Pupil Premium at Gayhurst
The government invests money in schools via the pupil premium, which is additional to main school funding, because it believes it is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between disadvantaged children and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
At Gayhurst approximately 25% of pupils at any time are eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG). This is above the national average but below the Hackney average. Gayhurst is unusual for Hackney in that it’s local demographic consists of approximately one third of its pupils on very low incomes and many of the remaining two thirds of pupils from affluent homes. This is evident in the local area from expensive owner occupied housing and large council estates for social housing. There are higher than Hackney average levels of parents who benefited from higher education.
At Gayhurst we have high expectations of all children, regardless of their background. We expect that all children make good progress and secure good outcomes. The school- wide commitment to narrowing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who do not has been at the forefront of our work for a number of years. We believe that quality first teaching is the primary driver in improving outcomes for children. Targeted and specialised support from class teachers ensures the provision in the classroom is making the most impact on outcomes. Evidence shows that this has the greatest impact in closing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. The use of professional development supports teachers in understanding the barriers to learning and how to support this in their classrooms. The links with families is strengthened through the work of the inclusion team and was further developed during school closures.
Our objectives for disadvantaged children is to:
• Ensure that provision is in place from the Early Years, to provide a wealth of experiences that narrows the cultural capital gap upon entry
• To reduce the gap in attainment gap between disadvantaged children and all children across the school
• To promote confidence, resilience and ambition amongst all children
• To provide additional support to all disadvantaged children, especially those disproportionately affected by the pandemic to ensure additional provision supports academic recovery for this group
Our strategy has been responsive to the impact of the global pandemic and draws on the national plans for education recovery, particularly in the support offered through academic mentor and the school led tutoring programmes. The funds allocated through this initiative are targeted at pupils whose education has been most impacted, particularly disadvantaged pupils.
Our Executive Headteacher is a National Pupil Premium advisor and a National Leader of Education and carries out Pupil Premium reviews at a range of schools both locally and nationally.
Please contact us at admin@gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk if you would like more information.
For more information on Pupil Premium please see https://www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings
To find full details of how we spend our PPG and Recovery Funding please see the PDF titled Pupil Premium Strategy and Recovery Statement Gayhurst 2021 - 24 at the bottom of the Statutory Information page on this website.
