It is widely recognised that nationally an attainment gap exists between Pupil Premium students and their peers; this can potentially lead to lower results, which can in turn negatively affect their future life choices thereafter.

Pupil Premium funding is provided by the government to raise the attainment of Pupil Premium students. The funding aims to ensure that all students meet a minimum of national standards by the end of Year 11, eradicating any attainment gap that exists.

Whilst the Pupil Premium funding must be spent on closing the gap of those who are eligible for the funding some of the most effective strategies, such as improving teaching, will benefit all students. The funding can also be used for non-educational items and support for pupils outside of school hours, if this can be shown to improve academic attainment.

At Wath Academy, we have a clear vision for what all our students will achieve through high quality teaching, with an ethos that reinforces aspiration and attainment for all. We understand the importance of getting the basics right, like attendance and behaviour, and understand that failing to put these building blocks in place will undermine the effectiveness of the Pupil Premium in raising standards.

A review of Pupil Premium spending last year is available to download along with this year's allocation. We have utilised the ‘National Foundation of Educational Research’ (NFER) and the Pupil Premium Toolkit to implement this year’s spending. Along with our Vision and Key Drivers, we underpin our Academy Improvement Plan and ‘day to day’ working with the NFER ‘Building Blocks to Success’.