COVID-19 catch-up premium spending: summary
Summary information |
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Total number of pupils: |
1140 (Oct 20) | Amount of catch-up premium received per pupil: |
£80 per Y7-11 student |
Total catch-up premium budget: |
£74,107 |
16-19 Tuition Fund |
£1200 |
Strategy Statement
Covid-19 catchup strategy at BFS is planned around educationally backed research for narrowing the attainment gap (Sutton Trust). The strategy aims to address the widening academic gap, as well as addressing the increased social and emotional impact of the pandemic and effects of school closure.
It is true that some young people have not experienced any concerning impact from Covid-19, as they have engaged fully with their remote education and have the financial and emotional support at home to still thrive. However, Covid-19 has created a widening gap between sectors within our community. We are seeing that where there were issues prior to Covid-19, these have been compounded and worsened.
Use of the one-off Covid-19 catchup premium and 16-19 Tuition funding has therefore been carefully considered and deployed to address the additional barriers facing some students at BFS. We have identified five approaches for our use of the COVID catch up spend:
Quality First Teaching
- Adapting teaching to account for Covid-19 lost time, using regular retrieval low stake assessments to inform teachers about knowledge and skills gaps. The use of knowledge organisers to support retrieval. Curriculum adaption to include re-teaching episodes in lessons. Revised behaviour support to acknowledge students need time to adjust to school routines.
Development of the Digital Curriculum
- Investment in teachers Continual Professional Development on the digital learning platform “Microsoft Teams”. Creation of additional planning and practice time to create a high quality remote learning curriculum and teaching/learning experience that can adapt seamlessly to full home schooling or blended learning, as well as providing support to help students catch up.
Targeted support for students with multiple vulnerabilities
- Disadvantaged, SEND and students with ACEs have been impacted disproportionately during this pandemic. Interventions through small groups work and one to one tuition will be delivered to target these students. BFS will access support through the National Tutoring Programme Tuition Partners and Academic Mentors. In addition, HLTAs and teaching staff wil be deployed to personalise students’ catch-up programmes.
Additional Social Emotional and Mental Health support
- More students in Sixth Form and Key Stage 4 students are presenting with increased anxiety due to the uncertainty around public examinations and other worries about their futures. We are investing in professional counselling services and additional internal SEMH support to address this new trend.
Transition support for Year 7
- Catch-up 7 class will be created, so that students identified as being behind on arrival at secondary school can be taught literacy, numeracy, science and some foundation subjects as a discreet group, using a primary school approach. This is to support those Y7s who are over 2 years behind their chronological age and the missed time in Y6 during the first lockdown in Spring/Summer 20 had a disproportionate impact
Barriers to learning
Barriers to future attainment |
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Academic barriers: |
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A |
Varying levels of lost learning through school closures, further self-isolation and lack of engagement with remote learning |
B |
Increased impact of lost learning for students with multiple vulnerabilities – Pupil Premium, SEND and students with ACEs |
C |
Lost Primary/Secondary transition – greater need for Year 7 catch-up |
Additional Barriers
External barriers: |
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D |
IT issues - lack of access at home to computers, laptops, data and technical support |
E |
Attendance issues – linked to Covid-19 anxiety, self-isolation or shielding |
F |
Increased occurrences and severity of Social Emotional and Mental Health needs due to Covid-19 |
Planned expenditure for current academic year
Please note, these are not the only initiatives being undertaken by departments and year teams to ensure students are on track post COVID lockdown. Subject Development plans and Year Group Development plans outline all strategies. Below are the strategies using post lockdown 'catch up' funding.
Quality of teaching for all |
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Action |
Intended outcome and success criteria |
What’s the evidence and rationale for this choice? |
Staff lead |
Cost |
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CPD - Remote Learning Development | Seamless transition between home learning and learning within school | Remote learning needs to mirror as much as possible what would happen in school. Using a combination of live teaching, a quality resource bank and blended learning will not only support learning but support SEMH of all students. | DHT Curriculum/ AHT/ICT Coordinator |
INSET Time | |
Knowledge Organisers | To support retrieval practice and review curriculum content taught during lockdown 1 | There is a need to revisit and consolidate learning that took place during lockdown 1. The use of knowledge organisers is an evidence backed strategy for retrieval practice. These resources are a useful reference, flexible and can be used in a variety of way to support learning gains. | AHT and Subject Leaders | £2,500 | |
Access to Laptops and Data - including technical support | End the Digital Divide | We are determined that lack of access to IT should not be a barrier to accessing remote education. Funding will used, but this ambition will be bolstered through community fundraising and laptop donation schemes to ensure all learners with IT access issues can be helped through loaning of a laptop or data provision. | AHT/School Business Manager | £2,500 | |
Total budgeted cost: |
£5,000 |
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Targeted support |
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Action |
Intended outcome and success criteria |
What’s the evidence and rationale for this choice? |
Staff lead |
Cost |
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Catch-up 7 Class | To accelerate the progress of selected Y7. To address the basic literacy and numeracy gaps. |
Small group primary style teaching - support the SEMH issues that transition to secondary can bring about; Particularly in multiple vulnerability students. Teaching can be differentiated and personalised due to the class size and specific training od teacher delivering curriculum. One year trial 50% cost. |
SENDCo |
£17,000 | |
Small group and 1:1 tuition in English, Maths and Science | To narrow attainment gap in English, Maths and Science |
Sutton Trust research states 1:1 and small group academic interventions will add 4 -5 months of lost learning. This will be achieved through:- National Tutoring Programme:
Other Provision:
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AHT/SENDCO/ Heads of English, Science and Maths | £41,500 | |
Tailored Tuition Programme for targeted Sixth Form students | To mitigate disruption to learning experienced by those students in KS4 during Spring/Summer Lockdown | Deliver targeted tuition to selected students who have not achieved level 4 in one of the core subjects. This will be in support of their KS5 curriculum including vocational courses and EPQ work. Priority also given to SEND/multiple vulnerability students. Delivered through National Tuition Programme, additional P7 teaching and small group interventions. | DHT Curriculum/ AHT/ Head of Sixth Form | £1,500 | |
Additional PE practical support | To support Y11 with their practical coursework requirements which now are individual sports |
Mitigate the challenge of prohibition/severe restriction of contact sports with athletics as a sport for practical assessment. BFS will need to hire appropriate external facilities to enable students to access. |
Head of PE | £1,000 | |
50% cover for KS4 food classes | To enable GCSE students to carry on with their practical curriculum in a COVID secure way | These classes have a high proportion of PP, SEND and multiple vulnerable students so an investment in this vocational area of the curriculum will enable learners to access an engaging curriculum and develop the essential skills that are expected from studying this course. | Head of DT | £4,000 | |
Total budgeted cost: |
£65,000 | ||||
Other approaches |
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Action |
Intended outcome and success criteria |
What’s the evidence and rationale for this choice? |
Staff lead |
Cost |
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Sixth Form & KS4 Counsellor | To provide professional SEMH support for growing levels of student anxiety | Response to increasing level of need. Proactive in this important area of student mental health and well-being. Supporting the development of coping strategies and building evidence for CAMHs referrals in the event that the students need further specialist, professional support | DHT Pastoral/ Head of Sixth | £6,500 | |
Total budgeted cost: |
£6,500 |
Additional Information
IA parental and student survey will be undertaken half way through the academic year to ascertain effectiveness of the school’s response to Covid-19. Any learning will be fed back into the planning of how to best utilise this ring-fenced funding.