Year 7 Literacy & Numeracy Catch Up Premium

The Department of Education (DFE) provides additional funding to schools for each Year 7 student who has not achieved a Level 4 in reading and / or maths at Key Stage 2.  A total of £500 for each Year 7 student eligible is allocated for this funding based on their Year 6 Key Stage 2 levels.

The funding is to enable schools to provide additional support to students who are admitted to secondary school with the intention of increasing students' skills and bridging the gap.

It is up to each school to identify how best this money is utilised.

2019/2020

This year Meadow High School was allocated £7,000.  Due to their additional needs, every Year 7 student at Meadow High School will access this fund.

2018/2019

Year 7 Catch Up Funding

Report on the use of Year 7 Catch Up Funding 2018-19  (Updated June 2019)

Overview of
Year 7
Catch Up funding

The literacy and numeracy catch-up premium provides schools with additional funding to support Year 7 pupils who did not achieve the expected standard in reading or Maths at the end of Key Stage 2. Meadow High School uses this fund to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy with year 7 students.

Total amount allocated for the current academic year 2018-2019

This year Meadow High School was allocated £7,000. Every student at Meadow High School due to their additional needs have access to this fund.

Looking forward: What are our plans to spend the Year 7 Catch Up premium this academic year? 2018-19

This funding will be allocated to improve outcomes for our Year 7 learners in the following ways:

  • Interventions Assistant, to conduct focused work with individuals and
    small groups to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy in year 7. This has impacted in closing the gap in student progress.
     
  • Additional resources to be purchased to support raising attainment in literacy and numeracy. Specific focus on reading and mathematics.
     
  • Externally verified Maths and English assessments to ensure an accurate baseline is set as well as ensuring expected levels of progress could be monitored accurately.
     
  • Increased opportunities for external learning opportunities learning in literacy and numeracy, this included a Victorian-themed drama workshop to develop Year 7’s interaction with literacy.

 


2017/2018

The school, by its very nature, already spends significant sums of money on programmes and staffing (specifically smaller classes) to support the development of key skills at Key Stage 3 (including Year 7 classes).  Class ratios of at least 1:4.5 have been provided to ensure maximum support to develop key skills at all opportunities.  The cost of this strategy is in excess of the level of Year 7 premium funding provided.

There is a fully resourced reading development programme and also similar for numeracy.  Approximately £4600 is spent on resourcing this provision.

The school has also undertaken functional skills assessments at a cost of £7905 for all Year 7 pupils to ensure the school is fully knowledgeable of individual needs and they are able to access learning.  Opportunities where required are either group or individual sessions with Speech and Language and /or Occupational Therapy Teams.  This covers all aspects related to access for learning.

Staff spending includes two additional responsibility posts for reading intervention (TLR2B) at a cost in excess of £8000 per annum.  Where there are identified slower rates of progress, programmes are delivered directly by the lead intervention managers (within TLR costs).

The school is providing, as part of the planned spend 10 E-Reader pens, supporting those with reading difficulties and / or EAL in Year 7 at a cost of £5000 actual cost in year of £2000 (as £3000 carry over from 2016-2017).

All the students have baseline assessments in mathematical skills, reading and Read, Write Inc at a cost of £480 on entry.

The "A Life Programme" is met through the catch up premium at a cost of £590.  This covers, in the main, healthy life styles but is a significant area to develop speech language and communication skills.

Impact

A wide range of strategies and physical resources have been purchased.  The impact has been that all Year 7s are (in virtually all cases) making expected rates of progress and learning new skills from their starting points.  The school data information confirms this and is available in the Self-evaluation documentation.

PLEASE NOTE  the school is working in arrears of funding as it does not get the payment until March of each year.


2016/2017

For 2016-17 the Catch Up Premium available to the school was £15,000 a physical total of
£16, 182.78 was spent (not including staffing costs).

PLEASE NOTE - Funding was delayed until March 2017 and the school carried over £3000 for
C-Reader and Ipads (seen in 2017-2018 spend).

As for all years the school , by its very nature, already spends significant sums of money on programmes and staffing (specifically smaller classes in Year 7).  The School has purposefully reduced class sizes for Year 7 with the largest class being 9 with 2 members of staff (1:4.5) and as low as 9 with two teachers and 3 additional TAs (1:1.8).  This allows for the maximum learning support throughout the year.  The cost of this strategy is in excess of the level of Year 7 premium funding provided.

For direct numeracy support £1787.47 was spent on specific text books, resources and equipment.

For direct literacy support £4880.11 on physical resources was spent.

£2589.20 was spent on C-Reader pens and Ipads (also £3000 carried forward to 2017-18 for bulk purchase).

Part of the funding was used to establish lead practitioners for reading intervention and numeracy intervention by way of teaching and learning responsibility posts (x2) at a cost of over £8000 per annum.

All Year 7 pupils undertake specific baseline assessments at a cost of £480 for both numeracy and literacy areas.  This ensures that individual needs are identified and the impact is that pupils have work set to meet their needs.

Training has been provided at a cost of £180 for talk and draw therapy which enables those pupils that are reluctant or have issues to gain confidence.  The school has introduced the rapid reader's scheme at a cost of £2549.

Year 7 pupils participated in a cinema trip to see The Jungle Book at a cost of £127,  The "A" Life Programme is met through the catch up premium at a cost of £590.  This covers, in the main, healthy life styles but is a significant area to develop speech language and communication skills.

Impact

A wide range of strategies and physical resources have been purchased,  The impact has been that all Year 7s are (in virtually all cases) making expected rates of progress and learning new skills from their starting points.  The school data information confirms this and is available in the self-evaluation documentation.