This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium (and recovery premium for the 2025 to 2026 academic year) funding to help improve the attainment of our disadvantaged pupils.

It outlines our pupil premium strategy, how we intend to spend the funding in this academic year and the effect that last year’s spending of pupil premium had within our school.

School overview

Detail Data
School name Brookside Primary
Number of pupils in school 303
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils 12%
Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3-year plans are recommended) 2025 -2028
Date this statement was published September 2026
Date on which it will be reviewed September 2027
Statement authorised by Gary Kenny
Governor / Trustee lead Sally Laverick

 

Funding overview

Detail Amount
Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year £71,662
Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable) £ 0
Total budget for this academic year

If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year

 £71,662

 

 

Part A: Pupil premium strategy plan

Statement of intent

Our broad and overarching objective for disadvantaged pupils at Brookside is that:·         When they leave our school, their attainment is no different to that of non-disadvantaged pupils and as such they are academically ready for the transition to secondary school.

·         They very quickly lose any vocabulary and reading attainment deficit they have on entry to school and all leave KS1 as fluent and proficient readers.

·         They have access to and take up a wide range of enrichment opportunities that enable them to develop cultural capital, life experiences, and personal and social skills that are no different to those of other pupils.

·         Their absence from school is no greater than non-disadvantaged pupils and is less than all pupils nationally.

Challenges

This details the key challenges to achievement that we have identified among our disadvantaged pupils.

Challenge number Detail of challenge
1 Limited language and vocabulary for PP children compared to non-PP. This has been further exacerbated by the lack of social interaction during the covid pandemic.
2 Limited early reading experience affect attainment in kS1 and later their progress in KS2
3 Many children’s writing attainment has been adversely affected by school and pre-school closures to most pupils. This is particularly true of disadvantaged pupils.
4 Limited early maths experiences affect attainment in KS1 and later their progress in KS2
5 Disadvantaged pupils have lower attendance than non-disadvantages pupils.  Our assessments and observations indicate that absentee-ism is negatively impacting disadvantaged pupils’ progress.
6 Limited life experiences and opportunities to join in enrichment activities.

Intended outcomes

This explains the outcomes we are aiming for by the end of our current strategy plan, and how we will measure whether they have been achieved.

Intended outcome Success criteria
1.    Disadvantaged pupils are exposed to a richness of vocabulary The gap will close between PP and other children regarding their experience of language and vocabulary.  PP children will engage with tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary in texts, conversation and curriculum activities.
2.    Children make at least expected progress in reading. Increased number achieving ARE and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in reading.The number of pupils attaining EXS+ and HS is greater than previous end of Key Stage attainment for each individual pupil.

End of KS2 progress value for PP pupils is positive which indicates they have made greater progress than other pupils nationally with the same starting point.
3.    Children make at least expected progress in writing. Increased number achieving ARE and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in writing.The number of pupils attaining EXS+ and HS is greater than previous end of Key Stage attainment for each individual pupil.

End of KS2 progress value for PP pupils is positive which indicates they have made greater progress than other pupils nationally with the same starting point.
4.    Children make at least expected progress in maths. Increased number achieving ARE and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in maths.The number of pupils attaining EXS+ and HS is greater than previous end of Key Stage attainment for each individual pupil.

End of KS2 progress value for PP pupils is positive which indicates they have made greater progress than other pupils nationally with the same starting point.
5.    PP attendance increases to be at least in line with national figures for all pupils Attendance of identified PP pupils increases and the gap between PP and non-PP narrows.
6.    The life experiences, cultural capital and enrichment activities of PP pupils to be in line with that of all pupils PP children are actively engaged in a wealth of enrichment activities, such as trips, campaigns, school responsibilities, performances, and clubs.

Activity in this academic year

This details how we intend to spend our pupil premium (and recovery premium funding) this academic year to address the challenges listed above.

Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost: £14,332

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
All staff trained using Read Write Inc Materials and early reading strategies EEF – Improving Literacy in Key Stage One (strand 3,8)Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 (strand 2, 7)

The Art & Science of Primary Reading – Christopher Such

 1,2,3
The teaching of vocabulary EEF- Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 (strand 1)EEF toolkit – Oracy Language Interventions

The Art & Science of Primary Reading – Christopher Such

 1,2,3
CPD from maths specialist and working with the Maths Hub EEF-Improving mathematics in early years and KS1 strand 1-5EEF- Improving mathematics in KS2 strand 1-8 4
Mastering number programme EEF-Improving mathematics in early years and KS1 strand 1-5 4
Mental health training – ELSA & outdoor nurture EEF – Metacognition & Self-Regulated Learning (all strands)EEF- Improving Behaviour in Schools Guidance Report (recommendations 1-6)

EEF Social & Emotional Learning Guidance Report (recommendations 1-6)

 1-6

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £28,665

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
Use of programmes to improve listening, narrative and vocabulary skills for disadvantaged pupils who have relatively low spoken language skills. Oral language interventions can have a positive impact on pupils’ language skills. Approaches that focus on speaking, listening and a combination of the two show positive impacts on attainment:Oral language interventions | EEF 1
Use RWI intervention and Early Reading Strategies targeted for disadvantaged pupils who require further support Phonics approaches have a strong evidence base indicating a positive impact on pupils, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds.Phonics | Toolkit Strand | Education Endowment Foundation | EEF 1, 2, 3
Use intervention using retrieval practice strategies Retrieval Practice strategies have been proven to support long term memory and automaticity.EEF blog –Retrieval Practice – Common Place or Common Sense 1, 2, 3, 4
Purchase web-based programmes to be used at home and at schoolGrammasaurus

