Pupil Premium/Service Pupil Premium Funding

At Avon Valley Academy we understand that challenging socio-economic circumstances can create additional barriers for children to succeed. However, evidence strongly suggests that these barriers can be overcome through excellent classroom teaching.

Although financial support is provided by the Government for schools, specifically for children who qualify for Pupil Premium, outstanding educational outcomes for these children are best achieved through outstanding practice in all classrooms. This practice allows us to help all vulnerable children achieve the best possible outcomes according to their starting points.

All children need opportunities to enrich their lives through experience and at Avon Valley, we make sure that these opportunities are provided through our broad curriculum offer and an outstanding pastoral support programme.

At Avon Valley we all work energetically towards a shared purpose of improving the outcomes of all students by identifying and removing barriers to learning through relentlessly high expectations and quality first teaching. Our job is to serve the community of Durrington by promoting social mobility and we believe the best way to achieve this is through educational achievement.

Click here to see our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement for 2023-2024

Quality Teaching

At Avon Valley Academy, we ensure high quality inclusive teaching in every classroom ensures that multiple barriers to learning are identified early and addressed through a range of highly effective strategies. It’s where the teaching and pastoral system come together to ensure the best outcomes for all. This is based on a combination of forensic data analysis and an informed contextual knowledge of our students and their needs within their community.

To achieve this, we concentrate on the following areas:-

• High quality, responsive teaching approaches in the classroom including ongoing student assessment and feedback
• Continued professional development for all staff and additional support for early career development
• Additional support for students during school transitions which can be particularly challenging for some
• Support for positive aspirational relationships across the school as the basis for success

Targeted Academic Support

Evidence shows that targeted academic support has a positive impact on student outcomes and with this in mind Avon Valley Academy provides a range of additional academic opportunities that are guided by the school, linked to the curriculum and focussed on areas identified as of most benefit to individual student need.

To achieve this, we use our additional Pupil Premium allocation on the following:-

• High quality one to one and small group tuition across year groups which is linked to the curriculum and focussed on individual student need.
• Structured intervention following assessment of student progress which is delivered by trained classroom teachers.
• A whole school awareness of individual needs and promotion of  high aspirations and positive relationships at all times. This approach is based upon consistent routines and pro-active approaches to learning behaviours.

Wider Strategies

At Avon Valley Academy we realise that student social and emotional needs are intrinsically linked to their academic learning. Every member of staff works energetically towards the shared purpose of removing non-academic barriers to success in order to improve the opportunities and aspirations of every student.

To achieve this, we spend our Pupil Premium allocation on the following wider strategies:-

• Initiatives to increase attendance in school and engagement in learning as a first step to success.
• Close cooperation and communication with parents, carers and the wider community as a route to achievement
• Initiatives to promote preparedness for learning including breakfast club, provision of devices to access remote education, resources and materials to open opportunities for learning.
• Supporting wellbeing and positive learning behaviours in and around school at all times.

The Service Pupil Premium (SPP)

Avon Valley Academy is proud of its close links to the service community and recognise some of the unique challenges that children whose parents are in the military face. The SPP is provided to allow the school to give pastoral support to service children during challenging times and mitigate the negative impact of any family mobility or parental deployment.

Service pupil premium (SPP) is extra funding for schools to support children and young people with parents in the armed forces.

Pupils attract the SPP if they meet one of the following criteria:

• one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces (including pupils with a parent who is on full commitment as part of the full time reserve)
• one of their parents died whilst serving in the armed forces and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme
• they have been registered as a ‘service child’ on the January school census at any point since 2016.

The SSP is designed to assist the school in providing the additional support that these children may need and is currently (2024) worth £340 per service child who meets the eligibility criteria.