Addressing the Impact of
Disadvantage – Making Effective
Use of the Pupil Deprivation Grant
Aims
• Outline the context of the school which may help
explain some of the decisions made in relation to PDG
expenditure
• Describe some of the key statistics that seem to
indicate our targeted PDG expenditure has worked to
improve the performance of FSM students
• Explain the rationale underpinning expenditure
decisions
• Run through 5 key elements of the spending
programme
• Allow you all the opportunity to share further ideas for
how the PDG could be spent effectively
Newtown High School back
then…
2003
• One of the first secondary
schools in Wales to be placed in
Serious Weaknesses
• Some abusive pupils
• No PSPs
• Fights in corridors
• Vandalism
• Drug culture
• Internal truancy
• Truancy
• Blame culture
• Some difficult parents/carers
• Learning adversely affected
Headlines in 2003
• ‘Head sick amid
school report row’
• ‘Union attacks
‘super head’
appointment’
• ‘Problem school
gets new head’
Newtown High School now
• Band 1 school: top ten in
Wales last year by this measure
• Estyn – good school with
several outstanding features
• 33 subjects out of 39 were
judged ‘good with no important
shortcomings’ while three were
‘good with outstanding features’
• Leadership and Management
at the school are ‘outstanding’
• Record results in Maths GCSE
in 2012, second highest on
record in GCSE English
• Lead Practitioner school
Headlines in 2012
• ‘School’s climb to
the top praised’
• ‘Problem school
now outstanding’
• ‘A’ grade for High
school’
• ‘Celebrations at
school with glowing
report’
FSM
Attendance
FSM Attendance in KS4
Level 1 threshold
Level 2 threshold
English FSM A*-C
performance at GCSE
Maths FSM A*-C performance
at GCSE
Science FSM A*-C
performance at GCSE
L2 inc. E/W & M (compared
with expected performance)
Capped points score
(& expected performance)
L2 (position within FSM
benchmark group)
How? Rationale underpinning
PDG funded intervention
1) Sincere Commitment to the WG Principle
“Every child deserves the right to
succeed because of his/her potential
and merit – not birth.”
Caring Yields a
Flourishing
Learning
Environment
(Opportunity)
2) Sutton Trust Toolkit
1) Small group Maths tutor
(tailored feedback)
‘Retired’ Maths teacher, John
Davies, employed two days
per week for small group
intervention with students on
FSM as well as those on C/D
borderline. Intervention
consisted primarily of
coaching students in the
GCSE Foundation paper.
Withdrawn from other lessons
(except English) once every 7
weeks
Letter to parents enlisting
support
Staff prepared for changes
well in advance
2) Wellbeing Assistants (oneto-one/feedback)
Work with FSM pupils and their families to:
improve attendance; help prevent behavioural
issues becoming a barrier to learning;
English/Maths coaching; deliver modified
curriculum where needed to ensure L2 threshold
is achieved.
Snapshot of extra-curricular
support
• Uniform – buy, mend and
recycle uniform. This includes
taking pupils to buy new
uniform trousers and shoes
etc
• Trips – Fundraised - though
catering at the Eisteddfod for
over 1000 people including 3
course meal for 20 judges - to
to take the BTEC Home
Cooking pupils to Jamie
Oliver’s restaurant in
Birmingham
• Multi Agency Work – Making applications to appropriate outside
agencies to provide units of work tailored to meet the needs of
individual pupils. Working in conjunction with multi agency providers
to ensure FSM pupils receive every element of support available
(Cool Futures, Young Carers, Youth Intervention, Xenzone, Sensory
Services, School Nurse, CAHMS, Youth Service, Children’s
Services…)
• Friends for Life programme – Delivered by Kate Williams from the
Youth Service for pupils with low self esteem targeting aspirations in
the Young People coordinated by the Wellbeing team.
• Various one-to-one therapies –Including Bereavement Care,
Talking Heads, Anger Management etc
Liaison with parents (e.g. attendance)
Snapshot of curricular
support
• Modified Timetables
• Previously non school attender from Wrexham – entered NHS in
October of yr11
• Multiple strands of special needs including emotional and social in
addition to learning difficulties. Specific learning difficulties –
Dyspraxia and dyslexia in addition to general learning difficulties
• No previous qualifications
• No statement or ALN funding
Provision for Richard:
Access to Wellbeing teaching centre
– Work skills
– IOLP
– Application of Number
– Communication
– IT
– Home Cooking
– Maths
– Small group / individual provision
– Access to main stream curriculum for appropriate lessons to
build confidence and social skills inc. PE, Performing Arts,
English
IMPACT: Achieved L2 threshold during the course of
less than one year and Richard is going to attend Coleg
Powys in September where he shall access the
vocational access course
3) Help from National Maths
Partnership (T & L, feedback)
• NMP worked with Maths
Faculty on developing
strategies for improving
numeracy for students on
FSM including introduction of
suitable tracking systems
and follow up intervention
Training, Methodmaths &
Passport Maths
User friendly and instant
feedback
4) Enhancing family
engagement
• Focused on supporting
the capacity of parents to
support learning through
distribution of parent
packs accompanied by
training
= 103°
= 260°
ADAM JONES
5) Interventions/training
aimed at maximising the
quality of classroom teaching
All staff, including
LSAs, trained in the
use of the Sutton
Trust toolkit
Almost all lesson
observations
adjudged ‘excellent’
shared in
CPD/twilights
Training in
effective peer
mentoring
Hwb PLC on
teaching and
learning very active
Visiting schools
where data
showed strengths
in particular subject
areas
INSET courses primarily
focused on T & L,
reducing the impact of
poverty, literacy and
numeracy
Training & Development Estyn 2009
• ‘Continuing professional development is
outstanding. It is seen as a priority in the school
and is carefully planned. There is a cycle of
training that is clearly linked to the school
improvement plan. Performance management
and school self-evaluation are used to identify
needs and provide for the training of all staff.
Staff evaluate the training they have received
and this information is collated to assess the
impact of training on standards.’
We filtered out all the
information that was
only applicable to
decisions made at
SLT level and shared
Then we shared
the overview and
detailed feedback
on each
intervention
Teaching and Learning PLC
Ideas sharing session!
In groups of 2-4 think of how
you have used the PDG to
make a positive impact upon
standards of FSM children in
your school. Everyone to
communicate one idea to the
group.
do@newtown-hs.powys.sch.uk