Catch Up Funding
Guidance
Pupils at St Peter’s RC Primary School, as well as children and young people across the country, have experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Children from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be among those affected the most. As a school and community, St Peter’s RC Primary School will make every effort to support our pupils with their missed learning and mental health.
The aggregate impact of lost time in education will be substantial and the scale of our response must match the scale of the challenge. Schools’ allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis, providing each mainstream school with a total of £80 for each pupil in from Reception through to Year 6 (Year 11 at secondary School.)
Schools will get funding in 3 tranches:
Autumn 2020:
This is based on the latest available data on pupils in mainstream schools and high needs place numbers in special, AP, hospital schools and special schools not maintained by a local authority.
Early 2021: based on updated pupil and place data.
Summer and Autumn 2021 Term:
As a school, we will use this funding effectively, for specific activities; to support our pupils to catch up for lost teaching over the previous months. I, as Headteacher and all Senior Leaders will show how they are using the funding to resume teaching a normal curriculum as quickly as possible following partial or full school closure. The Governors of St Peter’s RC Primary School will scrutinise the approaches we use to catch-up from September 2020, including our plans for and use of Catch-up Funding. This should include consideration of whether the school is spending this funding in line with their catch-up priorities and ensuring a transparency for our parents.
The approaches detailed in this plan, supplement school improvement actions and strategies already planned for 2020-21 (based on EEF recommendations).
School: St Peter’s RC Primary School
Allocation: |
£16,320 |
204 Children on roll x £80 per child |
What are the main issues that the school has identified during the ‘engage’ phase of the return plan?
- Our online engagement was higher during the second lockdown.
- We supported our parents with guidance how to use a x-box device to also access the Purple Mash on line platform when children worked from home.
- More CPD was also offered for staff to support the children during the day to complete their on line learning and lessons.
- We had 25% of our children in school daily being part of the Keyworkers group and vulnerable children cohort.
- Approximately 80% of children engaged in home learning during the second lock down. We had slightly less engagement in Reception at the beginning of lockdown but this improved as the school received 15 electronic devices from the government to support children and families.
General observations that have been made on this current return to school have been as follows:
- Children are happy to be back in school; seeing their teachers and friends.
- Parents were very happy and relieved to be able to bring their children back to school.
- The children have settled back into the school routines and Covid-19 procedures, quickly. Stamina, at times, across subjects waned during the first part of returning to school.
- Some children are finding it harder to work independently.
- For some children who had gaps before Covid-19 the gap has further widened.
- Writing is a subject that has dipped (with particular concern over handwriting in some classes).
- Some classes have reported fluency in Maths has dipped and the ability to use the strategies which have been taught especially mental recall and use of mathematic vocabulary.
- Phonics in Year 1 and the ability for the children to segment and blend showed an increase in lack of confidence and the ability to apply their phonic knowledge in reading and writing.
- Year 2 have reported that Reading is actually good, but with some children Phonics has slipped. Both areas were covered extensively in home learning. However, we feel that parents were more confident in covering the Reading rather than the Phonics.
- Physical literacy, both gross and fine, has dipped in some year groups and there was a marked decline in physical stamina at the beginning of the return to school in March.
- Skills such as tying laces, putting coats and jumpers off/on using a knife and fork, particularly in Foundation and Key Stage 1 has not generally dipped.
- Pupils found it difficult to talk about their feelings and the trauma of Covid.
- Pupils needed extra support to establish communication skills and friendship skills especially in the Early years and Key stage 1.
Use of Funds - EEF Recommendations:
- Schools should use this funding for specific activities to support their pupils to catch up for lost teaching over the previous months, in line with the guidance on curriculum expectations for the next academic year.
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/984843/10_May_Schools_Guidance.pdf
- Schools have the flexibility to spend their funding in the best way for their cohort and circumstances.
- To support schools to make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a coronavirus (COVID-19) support guide for schools with evidence-based approaches to catch up.
The EEF advises the following:
Teaching and whole school strategies:
- Supporting great teaching
- Pupil assessment and feedback
- Transition support
Targeted approaches
- One to one and small group tuition
- Intervention programmes and resources to support teaching and learning
- Mental health support
- Outdoor provision
Teaching and whole school strategies (Effective use of technology, staff CPD, support for teachers to have time to access and feedback etc) |
Allocation and accountability |
Expected impact and timescale |
Computing Purchase of Computing Devices Updated of Computing Devices (SSD drives) Additional storing and charging cabinet.
