Catch-Up Funding

INSKIP ST. PETER’S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL

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Our COVID-19 Catch-Up Premium Report

 

Funding Allocation 

We are greatly concerned about the impact of lockdown on our pupils. Despite a dedicated and excellent delivery of remote lessons from each teacher to all children in their class, we are intensely aware that without the full rigours and range of support which our pupils thrive on during their full days in a normal term in our school, catch up learning will be required upon the children's return. The government has provided COVID-19 catch-up premium funding for all state-funded schools at the rate of £80 per child in a mainstream school. Funding is provided in three tranches, two of which fall in the current financial year and amount to £46.67 per pupil for mainstream and £140 per place for special and AP. A further £33.33 per pupil to be paid during the Summer Term 2021. Estimated funding included in this report is based on 56 pupils. Schools must use this funding for specific activities to support pupils to catch up for lost teaching over the previous months in line with the guidance on curriculum expectations for the next academic year. (See also EEF - School Planning Guide 2020-21) Schools have the flexibility to spend their funding in the best way for their cohort and circumstances, it is assumed this funding will be fully spent.

 

Accountability and monitoring

As with all government funding, school leaders must be able to account for how this money is being used to achieve the central goal of schools getting back on track and teaching a normal curriculum as quickly as possible. Given their role in ensuring schools spend funding appropriately and in holding schools to account for educational performance, governors and trustees should scrutinise schools’ approaches to catch-up, including their plans for and use of catch-up funding. This should include consideration of whether schools are spending this funding in line with their catch-up priorities, and ensuring appropriate transparency for parents. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/catch-up-premium-coronavirus-covid-19)

 

COVID-19 catch-up premium spending: summary

 

Academic year

2020-21

Total Catch-up Premium

£4480

Number of Pupils

56

 

Context of the school and rationale for the strategy (with specific reference to the impact of COVID 19)

• Our proportion of disadvantaged pupils across the school is relatively low compared to both a local and national picture at 6.7% .
• Throughout the Summer Term, the vast majority of children from Reception to Year 6 engaged with the detailed online learning that the school provided. Teachers had regular contact with the pupils who did not engage with this on-line learning and provided paper based work and phone support .
• Upon re-opening on September 2nd 2020 we had an excellent response to children coming back to school (100% of families returning on the first day).
• Due to no parental demand our school was fully closed over the summer holiday period which meant that no school based or remote learning took place over the summer break. From a school management point of view, this was crucial in terms of staff workload and their mental health and emotional well being.
• As a staff we have discussed the need for the use of consistent cohort baselines to enable internal assessment tracking of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Staff will use formative assessments during the first few weeks of the Autumn Term in order to establish progress and identify gaps in attainment. Informal intervention will begin immediately and formal intervention will follow as soon as the children have settled back into school routines. Teachers will also take time to monitor pupils’ mental health and well-being and will not start any interventions until pupils are emotionally  ready.

 

Aims

• Attainment outcomes at end of 2020-21 for all year groups will be at least in line with those at the point of lockdown in March. This means that if a child was working at an age-related expectation in a subject in March 2020, they are working least to at least an age-related expectation in the same subject by July 2021
• By the end of the 2020-2021 year, attainment outcomes will be at least in line with those at the end of the 2019-2020 year.
• The vast majority of pupils will be on track to achieve their targets by the end of the Autumn Term. Additional targeted support and intervention during the Spring and Summer Terms will enable further pupils to reach their targets by the end of the year. A small percentage of pupils may require continued support into the 2021-2022 academic year.

 

Strategy Statement

 

At Inskip St. Peter’s CE Primary School, catch up is:

 

(For all children)

 

• Pastoral Support throughout the Autumn Term. When pupils return to school, they may need support as they readjust to extended periods of learning and working to a timetable. Some pupils may also have Covid-related anxiety issues. Being at home for extended periods may have affected the emotional health and well-being of some pupils.
• Working through well sequenced, purposeful learning schemes. In literacy we are using the Lancashire Bridging Units, in maths we are using the Lancashire Plans and have used catch up premium to purchase “White Rose Maths”. “On Track Maths” is used to identify and plug gaps in pupils knowledge and understanding. Subject leaders have spent time identifying missed units in non-core subjects and have made plans for gaps in knowledge to be addressed as pupils move through school
• Focus on consolidation of basic skills. The core skills which enable successful learning will require increased curriculum time across all year groups. These include: handwriting, spelling of high frequency words, basic sentence punctuation, times tables recall, basic addition & subtraction fact recall and reading skills relevant to age.
• Additional lesson time on core teaching. Reading, writing and maths teaching will require increased teaching time in order to cover missed learning – particularly in the Autumn Term. Teachers will return to full coverage of the national curriculum by the Summer Term.
• Particular focus on early reading and phonics. This is always a focus in the school and will continue to be so in order to develop reading ability and vocabulary.
• Assessment of learning and of basic skills to identify major gaps. Teachers will work to identify gaps in learning and adapt teaching accordingly
• Time spent on mental health, wellbeing and social skills development. This will be at the core of all catch up work as many children have not been in a formal school setting for a number of months.

 

(For some children)

 

• Ongoing Pastoral Support. Some pupils will need support beyond the Autumn Term or require more targeted intervention for specific anxieties. These children will be supported by trained personnel, either in house or as support services.
• Additional support and focus on basic core skills. Supported in class through increased staffing utilising catch up premium – dependent on need as identified through ongoing assessment.
• Additional time to practice basic skills. This again will be dependent on need of children in order to re-establish good progress in the essentials (phonics and reading, increasing vocabulary, writing and mathematics) and there will be flexibility on timetables to allow this. This will be completed in class and at home in short, frequent bursts, using ICT packages where possible – IDL for example.
• Targeted Intervention. This will be implemented by teachers and teaching assistants as we feel that children would make greater progress with a person who knows them well, know their gaps in learning and is able to provide regular support for rapid progress

 

Planned Expenditure for Current Academic Year

 

Identified Spending	Planned Expenditure
Catch up support funded through specialist Teaching Assistant 1-1 and small group work	£4000
Identified Interventions Purchased	£240
Staff CPD in the identified interventions	£240