The Pupil Premium Grant was introduced in 2011 for children eligible for free school meals, children whose parents serve in the armed forces and for children who are looked after (CLA); its purpose was to close the attainment gap between these groups of children and their peers. In 2013, the DfE introduced Pupil Premium Plus funding for children who are looked after (CLA) and children who have been previously looked after. In doing this, the DfE acknowledged the enduring impact of trauma and loss in children's lives and the key role that schools have in supporting children who have had a difficult start in life. More information can be found lower down on this page about CLA. 

At Bowmandale Primary School, we have high aspirations and ambitions for all of our children and we believe that no child should be left behind. We aim to strategically use pupil premium funding to fulfil our vision for all children to flourish in order to achieve their full potential and ultimately, to be equipped for the next stage of their learning journey. The school draws upon national research, alongside analysis of school data to identify barriers to learning and to ensure that money is effectively allocated in order to work towards overcoming these barriers.

Principles:

• We provide a broad and balanced curriculum which meets the needs of all pupils through high quality, differentiated teaching; 

• We ensure that appropriate academic and pastoral provision is made for children in vulnerable groups, including those in receipt of Pupil Premium funding;

• We recognise that not all pupils who are in receipt of Free School Meals will be disadvantaged, and that there may be some children who do not qualify for Free School Meals who may be disadvantaged;

• Pupil Premium funding is allocated according to our school priorities, which means that not all children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding will be in receipt of interventions or support at any one time.

Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) Spending at Bowmandale Primary School

We seek, as a school community, to provide personalised learning opportunities and targeted support to allow every child to flourish. The governing body of Bowmandale Primary School will ensure that provision is made to meet the needs of all pupils.

Research tells us that the Mastery approach to learning is an excellent pedagogy for all children, but in particular it has been proven to accelerate the learning of vulnerable children, hence our investment to staff training in this approach. The Growth Mindset approach is also central to our teaching and learning in all subjects, whereby children are given open-ended learning opportunities involving peer teaching and collaborative learning. This has been proven to make a consistently positive impact on learning, particularly for vulnerable pupils. Verbal and written feedback is also at the heart of our pedagogy, impacting significantly on learning and progress.

What Does This Mean for My Child? 

You can check whether your child is eligible for free school meals (FSM) or you can apply for free school meals by accessing the North Lincolnshire Council website. When you apply for free school meals, your child will also receive a complimentary PE T-Shirt in the appropriate colour for the house team they belong to. You will also receive vouchers which entitle your child to 2 items of school clothing (a sweatshirt or cardigan) at the end of each academic year. Additionally, the Local Authority offer a range of activities during the school holidays for children who are receipt of Pupil Premium Funding.  

All children who are in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding (i.e. ever 6, FSM, CLA or in service children) will be entitled to a 25% discount on any residential trips that your child attends. The school will use the funding that it receives to support a range of different needs during each academic year, as outlined in the Pupil Premium documents further down this page. 

Staff responsible for Managing Pupil Premium 

Pupil Premium Co-ordinator

Mrs L Lombard 

Governor responsible for Pupil Premium

Mr A Fernandes 

Our priorities for 2023/24 at Bowmandale Primary School are:

Quality of Education

• To continue to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils across the school and at national level in writing, through an acquisition of basic skills in grammar & phonics; 
• To continue to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils across the school and at national level in reading through a focus on the acquisition of comprehension skills; 
• To continue to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils across the school and at national level in maths through a focus on the development of reasoning skills and varied fluency. 

Behaviour & Attitudes

• To continue to improve the attendance of vulnerable disadvantaged pupils compared to non-disadvantaged pupils, through positive partnerships with families. 

Personal Development

• To secure improved outcomes for families with social & emotional barriers impacting on pupils' learning through appropriate signposting and support;
• To improve the resilience and emotional wellbeing of all children; in particular our most vulnerable children, through a holistic approach to pastoral support and emotional wellbeing;
• To ensure that all disadvantaged pupils are encouraged to participate in wider school opportunities such as extra-curricular clubs, buddies, school councillors, sports and digital ambassadors.

Leadership & Management

• To continue to develop staff's understanding of trauma, attachment and a whole school approach to emotional wellbeing to enhance teaching & learning and to secure improved outcomes for all children; 
• To ensure that as a school we prioritise building relationships with all children in order to raise aspirations.

This provision will include:

• A Growth Mindset approach to all learning to build resilience, perseverance, self-belief and independent learning skills;
• Targeted pastoral support and intervention from a Learning Mentor and qualified counsellor with children and their families;
• Provision of a wide range of extra-curricular learning opportunities, increasingly delivered within the school day;
• Learning Mentor and trained Forest Schools Leader to provide targeted nurture and pastoral provision for vulnerable pupils;
• Same day interventions (pre-teaching and consolidation) targeted at all children who are at risk of underachieving, including disadvantaged pupils; 
• Targeted 1:1 mentoring led by pastoral staff to address gaps identified around emotional wellbeing;
• School Based Tutoring to support those children to address gaps in learning; 
• A systematic approach to teaching PSHE and RSE through high quality provision, including BigTalk;
• Online learning programmes to supplement teaching & learning, aimed at incisively addressing learning gaps; 
• A whole school approach to emotional wellbeing, supported by the Thrive Approach and With Me in Mind, both of which are approaches endorsed by the Local Authority. 

The impact of this provision will be reviewed and subsequently published in September 2024. 

Pupil Premium Grant Funding

*CLA refers to Children who are Looked After and also Children Previously Looked After

Pupil Premium Grant Documents

More information about Pupil Premium Grant spending and provision at Bowmandale Primary School is detailed in the documents below.

Children Who are Looked After (CLA)

At Bowmandale Primary School, we fully understand that children who are looked after (CLA) and those children who have previously been looked after may have experienced significant trauma and loss in their early lives, and as such, we need to ensure that we are doing everything possible to prevent this impacting upon their academic and social success and ultimately, their life chances. 

In order to fully understand and support the needs of all vulnerable children in our school, all staff have undertaken training around trauma, attachment theory and unmet attachment needs to enable us to see beyond behaviours that may be a barrier to children's learning. 

Children who are looked after have a personal education plan (PEP) which supports them to meet academic, social and emotional wellbeing targets which are incisive to their needs. These targets are reviewed on a termly basis to ensure that the funding the school receives is used to directly impact on the success of each individual child. We also work closely with families of children who have previously been looked after to ensure that children are supported appropriately to address any unmet needs. 

Caring Schools Award

We are extremely proud to share that we hold the Caring 2 Learning 'Caring Schools' Gold Award. This was an initiative originally developed in Lincolnshire, with the overall aim of supporting the improvement of a wide range of outcomes for children who are looked after, children who have previously been looked after and other vulnerable children and young people. 

We are delighted to have met all of the required criteria in order to ensure that all of our children, but especially our vulnerable children and young people have a stable, nurturing environment to enable them to make good progress and be the very best they can be.

Our overall feedback from the virtual school and Local Authority:

“Bowmandale Primary School place children’s wellbeing and holistic development at the centre of practice and this is reflected in all decisions that are made. They are a forward thinking school who are always looking for ways to improve children’s wellbeing; and are certainly taking account of the current climate. The Growth Mindset approach is embedded in daily practice and is part of children’s everyday language. They have embarked upon a whole school approach to promoting wellbeing and believe that the key to achievement is happy, safe and confident children.”