Covid-19 Catch Up Funding
The government announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up lost time after school closure. This is especially important for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds.
School allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis. Mainstream schools will get £80 for each pupil from reception to year 11 inclusive.
Schools should use this funding for specific activities to support their pupils to catch up for lost teaching over the previous months, in line with the curriculum expectations for the next academic year in actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak.
While schools can use their funding in a way that suits their cohort and circumstances, they are expected to use this funding for specific activities which will help pupils catch up on missed education.
Stretford Grammar School Covid-19 Catch Up Premium Strategy
On June 19th 2020, the government announced a Covid-19 recovery funding plan that would be eligible for all secondary schools. The government were clear that headteachers would decide how the money is spent and that this is a one-off grant to support students in state education, regardless of their background or parental income.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have produced a guide designed to help teachers and school leaders support students on their return to school and this can be found by following this link. The report is clear that students will be returning to school in September 2020 having spent many months away from the classroom and that despite the best efforts of teachers and schools, the consequences of the pandemic will be far reaching for all students.
Stretford Grammar School is committed to supporting its students throughout this academic year and beyond but understands that the far reaching impact of the pandemic may not yet be known, or the consequences of it may not yet have been felt. The school is aware that throughout the academic year, there will be further incidents of time away from school for students and also for staff and that these instances will impact on students in different ways. The school and the leadership of it are therefore committed to ensuring that the plan is as flexible as possible in supporting our students at this time, and also our staff in the delivery of our vision and an excellent curriculum for all.
A summary of their key areas of best practice is as follows:
|
Teaching and whole-school strategies |
|
|
Targeted approaches |
|
|
Wider strategies |
|
|
Strategy Area |
Specific strategy |
Success criteria |
Evaluation |
COST |
|
Teaching and Whole School Strategies
Online learning, assessment and progress tracking |
Develop Blended Learning using Google Classroom. Introduce GC across whole school. Share good practice by following Oak Academy principles of online lesson delivery and also the use of Jam Boards for collaborative home school learning. Assessment opportunities provided using GC via online submission and feedback. Identify knowledge and skill gaps in students through assessments on return to school. Implement whole school teaching focus using Rosenshine’s key princinples. Use online package and apps to support catch up: GCSEPod, Seneca, MyMaths. |
Staff using Google Classroom effectively
Data collections used to identify target groups for intervention. Gaps identified and provide feedback for intervention.
Retrieval use in classrooms evident through lesson observations GC used to set appropriate tasks with links to resources to assist in learning. Staff and Students using ‘Topic’ in GC for students to access resources. |
GC is embedded across the school and is now an integral aspect of teaching and learning.
Target groups are monitored and supported by Progress Leaders and support and revision sessions take place in all subjects. Retrieval embedded in classroom practice. GC used by subjects to ensure that revision materials and support material is available to students. |
School budget allocated to support catch up interventions and staff training
£3,792.00 for G-suite each year |
|
Teaching and Whole School Strategies
Diagnostic Assessment |
CATS used to provide staff with an indication of students’ abilities in verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning. Target setting can then be used in order to track progress effectively |
Target setting used by staff and also used in Data Captures to track student progress – students who require some form of support then identified from the data and support strategies put in place. |
Data Capture results used by Heads of Department and Progress Leaders to establish target groups. |
Within budget |
|
Teaching and Whole School Strategies
Curriculum Development |
Curriculum mapping in KS3 undertaken to ensure that all students receive high quality education that promotes their development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. |
Curriculum to remain broad and balanced. All students continued to be taught a wide range of subjects maintaining their choices for further study and employment. |
KS3 mapping complete. |
Within budget |
|
Teaching and Whole School Strategies
Remote Education and Learning |
Implement the DFE expectations for Remote Education. Provide laptops and wifi access to students as needed. Ensure safe use of school technology through SENSO software deployment. Develop remote education so that it is integrated and blended into school curriculum planning. Continue to develop CPD teaching strategies for remote learning. Develop a Remote Learning Technical Support Strategy
|
High quality remote teaching and learning in place via Google Classroom. All students supported in their ability to access the curriculum via Google Classroom (school supplied laptops). Students are following the same curriculum when in or out of school. Google Forms used to assess student knowledge and to inform pastoral staff of wellbeing and engagement. Effective Teacher assisted IT Support – enables both staff and students to use online learning strategies effectively. |
GC and Google Meet used to engage learners online. |
£12,974 on laptop provision x 30. Staff training within budget. |
|
Targeted Support
National Tutoring Programme |
Target groups established in English and Maths for Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 based on Y11 Mocks and teacher assessments.
|
Target group have engaged and improved in Mathematics and English in years 7, 9, 11. Data captures and formative assessments used to show progress.
