Pupil Premium

Intent

Deprivation is measured in multiple ways, not purely monetary. In our school we recognise that, in addition to poverty, some of our children are disadvantaged through a lack of other resources and opportunities, some of which are contextual e.g. living in a new town with few, developing resources. Our ethos and curriculum are designed to diminish the difference between those children and our non-disadvantaged children. Overcoming barriers to learning, supporting emotional development, and enriching life experiences are at the heart of our Pupil Premium Strategy and a relational approach to teaching is at the heart of our school.

Eligible Pupils Criteria:

      – Eligible for Free Schools Meals (FSM) in the last six years; or

      – Looked after continuously for 1 day or more

      – Adopted from care

      – Children of Armed Forces personnel

Implementation

We use the following guiding principles as part of our work in supporting children who are disadvantaged:

• Staff are aware of the disadvantaged students they teach or mentor. Through our relational approach we build strong relationships with these children, gaining knowledge of their subject strengths and areas for development, their individual contexts and aspirations as well as identifying any unique barriers they may be facing. 
• Staff recognise that they are powerful advocates who have a responsibility to ensure that every disadvantaged student is prioritised for enriching academic and extra- curricular opportunities that challenge and inspire them. We encourage the staff who know the children best to advocate for them, putting them forward for extra-curricular opportunities or seeking out opportunities within the taught curriculum to nurture their talents and interests and to fill any gaps they may have through a lack of opportunity. 
• We understand that good  attendance is fundamental to student success.We strive to intervene early and positively when students are absent and ensure that any barriers to excellent attendance are addressed.
• Quality first teaching is the most powerful way for schools to improve on pupil attainment. Disadvantaged pupils benefit the most from lessons that are tailored to meet their needs, consider their prior knowledge and experience and address misconceptions quickly. This is the foundation of our approach in school and benefits all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Knowing that excellent teaching is at the heart of disadvantaged learners’ success, we consider them within all aspects of our St Martin’s Model for Great Teaching. 
• We address financial and practical barriers to learning and enrichment. Our family advocate provides invaluable support to many of our families who have complex needs and challenges. This ranges from advocating for looked after children, to supporting families who are experiencing financial hardship, to mentoring identified children and contributing to extra curricular provision. Through these positive relationships we are able to inspire families to trust staff at St Martin’s to have their children at the heart of all they do.
• We strive to create independent, enthused, life-long learners who are prepared for the next stage of their education as well as their later life. Through carefully moving from scaffolded practice to independent tasks, we help children to feel successful and gain a sense of autonomy. St Martin’s staff also recognise that by demonstrating their own love of learning they can act as role models to children and go the extra mile to create stimulating  learning  opportunities at all stages of children’s learning journey.