Detail

Data

School name

Harris Academy Greenwich

Number of pupils in school

1174 (930 in year 7-11)

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

30.43% (of year 7-11)

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers

2023 – 2024

2024 – 2025

2025 - 2026

Date this statement was published

September 2024

Date on which it will be reviewed

January 2025

Statement authorised by

Jack Docherty

Head of School

Pupil premium lead

Veejay Miller

Assistant Principal

Governor / Trustee lead

Steven Cummins

Detail

Amount

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£364,158

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers

2024/2025

Date this statement was published

September 2024

Date on which it will be reviewed

July 2025

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

£0

Total budget for this academic year

If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year

£364,158

Our Pupil Premium strategy is aimed to address the academic gaps and disadvantage these students face. Our objectives are to improve teaching and learning in the classroom, address academic gaps, improve academic behaviours such as behaviour, attendance and homework habits.

Knowledge is Power. We make it stick. Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make outstanding progress, achieve incredibly well across the curriculum, and can take their next steps. To do this, we specify a very ambitious curriculum, based on the best that has been thought and said about each discipline. We place great emphasis on our vision: Work Hard, Be Kind, Take Responsibility which enables our students to develop character and confidence to compete academically and to have happy and successful lives. We expect impeccable behaviour and quality of attention from all students. 

Our Pupil Premium strategy outlines a wide variety of actions and priorities that will be implemented to address our objectives. We are heavily investing in instructional coaching to holistically improve the impact we have as teachers within the classroom. This investment also will ensure equal access to the curriculum for all pupils through an improvement in adaptive teaching. We employ a wide variety of interventions and tests used to identify and address academic and social gaps that our students display. We also invest a large amount of time and money in key staff and particular systems they manage to ensure our students are acutely safe while being supported mentally, emotionally and pastorally. Finally, we prioritise purposeful school opportunities for our students which will have the most leverage and impact in their lives such as revision training, coaching, trips and careers advice to name a few.

The key principles which underpin this strategy plan are our whole school’s priorities which determines where we put our time, effort and money. Those priorities are:

• Behaviour and Attendance
• Teaching
• Curriculum
• Personal Development
• Staff training

Everything we do at our school is to fulfil one of these priorities and that is no different for our Pupil Premium strategy. By focusing on these five areas, we know that all students will be given a robust, fair and uncompromising education whereby the impact of this will especially improve the life changes for those who are disadvantaged.

In 2024-25, our specific focus is to improve academic outcomes of all students through a new academy-wide focus on formative assessment and feedback practice, which will enable and ensure the progress of all students, including those in receipt of pupil premium funding. The bright spots will be celebrated quicker, and gaps in knowledge identified and responded to earlier.

High-quality teaching is at the heart of our approach, with a focus on areas in which disadvantaged pupils require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school. Implicit in the intended outcomes detailed below, is the intention that non-disadvantaged pupils’ attainment will be sustained and improved alongside progress for their disadvantaged peers.

End of year 10 data for our current year 11s shows a marked predicted improvement in GCSE outcomes: when both year groups finished year 10, 21% more of the current year 11s are predicted to pass Maths 4+, and 5% more are predicted to pass English (81% and 80% 4+ respectively). However, there is still a predicted disadvantage gap that we want to close: 11% in English and 8% in Maths.

Challenge number

Detail of challenge

1

Developing learning behaviours to reduce behaviour incidents including detentions and suspensions. PP students are over-represented in suspensions and supervised study (part of our internal behaviour system).

• Pupil premium students are over-represented in the rate of fixed term suspensions and are higher than academy average.
• Pupil premium students are over-represented in the academy’s supervised study behaviour route.

2

Learning gaps persist because of historical reasons (e.g. COVID) but also because we know that disadvantaged children are highly likely to leave primary school behind their peers. Our assessments, observations and discussions with pupils and families have identified social and emotional issues for many pupils, such as anxiety and low self-esteem. This is partly driven by concern about catching up lost learning and exams/future prospects, and the lack of enrichment opportunities due to the pandemic. These challenges particularly affect disadvantaged pupils, including their attainment.

3

Improve academic behaviours such as homework, revision and reading. Assessments, observations and discussion with KS3 pupils indicate that disadvantaged pupils generally have lower levels of reading comprehension than peers. This impacts their progress in all subjects. Too many students lack fluency in literacy.

