Year 7 Catch up

Year 7 Catch Up funding is provided to support the progress of pupils arriving in Year 7 who are not yet secondary ready (NSR). These are pupils who did not achieve the required level in English and/or Mathematics at the end of Year 6.

In 2017 to 2018 the DfE have allocated funding to schools on the basis that they receive the same overall amount of year 7 catch-up premium funding they received in 2016 to 2017, adjusted to reflect the percentage change in the size of their year 7 cohort between the October 2016 and the October 2017 school censuses as follows: Schools are asked to identify pupils who need extra support from the year 7 catch-up premium, so they can decide the best way to use the funding. Schools should only select programmes and approaches that they know are effective.

In the Academic Year 2017-2018 the catch up funding provided was £7,000.

Research suggests that there are three key factors that increase the likelihood of positive life outcomes. It is with this in mind that we plan our strategic approach to the use of the Catch Up Premium Funding.

• Academic intervention (Language, literacy & numeracy)
• Parental support
• Strong personal & social skills

Embedding our approach to closing the attainment and progress gap on research helps to build a picture of the needs of children eligible for the Catch Up funding, and provides a clear picture about the specific areas that we as a school might anticipate and intervene, to improve the pupil outcomes.

Key findings from the Literacy and Numeracy catch-up Strategies in Secondary Schools document highlights the following effective strategies through the allocation of funding in maximising pupil outcomes: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268031/literacy_and_numeracy_catch_up_strategies_in_secondary_schools.pdf

The fundamental principle that underpins our approach AT Kings Priory School is that of Quality first teaching. We strongly believe that what goes on in the classroom is the single largest contributory factor in supporting pupils to make strong academic progress. We therefore invest significantly in our whole school approach to outstanding teaching and learning. Whilst this supports the progress of all our pupils as part of our CPD programme we do plan bespoke sessions for staff linked to teaching and learning strategies that support planning for progress. It is through this strategy that ensures all staff personalise their learning and encourage pupils to struggle with new concepts.

Key expenditure

The funding was used, alongside the main school budget, to pay for the support and intervention in Year 7 English and Maths lessons. It paid for extra small group and 1-1 sessions in the two core subjects from fully qualified teachers. It has also allowed us to create a smaller ‘nurture’ group in Maths and English where alternative curriculum provision could be utilised where needed.

Attainment and Progress

In Reading 90% of eligible pupils have progressed to the required level and are now deemed to be secondary ready. (7/8)

In Writing 90% of eligible pupils have progressed to the required level and are now deemed to be secondary ready. (4/5)

In Maths 84% of eligible pupils progressed to the required level and are now deemed to be secondary ready. (25/30)

Summary

The statistical relevance of this data for Reading and Writing is somewhat flawed due to the small size of the sample group