Whilst the children have been at home during lockdown, some were used and were essential to access learning.
The remainder were used for Critical Worker teaching sessions to access and support learning also.
In school these will support: · Delivery of interventions and specific teaching group sessions using a range of apps to support Phonics, Maths, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation; · Group sessions and in lesson key objectives for focus children allowing those who are ‘Extremely Clinically Vulnerable’ to access lessons;
· Children continue to receive homework every fortnight via the online learning platform Purple mash.
· Subscription of Phonics tracker to identify gaps in learning. · White Rose annual subscription · Times table Rock star · Purple Mash on line learning platform used in school for Computing curriculum, home learning (Covid) and homework every fortnight altered by paper copies |
£ 7,379.44 £1,242
£200 per year
£120 per year
£113,88 per year £2,424 per year
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Children will have the opportunity to access a wide range of educational apps to support interventions to enable the children to make progress in their learning and where gaps have been identified, particularly in Maths, Phonics, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation.
This purchase and investment will be crucial for the successful running and progress of the identified interventions and bigger focus on electronic learning. |
Allocation of 12 Laptops and 2 Chrome tablets by the DfE Whilst the children have been at home during lockdown, some were used and were essential to access learning.
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Free |
Children will have the opportunity to access a wide range of educational apps to support home learning during the lockdown and interventions, to enable the children to make progress in their learning particularly in Maths and Phonics, as well as using them for research and work across the curriculum. |
Private Tutoring after hours for Child with EHC Plan |
£45 Per hour session once a week- 4 a month(£180) Interventions for year (10 months excluding holidays) total £1, 800 |
To close the gaps especially in Reading, Writing and Maths. Start date of sessions April 2021- April 2022 (Year programme) to be reviewed. |
Wellbeing and Socialisation Revisit and consolidate class and school routines; expectations and rewards as we would in September, so children have time to settle into school life.
Allocated half day per week of our school counselling in order to target specific children on their individual needs. Planned activities in first few weeks to engage children in plenty of opportunities to discuss, reflect and play together such as circle time, extra team games and mindfulness activities.
Mental Health Workshop for all classes (50 minute session per class) |
SLT and Headteacher
HTLA Bereavement Course £300 £30 online training for all support staff during the lock down period.
£599 |
Children with specific needs are professionally supported.
Identified children are supported in their team building skills and in developing physical stamina.
Children feel happy and safe in school. They are able to talk about and reflect upon how they feel and feel listened to. Children sense they are safe in school and know what is expected and what their routines and structures are.
Careful track is kept of how children are feeling and what they feel they would like support with. This can also be used for the school to track patterns which may evolve and occur. Children enjoy learning and achieve happily.
Children develop skills to articulate their feelings, develop strategies of calm themselves and to build resilience. |
Pupil Voice led time to ensure staff and parents have a clear understanding across the school of how the children feel and what they may want to focus on. |
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Children enjoy stories and are motivated to read and broaden their choice of authors and books.
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Teachers continuing to gauge the stamina of their pupils and planning shorter sessions, when necessary and when needed with ‘brain breaks’ in between, particularly in Foundation Stage and Year 1.
Teachers planning key time, reading selected books to their children as there are massive educational and emotional benefits from listening to an adult read. Support staff spending consistent time in the same year group bubbles so relationships for the children are continuous and safe. Engaging reading area to promote reading and reading for pleasure.
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Purchase of new multi-cultural authors £238.31 Purchase of new Reading corner furniture and books (£300 per class x 7 = £2100) |
Children feel safe and know they have known adults they can talk to who will look after them and help them solve their worries. Children are learning specific skills to employ when they come across situations they find hard and developing a skill of reading for pleasure and discussing their books developing their own opinions and pupil voice. |
Assessment for learning To use the first 2/3 weeks back at school to settle children in and begin to identify gaps through relaxed but planned assessment for learning opportunities such as wellbeing activities, assemblies individual reading opportunities etc.
To use assessment data from testing to precisely identify within year groups the key statements which are needed to in order for the majority of children to reach age related expectations by the end of the year.
Time for Progress meetings. |
All staff |
Children settled in safely and happily.
Key gaps are identified to inform teaching.
Teachers are using key assessment statements to inform planning.
Children can articulate their personal next steps and use them as a focus point in their learning. Children are consistently securing key progress statements.
Teachers know every child’s need steps explicitly.
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To give the children ownership of their learning through sharing with each individual child through marking and talking about the key aspect of their learning that they need to focus on for Maths and Writing.