4

Improve attendance and punctuality

Our attendance data over the last year indicates that

• Attendance among disadvantaged pupils was 9% lower than for non-disadvantaged pupils in 2023-24.
• In 2023-24 the persistence absence value for disadvantaged students was twice what it was for non-disadvantaged pupils

• Our assessments and observations indicate that absenteeism is negatively impacting disadvantaged pupils’ progress.

5

The implementation of the curriculum to ensure that all students learn it as we intend; ensure all teachers are upskilled and equipped with strategies that check all students (especially PP) have access to the curriculum.

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Improved reading ages and comprehension among disadvantaged pupils.

Reading comprehension tests demonstrate improved comprehension skills among disadvantaged pupils and a smaller disparity between the scores of disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers.

Improved attainment among disadvantaged pupils across the curriculum at the end of KS4, with a focus on students that achieve standard and strong passes in English and maths

2024/25 KS4 outcomes:

• Percentages of grades 4+ in Maths, English and Science GCSEs for students is higher
• Demonstrate that the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is less than or equal to 5%  
• Standard pass in English and maths 90%+
• Strong pass in English and maths 70%+

Improved engagement and completion of homework. Self-regulatory skills among disadvantaged pupils across all subjects to ensure they engage in a scholarly culture

The percentage of completed homework is higher, and incomplete homework detentions are reduced. Teacher reports, behaviour data and class observations suggest disadvantaged pupils are more able to monitor and regulate their own learning. This finding is supported by homework completion rates across all classes and subjects.

To achieve and sustain improved attendance for all pupils, particularly our disadvantaged pupils.

Sustained high attendance from 2024/25 demonstrated by:

• The overall absence rate for all pupils being no less than 94.0%, and the attendance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers being reduced.
• Decrease the percentage of all pupils who are persistently absent and the figure among disadvantaged pupils being no more than 10% lower than their peers.

Improvement in behaviour of students

• Number of detentions decreased
• Number of fixed exclusions decreased
• Number of permanent exclusions decreased

Improved teaching and learning for teachers and students

• Teaching in lessons demonstrate a high quality of adaptive and responsive teaching and learning.
• All students can access the curriculum to close the learning gap

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Use of instructional coaching to enhance the feedback provided to staff to improve their teaching in their classroom

Instructional coaching is the best tool educators have in improving teaching quality. The one-to-one conversation focuses on the enhancement of learning and development through increasing self-awareness and a sense of personal responsibility, where the coach facilitates the self-directed learning of the coachee through questioning, active listening, and appropriate challenge in a supportive and encouraging climate.

5

CPD for teaching and learning

Whole school and individual CPD can help teachers obtain new teaching techniques, share best practice, and apply fresh approaches to teaching that allows them to improve their ability both for students, as well as expand their own personal opportunity within the teaching industry.

5

Additional EAL support to improve the learning gap to ensure those students for whom English is a second language are supported in accessing the curriculum and succeeding in school.

Effective differentiation enables all learners to access the curriculum. For EAL learners the key to accessing the curriculum lies in differentiation techniques and strategies that focus on facilitating and checking understanding.

All pupils need to understand and be able to use the language of the curriculum in order to achieve at or above age expectations

3, 5

Improving literacy in all subject areas in line with recommendations in the EEF Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools guidance.

Deliver an effective literacy catchup strategy (including oracy and reading) because too many students lack fluency in literacy and cultural capital.

We will fund professional development for staff and create time for them to adopt new strategies

Acquiring disciplinary literacy is key for students as they learn new, more complex concepts in each subject:

Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools

Reading comprehension, vocabulary and other literacy skills are heavily linked with attainment in maths and English:

word-gap.pdf (oup.com.cn)

3

Developing metacognitive and self-regulation skills in all pupils.

To promote our scholarly culture and making it stick agenda, students are taught how to revise effectively through as part of our scholars programme in KS4 and 5.

Visualisers have been purchased for each classroom.

Teaching metacognitive strategies to pupils can be an inexpensive method to help pupils become more independent learners. There is particularly strong evidence that it can have a positive impact on maths attainment:

Metacognition and self-regulation | Toolkit Strand | Education Endowment Foundation | EEF

4, 5

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Funding extra staff to carry out the guided reading programme for students that are below average to enable students to have access to powerful literacy and read, write and speak like experts.

