistent, we have refined these and made our pupil premium strategy reflect our current cohort, and trajectory of the school as we begin to embed more of our processes and practices.
Over the course of 2023-2024, progress was made towards our intended outcomes, and we have re-established our outcomes in this new strategy.
As a new school, we do not have any key stage 4 results or progress 8 measures. During the last academic year, we assessed pupils in quintiles for all subjects. Comparing the baseline assessments in maths and English for all disadvantaged pupils it is evident that progress has been made by disadvantaged students to narrow the gap. English have moved Pupil Premium students further forward overall.
A reading approach across the school has moved forward significantly. All tutors read regularly to their class using the form time reader which has been carefully selected by our Reading Lead to engage our students. We have also recently opened our library with the intention that from September all students will have at least one library lesson a fortnight. We continue to use GL assessment and CATS testing to identify specific strengths and weaknesses of each student to help ensure they receive the correct support through interventions or teacher instruction. Interventions have been implemented to support those readers with low prior attainment, and some progress is evident. This has not been as far reaching, or as consistent as we had initially hoped. It is evident that overall reading ages and comprehension among the disadvantaged pupils still remains a challenge, and that the disparity between those who are disadvantaged, and the non-disadvantaged peers remains. Following this, we have refocused our efforts on addressing the reading gap with incisive analysis and renewed interventions to ensure that progress is made and captured. Accelerated reader has not yet been introduced, but is planned for the coming academic year.
We have continued to focus on high quality first teaching and have developed TKS core. TKS Core outlines clearly how all teachers will approach teaching and learning across the school, ensuring that adaptive and responsive practice is at the heart of what we do. There have been several teaching and learning INSET sessions, and we have introduced a weekly teaching and learning briefing which focuses on a range of needs, strategies and approaches. Alongside this, we have introduced class profiles, which outline the range of needs that are present in each group, including those from a disadvantaged background. Staff have collaboratively developed the Class Profiles based on their knowledge of the students and are set to be reviewed in the Autumn Term.
With the introduction of our Attendance Officer, attendance is being monitored more closely and they are acutely aware of the Pupil Premium and SEND needs of the cohort. We intend to further enhance this work by introducing an Attendance Mentor, as well as explore alternative interventions for those pupils that struggle to attend or engage.
Our Pupil Premium students have been able to access a range of extracurricular activities and attend a variety of educational and enrichment trips. This has supported their social inclusion and developed their cultural capital. Equally, this has enabled these students to foster a stronger relationship with a range of staff. Whilst we are aware that Pupil Premium students do attend the various activities and co-curricular events that are organised by staff, we now need to have a more focused analysis of the impact of these activities on our disadvantaged students.
Attendance in school remains a challenge for our disadvantaged students. However, it is important to note that a small number of students that intersect both Pupil Premium and SEND are skewing the figures of attendance overall. These young people also have an EBSNA profile, And steps are being taken to re-engage them with education. We continue to provide soft landings for targeted students to ensure a smooth transition, alongside having employed a year 6 transition Raising Achievement Officer.
All Pupil Premium students were issued with a Chromebook device free of charge and tutors have been requesting equipment for individual students where needed. Equally music lessons have been funded for some of these students too. There are some families where we have supported with the purchase of school uniform.
In terms of our pastoral approach, character education continues to be delivered across all year groups by the pastoral team. This also forms part of our personal development strategy and encourages our students to be ambitious, resilient, confident, and compassionate. Thrive interventions have been successful in some instances; however, further work is required to ensure that these are delivered with maximum impact. It was agreed that an additional member of staff will be trained in the Thrive Approach to build capacity for the team. This will continue into the next academic year. We have also implemented some positive changes regarding regulation, and the support that is offered across the SEND team which has meant that we are starting to see a reduction in the amount of time that students spend away from direct teaching. This work should continue into the next academic year.
Shared approaches between SEND and Pupil Premium have been enhanced since a structural reorganisation. There is increasing overlap between interventions for SEND and Pupil Premium, but this now needs more formalisation as we move into the next academic year.
Externally provided programmes
Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you used your pupil premium to fund in the previous academic year.
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Programme |
Provider |
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Lexia |
Lexia Learning Systems |
Service pupil premium funding
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How our service pupil premium allocation was spent last academic year |
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Pastoral mentoring / support Raising Achievement Officer assigned to every year group |
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The impact of that spending on service pupil premium eligible pupils |
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Overall, academic progress was made in the vast majority of subjects over the course of the year. Attendance remained over 97% for these pupils, and whilst no specific mentoring was required, support was available. |
