Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2023-24

View the Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2023-24 as a PDF

This statement details our academy’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2023 to 2024 academic year) funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged students. 

It outlines our student premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending of student premium had within our school.

The total budgeted is £430,278. 

School overview

School name

The Halley Academy

Number of pupils in school

897

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

28.09%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)

2023-2026

Date this statement was published

September 2023

Date on which it will be reviewed

June 2024

Statement authorised by

Ben Russell

Pupil premium lead

Jonathan Kamya, Vice Principal

Governor / Trustee lead

Kate Shiner

Funding Overview

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£334,823

Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year

£95,455

Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)

£0

Total budget for this academic year

£430,278

Statement of intent

The Halley Academy is committed to creating a universal culture for all students that demands success. Where aiming high is actively encouraged through the expectation that students will strive to achieve regardless of circumstance.  To deliver this the Academy will set high standards for all students, breaking down the barriers that financial inequality creates to ensure that high aspirations are the expectation for all students no matter their background. 

All students will be provided with a broad and balanced curriculum that is rooted in the core, designed to provide its students with a dynamic, informed curriculum offer that is as least as ambitious as the National Curriculum. The curriculum will ensure high levels of academic achievement at the end of each Key Stage, whilst promoting students’ sense of global identity and contexts. This greater understanding of the 21st Century World will be underpinned through the delivery of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Key Stage 3, appropriate Level 2 and 3 qualifications at Key Stage 4, and the International Baccalaureate Careers Related Programme (IBCP), BTEC vocational qualifications and T-Levels at Key Stage 5, which will be centred on enhancing student attainment in line with national standards. 

Disadvantaged student performance and positive learning behaviours will be monitored through robust academy systems, rewarding and applauding success of all kinds through the setting and achievement of challenging targets. These targets will remain appropriate to the ability level of the student, irrespective of their background.

Staff at the Academy will ensure that Disadvantaged students remain a high-profile priority within the Academy through the identification and monitoring of academic performance, well-being, attendance and behaviour. This will ensure that all stakeholders are focussed on reducing the difference between Disadvantaged and Other students. 

The Academy’s current Pupil Premium Strategy is designed to identify and intervene with Disadvantaged students who are falling behind when compared to their peers. The strategy demonstrates the Academy’s belief that all students should have access to Quality First Teaching (QFT) and wrap around pastoral support through the Academy’s Small School model. This is further enhanced through the provision of additional tuition through a blended face-to-face and remote provision, incorporating the use of cutting edge technology to support the needs of all learners. 

The Halley Academy believes that every child matters, with student engagement and progress maximised through an appropriately supportive, but challenging learning environment based on strong relationships. This learning environment will be created and maintained by all staff, supported and advanced through its comprehensive evidence based CPD programme and delivered through weekly dedicated professional development. Subscriptions to evidence-based Department for Education approved providers such as the National College and SSAT will augment this further, providing a plethora of resources and materials for staff to continue their development outside of the classroom to support the needs of students. We have an instructional coaching model at the Academy to ensure that all teaching staff receive continual, bespoke and subject-specific professional development so they can be the most effective practitioners possible. 

The well-being of students is a central priority for the Academy due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on its students. The Academy’s Small School pastoral structure will deliver high quality localised care, providing human-scale support that is targeted to meet the needs of all students. A dedicated on-site counselling service will be available to all students, as well as close links with external agencies and support providers. 

The Academy’s enrichment, cross-curricular and cultural programmes will provide all students with opportunities to excel in areas of passion and interest outside of the realms of academic studies. This programme will develop and promote student well-being and supports positive mental health and behaviours, which in turn support academic progress.  

The Key Principles of the Academy’s Pupil Premium Strategy statement are as follows: 

  • The work undertaken through the use of the Pupil Premium Grant will be aimed at improving the lives and future choices of our most disadvantaged students.
  • Appropriate provision is in place to accelerate student progress to meet and exceed age expected standards. 
  • Teaching and learning meets the needs of all students. 
  • The well-being and aspirations of our students are enhanced and championed throughout the academy with the provision of high-quality career and enrichment opportunities to facilitate informed life choices. 
  • We will ensure that appropriate provision is made for disadvantaged students, including the needs of socially disadvantaged students are assessed and addressed. 
  • Pupil Premium funding will be linked to Academy priorities.

Challenges

This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils

Challenge 1

Student agency and autonomy – a student’s belief and attitude towards their own learning can have a significant impact on academic progress. A student is at risk of falling behind their peers if they are unaware of how to engage with learning, representing a significant barrier to their own progression.

Challenge 2

Attendance – attendance below 95% has a negative impact on student progress. Persistent absence (below 90%) can seriously damage a student’s chance of future success.

Challenge 3

Literacy – a significantly high proportion of students join the academy with less than expected literacy and reading ages. This prevents our students from engaging fully with the curriculum, hindering their ability to demonstrate progress in their studies.

Challenge 4

Numeracy – a number of students join the academy with less than expected numeracy levels. This represents a barrier to their own learning and hindering their ability to achieve the right qualifications and experience for their chosen career path.

Challenge 5

Welfare – a significant amount of our students require additional support for a range of emotional, social and family issues. These issues can limit the academic progress a student can have, as well as causing the student to feel negative emotions such as stress,  anxiety and low self esteem.

Challenge 6

Resource – some of our students are unable to access appropriate learning resources outside of the academy. This inability to develop their own understanding outside of normal learning hours can have a negative impact on their academic progress and participation of enrichment activities.

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.