|
Ongoing assessment of progress conducted by tutors. |
Cost TBC |
|
Targeted Support
One to One mentoring Year 11 |
Year 11 targeted students to receive mentoring to support learning and to assist in areas of need. |
Mentoring booklets show interventions and support strategies – student reflections show that mentoring in having a positive impact on progress. |
GCSE results to show that support and interventions have had a positive impact on final results (in line with FFT estimates) |
Within budget |
|
Targeted Support
Transition Support |
Year 6 into Year 7 transition days and residential used to encourage engagement and provide confidence building opportunities. Year 12 transition tasks in place to enable students to start the year with elements of the course started. |
Conwy residential attended by the majority of Year 7 and feedback from parents and students demonstrates that team building activities have improved confidence. Year 12 students Data Capture 1 show that attitude to learning scores are positive. |
Conwy has established positive ethos amongst the year group. |
Within budget |
|
Targeted Support
Teaching Assistants and SEND Support |
TAs deployed to SEND students on a timetabled rota to provide in class support. Weekly updates on SEND students to inform teaching staff of progress and areas of support. Classcharts and Provision Map used to ensure teaching staff are aware of Pupil Support Plans and Pupil Passports. SEND Forums in place for parents to attend to discuss any issues |
Timetable of TA support in place. Updates provide specific guidance to teaching staff on areas of support required as needed. Data rich seating plans have links to all support plans and are in use by teaching staff. Attendance at forums is tracked. |
TA support has been targeted specifically to the needs of the students and all support plans are available to staff – seating plans reflect strategic placement of SEND students. |
|
|
Wider Strategies
Attendance Tracking and Intervention |
Attendance Officer employed to ensure school Attendance Strategy is in place and operating effectively:
|
Improve targeted students’ attendance. Students attending live lessons and submitting work on Google Classroom. Improved communication to parents re absence and shared expectations of remote learning.
|
Email evidence shows that attendance of covid absence is tracked and staff have set any work on Google Classroom. Attendance officer phone calls and house visits have resulted in improvements in attendance of targeted students. SIMS attendance records reflect absent students who have attended online or have completed online tasks. |
Attendance officer - £15,610 per year |
|
Wider Strategies
Supporting Social, Emotional and Behavioural needs |
Participation in the Beewell Project for Greater Manchester. Students have shared their voices on their wellbeing through surveys and will be participating in programmes to deliver positive change in all our communities as a result. Some students will be meeting with local politicians to share their views on wellbeing and others will be trained as mentors. Detailed survey results support whole-school planning for wellbeing.
Mental Health Support Teams. Participation in phase one of this initiative. Students can access CBT based therapies in school in groups or on a one-to-one basis. These are delivered by NHS mental health practitioners. BeeHeard group established to facilitate student voice and feed into strategies around wellbeing and healthy relationships in school. Bounce Forward Programme has been adopted to provide teacher training and resources around developing students’ psychological fitness. Website pupil page established with links to support for students and also a link to request support from school. Wellbeing module in place in Classcharts for students and parents to sign post students’ current wellbeing status. School Counsellor in post full time to offer counselling session to students referred by staff. Safeguarding software CPOMS rolled out to all staff for logging of concerns and ensuring that appropriate actions are carried out to support students. Trafford Teams Together panels attended to identify ways in which targeted support can be put in place for vulnerable students and their families. Touching base contact via phone, email and online meetings made by pastoral and key staff to support students during periods of lockdown - recorded on CPOMS. |
Targeted year group attendance demonstrates participation in the project. Survey results.
Participation figures.
Group meetings and statistics from any surveys.
Teacher interactions with students provide support and guidance to assist in coping mechanisms.
Page link being used by students and issues addressed by pastoral staff. Classcharts data.
Referral system in place and appointments recorded on CPOMS. All staff have access to CPOMS and are using it to alert appropriate staff.
DSL attendance at panel meetings to establish the appropriate support for families and CPOMS logging. CPOMS records show a high degree of support during lockdown with over 1000 recorded well being contacts. |
|
|
|
Wider Strategies
Social and Emotional Learning curriculum |
PSHCE curriculum revised to cover wider range of student needs – such as stress management; relationships; coping strategies; healthy mind and body. Drop Down Days in place every term to provide students with activities that deal with issues whereby social and emotional wellbeing may be a concern – e.g. Y8 Resilience day; Bounce Forward training undertaken by progress leaders to support SEMH; drop down day for all year groups 2020/21 with focus on team skills, individual development and health (mental and physical). PSHCE curriculum fully encompasses the new RSHE requirements including links to mental health – taught in all years. |
New PSHCE curriculum in place for 2022/2023 which covers all statutory elements – Relationship, Sex and Health Education, Social and Emotional Well Being, Healthy Lives and Economic Well-Being
Annual Relationships, Sex and Health Education Drop Down held in Spring Term
Drop Down Day Three held in the Summer Term covers team building and entrepreneurship
Year 8 Bounce Forward Unit delivered within the PSHCE programme on resilience and handling change
Drop Down Days to include key note speakers related to economic and financial well-being and leading healthy lives |
Students and staff evaluate the taught programme – lessons in the scheme of work to facilitate this
Feedback on impact of the Drop Down Days from students to review and refine provision
School attains the PSHCE, Healthy Eating and SEMH Healthy School Quality Mark
|
£750 |
|
Wider Strategies
Communicating with and supporting parents
|
Information evenings uploaded online to explain year group specific information. Subject information videos on YouTube channel to assist with options choices. New website developed in order to provide information in a more consistent way. Latest news items updated on a regular basis in order to celebrate school based activities and student successes. School Cloud parents evening software in place for feedback on student progress – ensuring that lockdown conditions does not hinder teacher feedback on progress. |
All information required by parents available of the school’s YouTube channel. Website in place with key information for all stakeholders. Parents evening system in place and used widely by parents to access updates on progress. |
YouTube analytics show that information has been accessed and that parents and students have been provided the correct subject information – 8,000 views to date on these forms of communication. Attendance at parents’ evenings has been very high – over 96% for all evenings. |
School cloud - £798 per year |