Bishop Bridgeman is allocated additional funding for those children in receipt of free school meals which is referred to as Pupil Premium

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The Governors at Bishop Bridgeman allocate the pupil premium grant funding to support our children academically, socially and specifically those with barriers to learning.

Principles for using the funding

• We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all our pupils. 

• We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed.

• In making provision for disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be disadvantaged.

• We also recognise that not all pupils who are disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals.  Therefore, the disadvantaged funding is used to support any pupil or groups of pupils the school has identified as being disadvantaged.

School Context

• The school is situated in an area of high deprivation (quintile 5) and the most deprived of all schools. The percentage of children who are identified as disadvantaged is in the top 40% nationally. 

• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium support (money allocated to schools by the government), around 33%, is above the national average (23%) and in line with Bolton which is 30%.

• Children in receipt of free school meals currently make up 29% of the pupils on roll. 

• The school has 11 out of 17 possible ethnic groups and is in the top quintile for EAL.  The school has 72% speaking English as an additional language. 

• Staff continued to engage with pupils throughout lockdown and supported their learning, giving high quality feedback through the remote learning platform (Seesaw).  Curriculum packs were also made available to pupils that were unable to access digital platforms, alongside the government allocation of laptops to be made available for families and pupils that had no access to online provision.

• Pastoral support was provided for our most vulnerable families throughout lockdown with children attending school alongside key worker children, welfare calls and home visits.

• The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including a wide range of clubs before and after school and at lunchtimes and involvement in a range of competitions. 

Specific barriers to learning experienced by our pupils

• Children often start school or nursery with limited experiences beyond the home environment. They have limited physical and creative development and are often working well below age related expectations. 

• Many children speak English as an additional language and parents do not have fluent skills in English.

• Language acquisition is often delayed and/or underdeveloped, with pupils demonstrating limited vocabulary.

• Several pupils have been referred for Speech and Language support. 

• When additional needs are identified, access to other agencies is not always welcomed by parents.

• Several children have a limited understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

• The level of persistent absence is above National benchmarks.​