Success criteria

  1. Progress 8 and Attainment 8 continues to have a positive trend from 2023-24 to 2024-25
  2. A reduction in the difference between PP and Other students in Key Stage 4 and 5

Success criteria

  1. Student Reading Age to improve in line with National Standards 
  2. Student Literacy levels and fluency to develop in line with expected standards

Success criteria

  1. A reduction in absence from the Academy for Pupil Premium students when compared to the 2022-23 academic year 
  2. A sustained reduction in the number of late incidents for Pupil Premium students from 2022-23 to 2025-26

Success criteria

  1. A sustained reduction in the number of Fixed Term Exclusions (FTE) for Pupil Premium students from 2022-23 to 2025-26 
  2. A reduction in the difference of FTEs between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students

Success criteria

  1. A student well-being programme to be embedded across the academy
  2. students feel safe and cared for at the academy

Success criteria

  1. All students will follow a broad and balanced curriculum which is at least as ambitious as the National Curriculum 
  2. All students to be provided with a wide range of Key Stage 4 and 5 Options to enhance their future employment

Success criteria

  1. All students to be provided with a wide-ranging Enrichment and Cultural Capital programme which enhances their understanding of the world
  2. Pupil Premium student attendance is monitored and intervention and support is put in place where appropriate to improve attendance

Success criteria

All students to participate in a robust careers programme that is centred on enhancing their future employment opportunities and is in line with Gatsby Benchmarks

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: £165,139

Activity & challenge number(s) addressed

  • Teaching Staff CPD
    1, 3, 4 & 5
  • Online Professional Development Subscriptions
    1, 3, 4 & 5
  • English and Mathematics recruitment
    3 & 4
  • Educational Technology and Hardware provision
    3, 4 & 6
  • Lead Practitioner Recruitment and Development
    1, 3, 4 & 5

Evidence that supports this approach

  1. The EEF Teacher and Learning Toolkit 
  2. The EEF Guide to Support School Planning: A Tiered Approach (2021-22)
  3. The OECD: Combatting COVID-19’s effect on Children (2020)
  4. DfE Guidance: Catch-up premium (2021)
  5. DfE Guidance: Using student Premium (School Leaders)
  6. EEF Evidence Summaries: Closing the Attainment Gap 
  7. EEF Evidence Summaries: student Premium
  8. DfE Guidance: Standard for Professional Development

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £100,000

Activity & challenge number(s) addressed

  • National Tutoring Programme
    3 & 4
  • Virtual Tuition Providers
    3 & 4
  • Academy based student Intervention
    3 & 4
  • In-lesson support and tuition
    1, 2 & 5

Evidence that supports this approach

  1. The EEF Teacher and Learning Toolkit 
  2. The EEF Guide to Support School Planning: A Tiered Approach (2021-22)
  3. The OECD: Combatting COVID-19’s effect on Children (2020)
  4. DfE Guidance: Catch-up premium (2021)
  5. DfE Guidance: Using student Premium (School Leaders)
  6. EEF Evidence Summaries: Closing the Attainment Gap 
  7. EEF Evidence Summaries: student Premium
  8. DfE Guidance: Standard for Professional Development

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £100,000

Activity & challenge number(s) addressed

  • Retention of Small School Pastoral teams
    1, 2, 5 & 6
  • Recruitment of Academy wellbeing team
    1, 2, 5 & 6
  • Retention of Onsite Counselling
    1, 2, 5 & 6
  • Retention of Academy Attendance Administrator
    1, 2, 5 & 6
  • Retention of Educational Psychologists
    1, 2, 5 & 6

Evidence that supports this approach

  1. DfE Guidance Promoting and Supporting Mental Health and Well-being in Schools and colleges
  2. The Education Hub: Mental Health Resources for children, students, parents, carers and school/college staff

Total budgeted cost: £430,278

Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

This details the impact that our pupil premium activity had on pupils in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

The academy achieved an unvalidated Attainment 8 score of 43.4, an improvement of +10.426 when compared to 2019 validated results. There was a significant reduction in the gap between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students when compared to 2019 results, with the Attainment 8 of PP students at 37.33.

The academy has also made a significant improvement in the percentage of students achieving a pass in both English and mathematics when compared to 2019 performance figures. 58% of students achieving a Good Pass (Grade 4+), an improvement of 25%. 39% of students achieved a Strong Pass (Grade 5+), an improvement of 24%. 12% of students achieved a Grade 7+, an improvement of 11% when compared to 2019. The difference between student Premium and ‘Other’ students across all three measures was less than 3%. EBacc performance mirrored that of English and mathematics, with the average point score (APS) of EBacc subjects 4.01, an improvement of 1.04 when compared to 2019 results. 

The outcomes achieved by the academy demonstrate a significant improvement when compared to 2019 performance and demonstrate a diminishing difference between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students, however, will continue to remain a focus for the academy until this difference is removed. 

The academy’s attendance of 92.1%, significantly above the national average for the 2022-3 academic year of 90.8%. Pupil Premium student attendance and punctuality was broadly in line with ‘Other’ students, with a difference of 2% and was significantly above the national average. The gap in attendance between Pupil Premium and ‘Other’ students continues to decrease, but will remain a focus of the academy’s strategy to ensure this reduces further. 

The average number and percentage of students receiving suspensions remains under the National Average and continues a pattern of significant reduction from when we first opened in 2018. The academy will continue to monitor and support student behaviour through its strategic statement, aiming to continue to show the high rates of improvement previously demonstrated. 

The academy recognises that student well-being and mental health continue to be impacted due to the after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with this impact particularly acute amongst disadvantaged students. The academy has used pupil premium funding to provide wellbeing and pastoral support to all students, with targeted interventions utilised where required. The academy will continue to allocate funding to this due to its importance in supporting young people’s academic outcomes.