Reading comprehension strategies can have a positive impact on pupils’ ability to understand a text, and this is particularly the case when interventions are delivered over a shorter timespan:

Reading comprehension strategies | Toolkit Strand | Education Endowment Foundation | EEF

3

Embedding and delivering Thinking and Reading program across the bottom 30% of reading age in KS3 and KS4

Thinking Reading: bespoke literacy programme which focuses on accelerating reading ages so that students can access the curriculum. Intensive programme which focuses on both fluency and comprehension to support students accessing a wide ranging and challenging curriculum.

2, 3

Tracking and monitoring students who fail to complete HW with an intervention program to close the gap who historically fail to access HW

Completion of homework is one of the ways in which students access the curriculum and commit it to long-term memory. It is also a scholarly habit which supports students in successful exam results in Y11 and post-16.

3

Tutoring over Learning opportunities to revisit the literacy and numeracy curriculum for Y7 to Y11.

Tutoring overlearning: higher level intervention to support accessing literacy and numeracy lessons. Using core knowledge to provide opportunities for frequent revisiting of curriculum content to facilitate retention. 

2, 3

Hire tutors to work with our KS3 and KS4 pupils specifically for core subjects need academic support

Tutoring help students build academic skills and assist them in areas they struggle in whilst preparing them with improved work and study skills. The extra layer of preparedness and confidence students gain through tutoring will increase their overall academic achievement.

2, 3
 

Online tutoring and homework portals for maths and science

Educake

Sparx Maths uses video with well-thought out maths explanations, with carefully modelled examples, all learning built on pre-requisite knowledge. All videos followed by bespoke assessments perfectly matching the video and finally a simple and easy to use tracking system that allowed teachers to focus on pupils' mistakes whilst making the collection of tracking data easy.

Bedrock and Educake programmes use an algorithm to adapt and offer students differentiated questions that will most help their learning. A student's knowledge, understanding and confidence builds until they master the subject, helping them achieve their best possible results.

3

Social Understanding workshops used to identify the social skills need and intervention planned and delivered in response

Social Understanding: supporting students with social and emotional needs so that they can develop healthy relationships and gain greater understanding of human interaction. Bespoke programme delivered according to individual student needs. 

1, 3

NGRT reading tests to identify students who need intervention with literacy and reading

Developing literacy and reading ability is fundamental to a student's ability to access the curriculum. The New Group Reading Test (NGRT) is a standardised, termly assessment that reliably measures reading skills to help you get to the root of any problems precisely and quickly. Particularly useful to identify EAL students who may appear to be competent readers but who could have weak comprehension skills, NGRT provides information about sentence completion and comprehension skills, allowing you to identify where difficulties lie.

2

SEN learning walks that identify good practice for development and training for staff to ensure equal access to the curriculum

Learning walks provide staff with feedback on their practice and student impact in order to improve staff teaching and learning which ultimately improves student outcomes. The information from learning walks also informs schools on what training and support is needed for individual teachers to ensure rapid improvement.

5

PASS Data used to identify students and their learning behaviours to coordinate behaviours at a curriculum level

Social and emotional wellbeing is essential for effective learning, yet there will always be pupils who lack confidence in their learning and who don’t always feel connected with school and their teachers. PASS takes the guesswork out of understanding why this might be, focusing on three broad areas – how a pupil feels about themselves, their engagement with the curriculum, and their feelings about school.

2, 3

Diagnostic Testing which includes Lucid/NGRT/PASS tests used to identify academic or social or emotional needs

Using a variety of tests from various aspects provides a holistic picture of the gaps and needs students have to ensure the interventions that are put in place are specific and bespoke for each student to ensure rapid improvement.

2, 3

Partnerships with Parents ensure parents are aware of their child’s needs and to outline ways in which they can support their child at home

Children from low-income families are 4 times as likely to be excluded permanently from school. Whilst there is much a school can do to narrow the gap; the origins of these differences lie in the child's home life. Parents universally want to do a good job but many lack the inner resources, social scripts, or models to help them achieve this. Therefore, working with parents through the Talking Teens Programme, but also inviting parents into school for events which allow us to give them guidance, are crucial to narrowing the attainment gap. 

1, 3

To provide support for our disadvantaged students in participating in independent revision after school, communicating regularly with families and carers

Students achieve better outcomes when taught how to revise effectively using cognitive science methods which improves student’s knowledge retention over time ultimately achieving better GCSE outcomes.