Teach Active

X-tables Rockstars

Spelling frame

 EEF parental engagementEEF digital technology 2, 3, 4
1:1 and small group tutoring for PP children with specialist tutor EEF small group tuition 1, 2, 3, 4

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £28,665

Activity Evidence that supports this approach Challenge number(s) addressed
Use of ELSA to support targeted interventions to develop self-esteem, resilience and meet emotional needs of the children EEF- improving social and emotional learning in primary schoolsStrand 1,2,3,5 5, 6
Actively engage with parents to reinforce skills in the home environment. EEF- improving social and emotional learning in primary schoolsStrand 5 1-6
Cultural capital experiences – reduced cost for residentials and trips. No cost for in school extra-curricular activities Ofsted research 2019 places emphasis on improving cultural capital, particularly for disadvantaged pupilsEEF sport participation and outdoor adventure increases engagement, attainment and self-confidence. 1, 5, 6
Attendance incentives for improved attendance at targeted PP pupils and families EEF parental engagement 5
Use of outdoor nurture facility to positively impact upon social & emotional development and physical activity EEF social & emotional learningEEF physical activity

EEF meta-cognition

 1, 5, 6

Total budgeted cost: £71,662

Part B: Review of outcomes in the previous academic year

Pupil premium strategy outcomes

This details the impact that our pupil premium activity had on pupils in the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

 

Intended outcome Success criteria
1.    Disadvantaged pupils are exposed to a richness of vocabulary
The gap will close between PP and other children regarding their experience of language and vocabulary.

 

Progress has been made, especially amongst the school’s older pupil premium children.  This is evident in the use of a sophisticated language in the children’s spoken vocabulary and in the word choices that occur within their written texts.  The vocab gap is still in evidence and recognised as an area of enrichment for younger pupil premium children.

 

PP children will engage with tier 2 vocabulary in texts, conversation and curriculum activities.

 

This is part of the practice within the classroom throughout the school and is especially advantageous when shared with members of the school’s pupil premium community.
2.    Children make at least expected progress in reading. Increased number achieving EXS+ and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in reading.

 

Disadvantaged pupils achieved strongly in reading, with 87.5% reaching the expected standard, closely aligned with the whole cohort outcome of 88.6% and demonstrating a minimal attainment gap. Higher standard attainment for disadvantaged pupils was 25.0%, with two pupils achieving this threshold. Reading remains a relative strength for disadvantaged learners and targeted challenge will focus on increasing the proportion attaining the higher standard while maintaining strong outcomes at the expected standard.

 
3.    Children make at least expected progress in writing. Increased number achieving EXS+ and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in writing.

 

Writing remains an area for targeted improvement for disadvantaged pupils. Whilst 50.0% achieved the expected standard and 12.5% achieved greater depth, attainment was below that of the wider cohort (84.1% and 27.3% respectively). The attainment gap highlights the need for continued intervention, precision teaching and high-quality writing opportunities to accelerate progress and increase the proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving both the expected and higher standards.

 
4.    Children make at least expected progress in maths. Increased number achieving EXS+ and HS at end of key stages The gap will close between PP and other children in maths.

 

In mathematics, 62.5% of disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected standard and 25.0% achieved the higher standard. Whilst outcomes compare favourably with writing, they remain below those of the wider cohort (84.1% expected standard and 40.9% higher standard). Targeted support, adaptive teaching and greater opportunities for reasoning and problem-solving will focus on closing the attainment gap and increasing the proportion of disadvantaged pupils attaining the higher standard by the end of Key Stage 2.

 

 
5.    PP attendance increases to be at least in line with national figures for all pupils
Attendance of identified PP pupils increases and the gap between PP and non-PP narrows.

The attendance gap between pupil premium children and all children nationally is narrowing (93.3% compared to 94.7%).  PP absenteeism has become better than the national average for this group (93.3% compared to 92.3%).

 

This priority continues to be an area of development for the school and its pupil premium community.  At an individual pupil level, the picture is varied.

 
6.    The life experiences, cultural capital and enrichment activities of PP pupils to be in line with that of all pupils PP children are actively engaged in a wealth of enrichment activities, such as trips, campaigns, school responsibilities, performance and clubs.

 

There is pupil premium representation in the school’s parliament.  Prominent roles were held by all children with pupil premium in the school’s stage performances from KS1 through to end of KS2.  Pupil premium children were actively engaged in enrichment, such as Forest Schools, trips, charity campaigns and after school clubs.

Externally provided programmes

Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you purchased in the previous academic year. This will help the Department for Education identify which ones are popular in England

Programme Provider
We allowed pupil premium children to engage with extra-curricular music tuition in order to promote aspiration and equality of opportunity.The school invested in active learning practices to improve physical activity, enjoyment and engagement when learning basic skills. Peripatetic music teachersTeach Active