The pupil premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. “It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.”
Source - DfE website.  Schools are required to publish the following information: 

Current academic year: 

• Our school’s pupil premium allocation 
• A summary of the main barriers to educational achievement faced by eligible pupils 
• How the pupil premium allocation will be spent to address those barriers and the reasons for our approach 
• How our school will measure the impact and effect of its pupil premium spending 
• The date of our school's next pupil premium strategy review 

Previous academic year: 

• Details of how we spent our pupil premium allocation 
• Information on the impact this had on eligible and other pupils 

Please find below our Pupil Premium Strategy 2021-2024, Pupil Premium Strategy 2020-2021 and the Pupil Premium Progress Report 2021.

Historically, Leighton Middle School has found the following on-going initiatives effective in supporting the attainment and progress of pupils in receipt of the Pupil Premium Grant: 

• Additional feedback time for teachers 
• Enhanced staffing ratio in many English and Maths lessons in Key Stage 2 
• Targeted small group interventions 
• Easter School 
• Pastoral support time from the Assistant Head Teacher for behaviour, Assistant and the Pastoral Team  
• Support for the welfare needs of pupils including attendance 
• Reading Support Assistants in Key Stage 3    
   

Our pupil premium money is used to provide a range of additional support for our children whether this is academic or pastoral.  Pupil progress and attainment is monitored continually by teachers, support staff, Heads of Department and the Senior Leadership Team.  We hold regular Mind the Gap meetings to identify pupils in need of additional support which also enables us to discuss any elements of well-being that need to be considered. These interventions and other initiatives, along with quality first teaching are having a positive impact on pupil progress and attainment.  

Post-LAC pupils are mentored by the Assistant Head teacher responsible for Pastoral Care and all receive a personalised learning plan.  

We positively discriminate towards pupils in receipt of the Pupil Premium Grant to ensure they are exposed to the best learning experiences possible.  For example: providing access to specialised activities when they are available (e.g. extra cooking classes) and increased within school ‘leaders of learning’ opportunities.   

We expect all pupils to make at least ‘good’ progress to ensure they make accelerated progress and are more able to diminish the difference towards age related expectations as they progress through the school (often pupils enter the school below expectations). 

Increasing parental engagement has been a focus of the school in the last couple of years.  Additional meetings have been held to increase parental understanding of reading strategies as well as utilising videos to demonstrate approaches that could be used at home. We now have a highly successful Facebook page which increases easy communication opportunities with parents.  

We will continue to adapt and amend our approaches as necessary as the year progresses.