3

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Attendance officer to track, monitor and improve the attendance of some of our most vulnerable students.

Tracking and monitoring attendance allows key stake holders to identify patterns and attendance issues early allowing action to be taken to address the issues in a timely manner.

1, 4

Embed Study Bugs for attendance tracking and effective communication about attendance, across the Academy

Class Charts is software that is open throughout a teacher’s lesson, full of important information about each individual child in a class. At their fingertips, teachers will have strategies for ensuring the progress of each child, as well as behaviour information and anything else that could cause gaps. Bright spots in behaviour and achievement will be celebrated, and by knowing our students better, learning will be more personalised.

2, 3, 4, 5

Embed Class Charts for behaviour tracking and achievement notification, across the Academy

Class Charts is software that is open throughout a teacher’s lesson, full of important information about each individual child in a class. At their fingertips, teachers will have strategies for ensuring the progress of each child, as well as behaviour information and anything else that could cause gaps. Bright spots in behaviour and achievement will be celebrated, and by knowing our students better, learning will be more personalised.

2, 3, 4, 5

Provide students with cultural capital experiences via assemblies, electives, our PSHE offer, visiting speakers and trips.

A composite measure of cultural capital has a significant effect on academic achievement. Children’s cultural capital, captured by six indicators measuring cultural participation, reading habits, and participation in extracurricular activities, has (mostly) positive effects on children’s reading recognition, reading comprehension, and math test scores.

2, 3

Child protection team provides support and intervention for our most vulnerable pupils and ultimately helps keep our pupils safe.

By identifying the needs and risks students face reduces the amount of negative incidents they’ll encounter and allows support to be put in place in a timely manner. Investing in robust safeguarding ultimately improves the mental, social, emotional and physical health of our students making them more successful in the future.

1, 4

Counselling support and inclusion intervention such as drama therapy, mindfulness and mentoring.

Such strategies increase focus, attention, self-control, classroom participation, compassion. Improved academic performance, ability to resolve conflict, overall well-being. Decreased levels of stress, depression, anxiety, disruptive behaviour.

Mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity.

They become more relaxed; can focus on their goal, aware about their strength and weakness.

1, 3, 4

Provide alternate provision for students who are given fixed term suspensions, to support their reintegration into mainstream by following a fixed period of therapeutic support.

Supporting students who have been suspended from mainstream education ensures students can still access the curriculum / complete GCSE exams and therefore improving their chances in being successful in adulthood.

1

Sports specialists hired to provide students with sporting experiences such as morning, lunch and elective football provision.

 Students who participate in sport and physical activity have favourable mental health by fostering feelings of safety, connection and purpose – ultimately leading to better mood states
Sport can help to form the character of young people because it teaches behavioural habits like motivation, discipline, tenacity, competitive spirit, responsibility, perseverance, confidence, and self-esteem, which cannot always be acquired in classroom.

1, 4

Careers advice and intervention in order to provide students with goals and a clear informed path to get there.

Career guidance promotes positive well-being, including recognising strengths, a focus on the future, setting achievable goals, and building a social identity through work.

It enhances linkage of academic and career experiences and thus, improves career preparation.

There is a strong, statistically significant relationship between participation in career development activities and more positive attitudes towards schooling.

3, 4

Embedding principles of good practice set out in DfE’s Improving School Attendance advice.

Staff will get training and release time to develop and implement new procedures.

The DfE guidance has been informed by engagement with schools that have significantly reduced persistent absence levels.

4

Embedding principles of good practice set out in EEF Parental engagement report

Streamlining in communication and monitoring effectiveness of MCAS app to maximise parental engagement

Parental engagement can have a positive impact on reducing the attainment gap.

1, 2, 4

Of the PP students that had 90% attendance or more, their outcomes were greater.

The attainment and progress gap in 2023/24 widened but this was principally due to the poor attendance of PP students. If PP students were in school 90% or more of the time, their average progress was +0.63.

In 2024, their average progress score was -0.43, which was significantly lower than the cohort average at 0.30. This gap is broadly the same in English, Maths and across EBACC and Open bucket subjects too.

We can, and will, improve further. We will ensure that we achieve our targets for 2024/25. To ensure that our strong curriculum is being learnt by all pupils, irrespective of their background, we will continue with the academy focus of attendance and high quality CPD that empowers teachers to be even better at their craft.