In September 2023 there were 114 students in school who qualified for Pupil Premium (Year 7 – 14, Year 8 - 24, Year 9 – 20, Year 10 – 29, Year 11 – 27). This represents around 14.1% of the entire school population. This cohort changes regularly as each family’s financial circumstances change. 

The Department of Education makes it clear that the total Pupil Premium funding received by the school should be used to support the academic achievement of Pupil Premium students as a whole. At St Benedict’s our overriding aim is to ensure that all students reach their potential both academically and socially. To this end, Pupil Premium funds are used to support the curriculum and curriculum enrichment opportunities, so as to ensure that the utmost is done to help engage students in school life, and to raise overall attainment. 

Funds are used in a variety of ways to provide additional support, intervention and opportunities for all students, but with a special focus on those receiving free school meals. 

Some examples of support and intervention are: 

• High-quality teaching – St Benedict’s has focused on high quality first teaching based on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and metacognition, which helps all students make progress, particularly students on the Pupil Premium Register. 

• Targeted academic support – We aim to provide targeted academic support in English and Mathematics to groups of students in need of extra support with a particular emphasis on students on the PP register. 

• Academic Support Programmes – The Accelerated Reader Programme and GCSEPod subscription are partially paid for using PP funds. The AR programme helps to identify students with low reading ages, allowing us to provide targeted intervention as well as allowing us to monitor progress. The GCSEPod programme has been very beneficial to many students in KS4 including students on the PP register. 

• Free music tuition – St Benedict’s believes that all students should have the opportunity to study a musical instrument and PP funding is used to provide group lessons. 

• Reductions for Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions – PP funding has been used to provide financial support to students to help them access the DofE programme, particularly the Expedition section. 

• Breakfast Club – In order to provide wrap around support to students on the PP register this academic year we have run a Breakfast Club. PP funding is used to provide students (including those on the PP register) with a carton of fruit juice and a cereal bar before school while they complete homework, receive additional academic support or simply enjoy the facilities in the LRC, during the breakfast club. 

Improve progress and attainment

This is the key principle of Pupil Premium.  We want every student to have the opportunity to make excellent progress and realise their full their considerable potential. Our aim is to remove any barriers to learning and offer targeted support and advice to improve the knowledge, skills and understanding of the curriculum.

Enrich students’ lives through new opportunities and a creative curriculum

We want every student to have opportunities outside ‘classroom’ learning and to develop a variety of life skills that will help them to be socially aware and develop confidence. We want students to have high aspirations and learn to be comfortable in a range of environments and circumstances.

Encourage excellence

We want to offer behavioural and social support and reward consistent excellence and sustained improvement to create safe and supportive learning environments for all students.

Ensure there is no hardship that hinders learning

We want all students to have all the equipment, uniform, resources and technology they need to succeed in education. We want pupils to feel safe on the journey to and from school at school, as well as at school and have excellent attendance and punctuality.