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Ashcroft Technology Academy

Ashcroft Technology Academy

Year 7 Literacy and Numeracy Catch-Up Premium

Funding arrangements

Ashcroft Technology Academy (ATA) has, for a number of years, received an additional funding allocation aside from its main annual revenue funding in the form of a Year 7 Literacy and Numeracy Catch-Up Premium and received its final allocation in 2019-20. This funding is separately allocated by the government to enable schools to improve their resourcing to specifically support children who join ATA who did not achieve the expected standard in reading and/or in maths at the end of Key Stage 2. The historical basis for determining the expected standard was in respect of students who had not reached level 4 at Key Stage 2 in reading and/or maths. In more recent years this factor was dispensed with and the government has used scaled scores to report on outcomes from these tests so that accurate comparisons can be mapped over time. For 2019-20, the government allocated funding to schools on the same basis as for the past 5 years, based upon a rate of payment that has remained unchanged over that time, multiplied by the number of students in Year 7, based on the autumn census and calculates this a rate of £73.46 per student. Payment is made to ATA as a one-off payment which is usually received in March each year.

The funding allocation for the 2019-20 year, together with that received in the previous four years are shown below:

 

2019-20

2018-19

2017-18

2016-17

2015-16

Number in autumn census

240

210

210

213

211

Rate of payment

£73.46

£73.46

£73.46

£73.46

£73.46

Catch-Up Premium Funding due

£17,630

£15,427

£15,427

£15,647

£15,500

 

Planned usage in 2020-21

This funding is now stated to be within the main funding for academies going forward, but the small residual balance will be used to meet some of the costs that were incurred in 2019-20 as the Academy will continue to provide these opportunities to its lower achieving students in Year 7.

Evaluation of usage in 2019-2020

For the 2019-2020 academic year, ATA benefited from a funding provision of £17,630 based on increased intake numbers of 240 in Year 7.

Specific interventions aimed at Year 7 in 2019-2020 continued to include handwriting and homework clubs operated at lunch times (with the latter also operating after school), by Teaching and Learning Assistants (TLAs) until the national lockdown at the end of March due to the coronavirus. A transition class also operated once a week after school through to lockdown, to assist those who found the transition from primary to secondary particularly challenging. In addition to the above, a Boy’s Group (6 students) and separate Girls Group (8 students), also run by TLAs, allowed further targeted interaction to ensure those most vulnerable were fully supported.

Breakfast club continues to operate each morning before school until March run by one TLA who holds responsibility for this. Specific students are encouraged to attend and toast and juice is also made available to them during this time.

TLAs also led paired reading for 20 students during registration periods as well as the well-established Units of Sound online training also during registration periods to develop the literacy levels of those with the lowest attainment levels.  English as an additional language (EAL) support is provided and a separate club operated during registration periods (a provision open to all year groups) and separate literacy is also provided by another TLA who has responsibility for this. All Year 7 students continue to be provided with a free reading book through the Bookbuzz programme which is subsidised entirely through this funding and overseen by the Library and Learning Resources Centre (LRC) and is very well received by students, with many continuing to make good use of the LRC before and after school as well as during break and lunchtimes.

On the numeracy side, small sized classes for bottom set maths students were provided for, with a total of 8 lessons per week taught by the Academy’s Higher Level Teaching Assistant and a member of the maths teaching staff. A separate Numeracy Club has also operated through this support.  

The extended days and use of Study Hall and Catch Up are covered specifically under the Pupil Premium section and funding provision, but such opportunities are there to benefit all students to ensure that each has full opportunity to maximise their own learning potential with those at the lowest end of attainment on entry to the Academy, having the greatest scope for progression.

Costs ascribed to many of the interventions outlined above are as follows:

Staffing Related

£

Bottom Set Maths – HLTA and teacher input x 8/32 lessons

7,169