Pupil Premium and Disadvanted Grant

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged pupils.

It outlines our pupil premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils last academic year.

School overview

Detail	Data
Number of pupils in school	163
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils	43.6%
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3-year plans are recommended – you must still publish an updated statement each academic year)	2025-2028
Date this statement was published	September 2025
Date on which it will be reviewed	September 2026
Statement authorised by	Headteacher
Pupil premium lead	Loren Irvine/Lisa Dempsey
Governor / Trustee lead	Angela Hedges

Funding overview

Detail	Amount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year	£111,600
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	£111,600

Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan

Statement of intent

You may want to include information on:

What are your ultimate objectives for your disadvantaged pupils?
How does your current pupil premium strategy plan work towards achieving those objectives?
What are the key principles of your strategy plan?

Challenges

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

Challenge number	Detail of challenge
1	Low starting points, lack of educational aspirations and poor parental engagement with home learning.
2	There is an attainment gap in reading, writing, maths and phonics.
3	Pupils eligible for PP often have poor/delayed language and communication skills. Speech and Language interventions are key for progress to be made
4	Poor emotional resilience, self-regulation skills and attendance impact on pupils’ abilities to work and accept challenge in their learning.
5	Lack of access to enrichment activities and extended home-learning for pupils eligible for PP restricts their knowledge and wider cultural capital.
6	Attendance rates for pupils eligible for PP is below that of non-PP peers. Pupils have reduced school hours and are missing out on quality first teaching and causes them to fall behind. Children arrive at school late and not always ‘ready to learn’ – poor routines, lack of equipment/uniform and unhealthy diets impact on their attitudes to learning.
7	Children who have high levels of mobility across schools and periods of EHE are at risk of disengaging with mainstream school and learning gaps are more pronounced. These children do not have a sense of belonging to our community which can impact their learning.

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.

Intended outcome	Success criteria
To narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in core subjects.	Pupils achieve age-expected or better in core subjects. Pupils make accelerated progress in subjects they have fallen behind in. (PiXL data, end of Yr 6 SATS).
For disadvantaged children in Early Years to develop their oracy skills to support communication and language.	At the end of Reception at least 75% of pupils will achieve ELG in speaking, word reading and writing.
Disadvantaged children in Key Stage 1 and 2 to increase vocabulary which will support their reading and writing.	Pass rate of Phonics Screening Check in Year 1 is at least in line with the national average. Attainment at the end of KS1 in reading and writing at least within national average for the country. Any attainment gaps in reading and writing between disadvantaged children and others will have diminished throughout the year.
To support children to develop resilience, self-regulation, self-esteem, a sense of belonging and be in the best condition to learn both physically and mentally. Friendship groups and mentoring opportunities for PP children. Subsidised places for PP children for trips and clubs will be offered.	Children will be able to self-regulate and show resilience in their learning. School will provide free fruit to all children in school ensuring every PP child will have a piece of fruit every day. Families have enough food to provide for their children. All disadvantaged children are in full, correct uniform throughout the academic year.
To ensure children have a positive school experience and become lifelong learners through a range of experiences in and outside of the classroom.	Children will engage in learning, extra- curricular opportunities and enjoy school life, feeling a strong sense of belonging. All disadvantaged children are offered free extra-curricular activities after school. All disadvantaged children will attend at least one educational visit or experience every term.
Attendance for disadvantaged children to improve which will lead to improved outcomes in learning.	Children will engage in the school community with their learning and extra- curricular opportunities and enjoy school life. Disadvantaged children’s attendance will at least be in line with the national average.

Activity in this academic year

This details how we intend to spend our pupil premium funding this academic year to address the challenges listed above.

Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost: £46,915.20

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Timetable will enable identified (PiXL) critical objectives to be taught where gaps are occurring.	PiXL data informs children who are ‘at risk’ of not reaching ARE. PP lead to monitor disadvantaged children and their progress every half term. Support and challenge will be applied where appropriate.	2,3,4.
Assess children to identify gaps and lost learning within PP children.	PiXL therapy groups will track progress of targeted children throughout the term. Regular core meetings and PPMs to monitor progress being made.	2
Pupil Premium lead to monitor attainment and progress for PP children using Pixl.	EEF guide to Pupil Premium – applying the tiered approach. Quality First teaching is fully supported with the use of an instructional coaching program (StepLab).	2
Use of new oracy teaching strategies, such as ‘Poetry Baskets’ in EYFS. Forest School to be used across the school to improve oracy and also to support resilience.	Evidence from Bucks Challenge Universal Offer says language and communication are key areas of development.	3,4
Ongoing CPD for teachers. Specific training in trauma-informed practice, using Theraplay, PACE and DDP strategies. 2 members of staff will have completed Attachment Aware Trauma Training by July’26 run by Virtual Schools.	Providing teachers and support staff with the most up-to-date guidance on how best to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those with multiple ACES (adverse childhood experiences). Children cannot learn without being emotionally regulated. (Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges).	2,3,4
The SENDCo will monitor children and support teachers to provide scaffolding across the school. Additional support and training for teachers will be planned regularly and personalised to the needs as they arise.	Instructional coaching (StepLab) supports teachers’ CPD. All teachers attended ‘Teach like a Champion’ author, Doug Lemov’s coaching day.	5

