Detail

Data

School name

Waunfawr Primary School

Number of learners in school

 176

Proportion (%) of PDG eligible learners

 22%

Date this statement was published

 September 2024

Date on which it will be reviewed

 March 2025

Statement authorised by

PDG Lead

 Melissa Armishaw

Governor Lead

 Melanie James

Detail

Amount

PDG funding allocation this academic year

£33,350

£ 9,200 (EYPDG)

Total budget for this academic year

£42,550

• Improved levels of attendance
• FSM and vulnerable learners access ELSA to support social and emotional development enabling increased engagement in learning
• FSM and vulnerable learners access high quality bespoke interventions in literacy and numeracy to secure progress towards realising their potential
• Improved standards of attainment

Intended outcome

Success criteria

Improved attendance levels

• Continue to close the gap between FSM and non-FSM pupil attendance data.
• Engage with families to encourage better school attendance.
• To offer a range of family engagement opportunities to increase parental support for the school.
• Work in partnership with the Risca cluster and external services including EWO to provide support mechanisms for families to secure attendance.
• Improved % of attendance compared to 23/24

Secure phonemic awareness to improve reading accuracy.

Termly phonic and reading assessments demonstrate continued progress towards expected outcomes and improved reading accuracy.

Improved engagement in learning.

Customised ELSA intervention results in positive changes in entry and exit information.

Enhanced social interactions with peers.

Improved connections and healthy relationships through the Roots to Empathy programme which leads to enhanced inclusion and integration of pupils.

Improved emotional regulation leading to better learning readiness.

Boosted self-esteem contributes to increased engagement and improved performance.

Close the gap in reading levels from reading age (RA) to chronological age (CA).

Catch up reading groups target specific gaps in reading and phonic ability.

Language and Play sessions with parents will support parents in teaching reading skills.

Precision teaching will target children with specific difficulties in reading and support in closing the gap between RA and CA.

Tackling the Tail in Year 1 will boost reading ages for those children who require a short support programme focused on confidence and high frequency word recognition.

• Bespoke ELSA interventions and small groups to support individual social and emotional needs.
• Small group or Precision Teaching to consolidate basic skills in literacy.
• Use of a Teaching Assistant to lead reading interventions with a focus upon decoding and comprehension. 
• Time for Wellbeing team to meet with families through a range of engagement events.
• Language and Play, Number and Play family sessions.
• Roots to Empathy programme delivered by HLTA in Year 3.

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

1:1 sessions

Small group work

Several studies support the effectiveness of 1:1 tuition and small group instruction for teaching phonics and reading in primary schools.

1. A meta-analysis conducted by the Education Endowment Foundation found that targeted interventions, such as 1:1 tuition or small group instruction, have a positive impact on student literacy outcomes.

2. A study by the National Reading Panel found that small group instruction can be especially effective for struggling readers, as it allows for personalized and focused instruction.

3. Research by John Hattie has also shown that 1:1 tuition can have a significant impact on student learning, particularly in the area of reading.

4. A study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that small group instruction led to greater gains in phonics skills compared to whole-group instruction in a sample of primary school students.

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Improved attendance levels and family engagement

 There have been several studies that have shown the positive impact of parent and community engagement in increasing attendance levels among students. Some examples of research that support this include:

1. A study published in the Journal of Educational Research found that students whose parents are actively engaged in their education are more likely to attend school regularly and have higher academic achievement.

2. The National Centre for Education Statistics conducted a study that found that schools with strong parent and community engagement programs had higher attendance rates among students.

3. A report by the Harvard Family Research Project found that schools that involve parents and community members in decision-making processes and activities have higher attendance rates and improved overall student outcomes.

4. Research from the University of California, Berkeley, found that parental involvement in schools, such as attending parent-teacher conferences and volunteering in the classroom, was associated with higher student attendance rates.

Overall, research consistently shows that parent and community engagement play a crucial role in increasing attendance levels among students. By involving parents and community members in meaningful ways, schools can create a supportive and positive environment that promotes regular attendance and academic success.

Activity

Evidence that supports this approach

Roots to Empathy and ELSA

Schonert-Reichl et al (2012) found that children in the Roots of Empathy program were more likely than those in control classrooms to show kindness, as rated by their peers.

Meta-Analysis of Existing Evaluations of Roots of Empathy: This study, conducted by Connolly et al, combined the results of the above studies and subjected the combined data to a meta-analysis. This meta-analysis showed the following: • Roots of Empathy is significantly associated with an improvement in prosocial behaviour. • Roots of Empathy is associated with a decrease in aggressive behaviour.

Research on Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) programs in schools suggests that these programs have a positive impact on pupil engagement. Studies have found that ELSA interventions can improve social and emotional skills, reduce emotional and behavioural difficulties, enhance confidence and self-esteem, and increase overall well-being among students

Activity

Impact

Family Engagement Officer role
 

The school was awarded the silver award for community engagement from the Foundation of Community Engagement due to the high levels of engagement and involvement of community and family in school life. This has impacted positively also on pupil attendance.

The officer also supported our attendance strategies to challenge persistent absenteeism and support pupils with low attendance rates. As a result whole school attendance improved by 2.1% from previous year.

ELSA practitioners

Individual and group support enabled nearly all targeted learners to develop strategies to better cope with difficulties and to be better equipped for learning.

Popat and Teach Talking Interventions

Nearly all targeted learners are making progress from starting points.

Lego therapy
Roots to Empathy

Targeted pupils for lego therapy showed improvements in their ability to interact with others, take turns and collaborate on tasks.

The school continues to work with CCBC and MULTIPLY to deliver Family Learning sessions for Year 3 parents this year. We also worked with the Cookalong Club to engage families in budgeting and cooking healthy meal options. These sessions were also held after school as we extended the cooking club to include more families. A number of our FSM families engaged with these programmes. These will continue in the 2024-25 academic year.

The school benefits from strong partnership working with external services, including Education Welfare Service, Caerphilly Children's Services, CAMHS, CASS and SPACE Wellbeing. This has supported access to additional advice, strategies and out-reach support for families.

Access to our Wellbeing and Additional Learning Needs staff has been important in providing families with a known adult and opportunities to build relationships and a shared understanding of emotional needs. All staff emails are shared in the school newsletters and staff reply to concerns promptly. This has been beneficial in providing clear strategies and practices to support individuals in managing emotional needs and wellbeing.

The school has also been proactive in obtaining Arts council grant funding to support coach travel to the theatre and Hay book festival.  

Monitoring of the Grant

The grant is monitored by the Finance Committee of the Governing Body.

Mrs M Armishaw– Headteacher
Mrs M James - Chair of Governors

Mrs A East - Vice Chair of Governors

Ms K Olsen- EAS School Improvement Officer

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals on school roll for September 2023 was 21%.

Monitoring of the Grant

The grant is monitored by the Finance Committee of the Governing Body.

Mrs M Armishaw– Headteacher
Mrs M James - Chair of Governors

Mr J Harrhy - Vice Chair of Governors

Mrs D Guy- EAS Challenge Adviser

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals on school roll for September 2022 was 15.5%.