Pupil Academic Support

Disadvantaged pupils are identified based on their eligibility for the pupil premium. This includes pupils eligible for free school meals at any point within the past six years (Ever 6 FSM) and pupils looked after by a local authority.

To raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, we:

• Have high expectations of all pupils.

• Promote an ethos of attainment for all pupils, rather than stereotyping disadvantaged pupils as a group with less potential to succeed.

• Have an individualised approach to addressing barriers to learning and emotional support, at an early stage, rather than providing access to generic support and focusing on pupils nearing their internal and external assessments.

• Focus on high quality teaching first rather than on bolt-on strategies and activities outside school hours.

• Focus on outcomes for individual pupils rather than on providing strategies.

• Deploy the best staff to support disadvantaged pupils; develop skills and roles of teachers and additional adults rather than using additional staff who do not know the pupils well.

• Make decisions based on data and respond to evidence, using frequent, rather than one-off assessment and decision points.

• Monitor and evaluate our practice periodically.

The term EAL is used to refer to pupils whose main language at home is other than English. EAL pupils, from complete beginners to those with considerable fluency, will have varying degrees of difficulty in accessing the full curriculum and in achieving their full potential. Research has shown that those new to English will acquire conversational fluency in two years but will need a minimum of five years to achieve competence in academic English. Such pupils will need language support if they are to reach their full potential.

EAL pupils bring a new dimension to schools. They share experiences and cultures from other countries and bring an international perspective, helping their peers understand different cultures, people and points of view better. EAL pupils also have extra language skills they can share and when lessons are successfully adapted for them, EAL learners achieve well academically.

At SFG, in order to meet the needs of our EAL pupils, we:

• Welcome and value the cultural, linguistic and educational experiences pupils bring.

• Implement school-wide strategies to ensure that pupils are supported in accessing the curriculum.

•  Help pupils become confident and acquire the English language skills they need to be able to fulfil their academic potential.

• Assess the skills and needs of pupils and support their needs.

• Equip teachers and non-teaching staff with the knowledge, skills and resources to be able to support and monitor pupils.

• Maintain pupils’ self-esteem and confidence by acknowledging and giving status to their skills in their own languages.

• Expect all staff to support and develop the language skills of pupils.

• Value diversity and ensure our classrooms are socially and intellectually inclusive.

• Ensure our teachers are knowledgeable about pupils’ abilities and needs in English and other subjects and use this knowledge to inform their curriculum planning, classroom teaching and pupil grouping.

• Have high expectations and ensure pupils participate in all classroom activities/tasks as well in the wider life of the school.

• Encourage pupils to use their mother tongue when appropriate.

A child is looked after by a local authority if he/she is in their care or provided with accommodation for more than 24 hours by the authority.

This is one of the most vulnerable groups in society and it is nationally recognised that there is considerable educational underachievement when compared to their peers. These may result in under-achievement in education.

To ensure our LAC pupils are successful, we:

• Review our school policies to ensure that pupils are not unintentionally put at a disadvantage.

• Make sure that there are effective and well understood school procedures in place to support pupils’ learning.

• Promote a culture in which pupils believe they can succeed and aspire to further and higher education.

• Promote a culture in which they are able to discuss their progress, have their views taken seriously and are supported to take responsibility for their own learning.

• Make full use of assessment to improve the short and medium term progress of pupils and help them and their teachers understand where they are in their learning, where they need to go and how to get there.

• Ensure that they have access to academic focused study support.

• Create good home-school links through effective communication with carers.

• Ensure confidentiality, sharing confidential and personal information on a need to know basis, bearing in mind the wishes of the individual pupil.

SLT will regularly review:
 

• The number of LAC on roll and the confirmation that they have a PEP.

• Their attendance compared to other pupils.

• Their attainment compared to other pupils.

• The number, if any, of fixed term and permanent exclusions.

• The destinations of pupils who leave the school.

Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age; or have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority.

Provision for SEND pupils is a whole school matter at SFG, we:

• Ensure that pupils' needs are identified early, assessed, provided for and regularly reviewed.

• Ensure that all pupils are offered full access to a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum that sets high expectations for them regardless of their prior attainment.

• Take the views, wishes and feelings of our pupils into account, and involve them as fully as possible in decision making about their own education.

• Work in partnership with parents to enable them to make an active, empowered and informed contribution to their son/daughter’s education.

• Designate a SENCO responsible for the coordinating of SEND provision.