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

Budgeted cost: £2698.80

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Challenge number(s) addressed

Teacher led specialist intervention groups (PiXL therapy groups) for English and Maths are in place to support PP children who need intensive teaching support.

All class teachers and subject leads monitoring disadvantaged children’s assessments and class plans, identifying areas to target.

1,2

Specialist SEND interventions – Teacher-led maths and English sessions for PP children who have additional needs and are not able to access the UKS2 curriculum. Planning will ensure that the identified needs are met and the children are able to transition successfully. to their secondary setting.

SENDCo, PP lead and class teacher meeting half termly to discuss Maths and English for disadvantaged children with additional needs.

PiXL and assessment data to identify areas to target.

1,2

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

Budgeted cost: £61,986

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
SENDCo and Family Support Teacher to support mobility of PP children. New starters support with behaviour, financial support, feedback and communication with previous and next schools.	High mobility of PP children and shared information with previous schools. Early Help support instructed in Working Together to Improve School Attendance	7
Children will have a positive attitude to learning and attending school as a result of specially planned Mondays and Fridays- ‘Unmissable Mondays’ and ‘Fun Fridays’ to encourage improved attendance and pupil attitude to learning.	Attendance is lower for PP children compared to non-PP children. It is also lower for SEND children across the school. Evidence that fostering a sense of belonging in school is important for pupil’s attendance. (DfE Rise paper 2026)	6
Bucks Mental Health Support Team to begin working regularly in school offering whole school, group, 1:1 and family support. They will address such issues as: anxiety, difficult feelings, wellbeing and friendship. This will include parental workshops.	Pupil voice and parents sharing concerns identify relationship issues and higher levels of anxiety. CPOMS tracking has identified the importance of building social skills.	4
PP children are encouraged to take on a variety of leadership roles across the school eg. School Council, Eco Warrior, Sports Leaders to raise aspirations and boost self-esteem.	Prior success within school with pupil leadership opportunities and teaching responsibility. Importance of providing positive role models and mentors. Also enhances pupils’ sense of belonging. (RISE 2026).	5
After school and Lunchtime Clubs – We provide a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and enrichment opportunities to all children at no additional cost to support children’s enjoyment and engagement levels. All school trips are subsidised for PP children if needed.	Disadvantaged children are likely to have less opportunity for extra-curricular clubs due to cost. Rise (2026) emphasises the need for wider school experiences particularly to improve attendance.	5
Enrichment Project with Sir William Borlaise Grammar School - Upper KS2 pupils work with SWBGS in a mentoring project to promote aspirations and confidence in the children.	Disadvantaged children benefit from positive role models and mentors. Aspirations for disadvantaged children begin to fade later in school life.	5
SENDCo and Family Liaison Teacher to work with vulnerable families and improve parental engagement, supported by Bucks Mental Health Team.	Research shows that Parental Engagement has a positive impact on pupil achievement. (EEF Toolkit: Parental Engagement). Providing a point of contact ensures all families are able to access a range of support, guidance and advice where needed. Historic school evidence has shown that many families have benefited from support with food, clothing and emotional support.	5
Clearly planned activities using an Awareness Day Calendar ensures the children are receiving a wide range of cultural capital.	Disadvantaged children may not have the opportunities to experience the wider world. (EEF Toolkit).	2, 5
Whole school approach using trauma-informed practice to support all pupils, working towards becoming a Trauma-informed school by July 2026. Use of Zones of Regulation across the school to support the pupils’ ability to identify their feelings and self-regulate.	Disadvantaged children show less emotional regulation skills which impacts their learning and social interactions (EEF research). Disadvantaged children will gain a greater understanding on how to become a more resilient learner which will have an impact on their academic success and their emotional regulation.	4

Total budgeted cost: £111,600

At Foxes Piece School we use the Pupil Premium grant to address the many and varied challenges our pupils and families face. We use research conducted by EEF to support our decisions around the usefulness of different strategies and their value for money.

