For our Pupil Premium children, the key barriers to education achievement are as follows:

1. Vulnerabilities: Through analysis of assessment data, Thrive action plans, behaviour, speech and language and discussions with teachers, leaders have identified that a significant number of DPP children have increased vulnerabilities, including mental health concerns, as well as medical and child protection concerns. These affect their engagement with learning, their progress in lessons, their attendance and their own self-esteem.

2. Disengagement: For children who are eligible for PP funding, discussions with teachers and teaching assistants confirm that, although children are focusing well in school, there is very limited engagement and support from parents for a variety of reasons. The majority of parents with eligible children have concerns with their own skills particularly in reading and writing, so are reluctant to help their children with their learning. This increases the need for interventions for these children outside of the Literacy and Maths lessons. There is also a concern from teachers regarding the children’s self-esteem in these situations, and parental concerns are being taken on by their children.  

3. Social factors: For many of the pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding, there are social and emotional barriers to their progress. These are most pronounced in playtimes and lunchtimes, when children have to interact with a large number of children. These situations can cause issues to arise between children, which impact on the progress of those children in the lessons following the playtime.