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Pupil Premium 

Article 29: I have the right to an education which develops my personality, respect for others' rights and the environment.

Strategy for allocation of PPG

Every school receives additional funding for children who are entitled to free school meals; who have been ’Looked After’ for 6 months or more; and for children from families in the armed forces. This funding also includes children who have been entitled to free school meals at some point in the last 6 years. In the current financial year schools were allocated £1455 for each child entitled to the pupil premium grant. Schools also receive £2345 for each child who is "looked after" by the Local Authority. 

Here at Penwortham we aim to ensure that all children have the same access to the curriculum, life experiences and resources to enhance their learning. We use the additional funding to do this. Often there is a concern that a stigma is attached to low income families, at Penwortham we treat anything around free school meals with confidentiality. We do not assume that children from these families are less able, we believe everyone can believe, achieve and succeed. Please see our Pupil Premium Strategy 2021-2024 to see how we achieve this.

 

 

To learn more about our WE ARE Curriculum Family Workshops click on the picture below:

Inclusion Quality Mark - Flagship Status                   

     

We are Proud to be an Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Centre of excellence and Flagship School.  This award recognises our commitment to inclusive practice across the school.  Staff are unified in their aspiration for all pupils, ensuring no child is left behind and achievement in all areas of learning and personal development is of a high standard.  

 

Children  who are eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant have taken part in or had access to the following:

WE ARE Family Curriculum Workshops 

Wellbeing Equality Aspiration Relevance Environment - WE ARE

 

Our family workshops are an opportunity to share our WARE curriculum with you and to give you first hand experience of the knowledge, skills and activities your child/ren will experience as they move through the school during their learning journey. The relationship between school and parents is key in ensuring that your children reach their full potential and we hope that by inviting you into school to share your child's learning journey you'll be better armed to guide and support them as they learn. 

                                           

Magazine Subscriptions (Year Two, Year Three, Year Four and Year Five children)

In Years 2-5 the children eligible for the Pupil Premium Funding receive free monthly magazine subscriptions, the magazines are delivered directly to school and are addressed in each child's name, once they are given to the children they take them home to share with their families.

In Year 2,  the children receive  Okido Magazine which inspires curious children to become creative scientists. The magazine specialises in STEAM learning for KS1 aged children. 

Year 3 children receive  Storytime magazine, it is packed with fairy tales, new and classic stories, awesome animals, inspirational children, myths, legends, gorgeous illustrations, puzzles, games and much more! 

In Year 4, the children receive The National Geographic Kids magazine . It is  full of fascinating facts about the world around us, including information about the environment, animals, history and culture.

In Year 5, the children receive their own copy of Aquila magazine, this is a vibrant and exciting magazine which has thought provoking articles and original fiction, it is perfect for curious minds aimed at 8-14 year olds. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Early Birds Club

 Early Birds Breakfast Club is a vibrant and fulfilling start to the day and is open to all children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium grant. The children who attend Early Bird's receive a delicious and nutritious breakfast made by warm welcoming staff who are ELSA trained.  

The children help themselves to food and are encouraged to tidy up afterwards thereby gaining independence. Children at Early Birds guide the adults in creating their menus for each day and participate in organising the shopping list for the weeks ahead supplies.

After eating breakfast the children can participate in a variety of fun activities which promote turn taking and cooperation and they can read to the adults if they wish. 

Early Birds is a happy, safe space where older children and younger children come together to have fun, they support and learn form each other and this in turn promotes collaboration and nurture. 

Our club starts at 7.45am and finishes at the beginning of the school day when the children are escorted to their classrooms, where they are relaxed, positive and ready to start the school day. 

Parent Testimonials

I use Early Birds where the children go free, I was so pleased this helped me because now I can spend the money elsewhere. My child is very happy at Early Birds, she likes the adults because she sees them during the day in school, she asks every day to go because she is happy there. I am happy with Early birds, it suits me and my family. Year 4 Parent.

I'm a social worker and the fact that Early Birds is free means that I have the money for "After School Care" as well, this means that I can work. I am more than happy with the care my child receives in Early Birds. There are two clubs, but I do not mind about this, it isn't about separation, it's about meeting a large school's needs and that is what Early birds does for me.  Year 2 Parent. 

My girls are very happy in the Early Birds Breakfast Club, they have adults who know them and see them during the day in school. It is the most appropriate place for my girls to be. Year 5 Parent.

 

 

Language Groups

Children have access to weekly baking and creative activities to enhance their language and social skills: Hands on cooking activities help children develop their confidence. Following recipes encourages children to be self directed and independent, it also teaches them to follow directions and develop problem-solving skills.