Common barriers to learning for disadvantaged children, can be less supported at home, weak language and communication skills, lack of confidence, behaviour difficulties, attendance and punctuation issues. There may also be complex family situations that prevent children from flourishing and impact on their attitude to learning. The challenges are varied and there is no ‘one size fits all’.

Our ultimate objectives are:

To narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
For all disadvantaged pupils in school to make or exceed nationally expected progress
To support children to develop both resilience, self-regulation and self-esteem.
To have children in school every day, ready to learn.
To ensure children have a positive school experience and become lifelong learners.

We aim to do this through:

Ensuring that the teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all the pupils
Assessing appropriate provision for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups
Providing pastoral support to address barriers to education and ensure children come to school calm, with the appropriate equipment and ready to learn.
Pupil Premium funding is allocated following a needs analysis for our pupils.
Providing a wide and varied range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities to instil a love of learning and sense of belonging to our school community.
Using trauma-informed approaches to support our most vulnerable pupils.

The range of provision for this group include:

Ensuring that all teaching is good or better.

Vocabulary, phonics and reading are a rich part of school life to improve all aspects of English.

Accurate assessment and monitoring of progress is completed half termly with action plans in place across the school to address next steps.

Additional teaching and learning opportunities through specialist teachers and external professionals.

Monitoring attendance for all children to ensure consistency and addressing poor attendance promptly.

Ensuring children are socially and emotionally ready to learn using a trauma responsive approach as appropriate.
A robust safeguarding team who are focussed on better pupil outcomes.

Part B: Review of the previous academic year

Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils

Foxes Piece Primary School 2024-25

At Foxes Piece, our 2024-25 Pupil Premium Strategy has had a significant and positive impact on the outcomes and experiences of our disadvantaged pupils across the school. Through targeted interventions and a whole-school approach to support, we are proud to share the following key successes:

Outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Outcomes:
A remarkable 100% of Pupil Premium pupils achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD), demonstrating the effectiveness of our early intervention strategies. This reflects the high quality of teaching and support in the EYFS, ensuring our youngest learners start their educational journey on solid foundations.
Excellent Early Reading and Phonics Results:
Through focused phonics teaching and reading interventions, 92% of pupils achieved the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check. This success highlights our commitment to early literacy, ensuring that disadvantaged pupils develop strong reading skills, setting them up for continued success throughout their education.
Significant Attendance Improvements:
Our dedicated pastoral and attendance teams have made a measurable impact on attendance across the school. The attendance for all Pupil Premium children increased by 2% from 22/23 to 23/24. Several case studies highlight how targeted support and parental engagement have led to substantial improvements in attendance for disadvantaged pupils. This improvement reflects our determination to remove barriers to education and ensure all pupils can access learning consistently.
High Engagement in Extra-Curricular Activities:
We are proud of the strong attendance and participation rates in our wide range of extra-curricular clubs. Disadvantaged pupils are actively encouraged and supported to engage in these enriching activities, contributing to their overall well-being, confidence, and social skills. This demonstrates our holistic approach to pupil development beyond the classroom.
Successful Integration of High-Mobility Pupils:
Pupils with high levels of mobility have benefited from tailored support, ensuring they quickly settle into school life. Many have thrived in their new environment, with strong academic and social progress. This is a testament to our inclusive and nurturing ethos, where every child is given the tools and support they need to succeed, regardless of their starting point.
Pupil Attainment and Closing the Gap:

We have had very encouraging results from KS1 with 100% of Pupil Premium children attaining their GLD (Good Level of Development) compared to 92% of non-PP children. In addition, 92% of Pupil Premium children passed their phonics screening which was the same number for their non-PP peers.
While overall pupil attainment has improved, there remains a noticeable gap between Pupil Premium (PP) pupils and their non-PP peers in Key Stage 2. The gap in reading and maths has narrowed significantly, with a difference of less than 10%. However, the gap in writing remains more pronounced, at 11%. We are committed to addressing this disparity through targeted writing interventions, enhanced support, and personalised learning strategies, striving to close this gap and ensure equitable outcomes for all pupils.

In summary, our 2022-2025 Pupil Premium Strategy at Foxes Piece has been instrumental in driving improved outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. From early years to Year 6, from academic success to extra-curricular engagement, we have worked hard to narrow the gaps in attainment and opportunity, creating a school environment where all pupils can flourish.