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SLT and all Staff |
Teachers are given extra time to enable them to focus on gaps.
Children can articulate what they are learning, what their target is and what they need to do to achieve it.
Lessons and teaching sequences precisely target gaps in a positive, focussed and engaging way.
Identified key children are supported to close gaps.
Key areas of focus are identified and planned. Identified children make good progress towards targets. Lessons across the curriculum are used to reinforce key learning in English and Maths where possible.
Children can articulate what they are aiming for and how they will get there.
Children are very clear on what their outcome is and how they will achieve this. |
Planning and Teaching To look at the planning process and how we are ensuing that we focus precisely on key statements from the assessment data each week.
To carefully identify key coverage for Reading, SPaG, Writing and Maths which need to be prioritised within year groups.
To clearly identify on plans - weekly, which children are key in focus to either support or extend and what their specific aim is. To identify across the curriculum where writing and reading opportunities can be embedded.
To continue to plan short sessions of “Early Morning Work” to embed and provide continuous consolidation and further assessment of needs and progress. |
SLT and all Staff |
Lessons and teaching sequences precisely target gaps in a positive and engaging way.
Identified children are supported to close gaps. Key areas of focus are identified and planned.
Identified children make good progress towards targets.
Lessons across the curriculum are used to reinforce key learning in English and Maths where possible.
Children can articulate what they are aiming for and how they will get there.
Children are very clear on what their outcome is and how they will achieve this (Growth Mindset across the school linking with Kagan strategies and Maths Mastery programme) |
Teacher Focus Teacher focus remains clearly on teaching and learning and children’s gaps being closed.
To plan for 2/3 weekly cycle of planning, informal class monitoring and book looks identifying key children and monitor their progress.
To focus on writing and reading to identify and work with intense interventions on gaps in learning. For all members of the Senior Leadership Team to work closely with teachers across school and assess where the needs are and identify key groups and targets.
For SLT to consistently review progress and identify new groups at the appropriate time.
For SLT to feed into class teachers’ assessments and subsequent planning. |
Senior Leadership and Teaching Staff Headteacher |
The leadership team have a precise overview of the School and where targeted support is needed.
Teachers are supported.
Key children are identified and successful targeted intervention ensures gaps are closed efficiently.
Key identified children make accelerated progress.
Intervention groups are fluid and children make accelerated progress.
Assessments inform planning both in class and for intervention |
Organisation of Support Staff To carefully plan the organisation of adults across year groups to ensure there is a consistent, team with clear identifiable skills in place in each year group.
To identify certain children with key, immediate needs academic and emotional needs and ensure that more support is put in to the year group where those children are. |
SLT |
Children to be confident in their relationships with a consistent group of adults. Relationships between staff and children are strong and staff know the children very well.
Focused teaching is supported with all extra key adults. |
PE and outdoor learning project Teacher to focus on stamina building and team work lessons for the first term. Individual PE equipment for each year group bubble to ensure Covid safety and develop Skills.
Key lesson fitness gaps used and as brain breaks.
Outdoor learning provision in Forest school, development of Garden area and outdoor provision |
Additional PE Resources for the Infant and Junior playgrounds £371.24
Ongoing project with full time gardner once a week (£20 per hour). Additional Forest school resources and outdoor clothing for Reception and Year 3 £827 |
Children’s fitness levels to increase and their gross motor skills are improved. |
Supporting parents and carers Zoom parents support to explain purple mash online platform. Zoom teacher and TA support to explain purple mash online platform.
Parents’ involvement is encouraged at all time. Teacher and parents can communicate through class emails via the purple mash platform and class teachers to phone parent every second week (well- being call). Zoom parent support to explain internet safety. Parents feel confident in the school and this impacts on their child’s confidence.
Parents are supported in their understanding of the curriculum and the next steps for their child. |
SLT and Teachers
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Parents feel confident in the school and this impacts on their child’s confidence.
Parents are supported in their understanding of the curriculum and the next steps for their child.
Parents know how best to support their children at home.
Parents know how best to support their children to access the online curriculum in a safe way.
Parents understand how they can help their children at home. |
Attendance monitoring Continue to monitor specific children and small groups - main initial focus on PP children and supporting these families, if necessary. |
Senior Admin Officer Admin Officer Headteacher |
Children attendance is good.
Dips in attendance are quickly picked up and supported.
Only had 1 year group bubble closure two days before the Summer holiday. All the children returned to school on the 8th March 2021. |