 Children are exposed to tons of new vocabulary words as they cook together- reading the recipe and answering questions such as: What do you think the food will look like? supports their reading and comprehension skills. 

They are encouraged to support one another to follow recipes and share out the necessary steps from the method, using key vocabulary specific to the experience of baking. The children value these sessions because they are fun, interactive and they are learning through shared experiences.              

Moreover, our weekly baking sessions aim is to provide ample opportunities to practise reading skills through reading a recipe or naming ingredients. With each new ingredient, children extend their vocabulary and consolidate this knowledge by using the ingredients for a specific purpose.

At Penwortham, we believe cooking is a valuable life skill that teaches children about nutrition and food safety, as well as building Mathematics, Science, Literacy and fine motor skills. We encourage  children’s  interest and excitement in healthy foods by teaching them how to cook safely.

 

Blue Peter Badges

All children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium Funding have had the opportunity to earn a Blue Peter badge. The children sent a creative contribution to Blue Peter and will hear back from them soon with their badges. Once the children have earned their badges they will have access to 200 attractions across the UK free of charge. As each child turns 6 they will be supported in earning their Blue Peter Badge.Take a look and see where you could go with your BP badge.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/attractions

Take a look at some of some of our contributions!

Why don’t you try and earn a badge yourself? https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/blue-peter-apply-for-a-blue-badge        

Story Telling

Our weekly storytelling sessions offer a great opportunity for children to learn the important components involved in storytelling such as planning, creating the setting, sequencing events in addition to higher level skills such as discussing feelings, understanding actions and consequences and creating resolutions.

Children take turns to throw the dice, and create a story starting with “Once upon a time…” using the nine symbols on the faces of the dice. Another child picks a different cube, and continues the story.

Through telling stories we help children develop language and vocabulary. The more children practise and the more they explore words, the more confident they will be able to put their thoughts into sentences. Being able to invent their own stories and discovering that their ideas count is a wonderful way to boost children’s self esteem. 

How can you get involved? Top Tips!

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research. - Albert Einstein

Orchestra Unwrapped

We have been invited to take part in this exciting music project for the last 3 years. Selected children in Upper Key Stage 2, had the opportunity to go and see the Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. The children were chosen based on their interest in music.

 

This year’s theme was Human/Nature which explored how composers have addressed humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The concert took place at Royal Festival Hall, and this year Lucy Drever presented the Philharmonia Sessions: Orchestra Unwrapped concert. The concert was devised especially for Key Stage 2 pupils. 

 It was such a fabulous experience and the children participated in sessions prior to the performance where they studied different pieces of music and discussed which creature the music might relate to. The children used this knowledge to be fully part of the performance. We also learned which family each of the instruments belonged to in a fun, interactive way.

 We were all fully enthralled by the sheer number of musicians involved in the orchestra and how they played together  in such harmony. Many of the children talked about how exciting the music was and how the musicians were individually so expert. The children were able to ask thoughtful questions based on what they had learnt in their pre- performance sessions. Mrs Andrews, Mrs Anderson, Mr Bromley and Ms Cowen were so proud of every child who took part! What a great day! 

 

Chocolate Trading Trip to Citibank

 
A group of Year 5 pupils visited Citibank in Canary Wharf to take part in a chocolate trading game. The children got the chance to apply their mathematical knowledge in a real world context whilst trading chocolate coins in an interactive stock exchange game. The trip was organised in partnership with Place2Be.
Lots of chocolate was eaten!
Here are some quotes from the children.....
Amazing!          The best trip yet!          The school seems so small now.          Fun!
The children who participated in the trip then became the teachers and led the same activity in school for the rest of Year 5.
 

AFC Wimbledon 

At Penwortham we have a great relationship with AFC Wimbledon and have been really lucky to already offer our children free tickets to watch the AFC Wimbledon Vs Stevenage Town match on 17th December 2022. All of the families who got the tickets said they have never been to an AFC Wimbledon match before, we can't wait to hear all about the match and how much fun the families had.

 

Make sure to come back here to find out what the children and their families thought of the match and for more updates about freebies we are offering!

 

Lending library 

All children have access to the lending library, each week they choose a game or activity to take home to share with their family. Once they have explored the activity they return it to school and choose a different one.

What the children say about the lending library:

"I love choosing my pack every week, my favourite so far has been Articulate" Year 2 Boy

"My mum liked playing Dobble with me and my brother, I have really quick eyes" Year 3 Boy