Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2025-26

View the Pupil premium strategy statement 2025-26 as a pdf

This statement details our school’s use of pupil premium 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 outcomes for disadvantaged pupils last academic year.

The total budgeted cost is £203,175

School overview

School name

Leigh Academy Rainham

Number of pupils in school

781

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils

25.61%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3 year plans are recommended)

2023-24 to 2025/26

Date this statement was published

July 2025

Date on which it will be reviewed

July 2026

Statement authorised by

Mrs A Cramlington

Pupil premium lead

Mr S Blinkhorn / Miss E Bashford

Governor / Trustee lead

Hollie Allen

Funding Overview

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£203,175

Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year

£0

Total budget for this academic year

N/A

Statement of intent

It is the intention of Leigh Academy Rainham (LAR) to eliminate the attainment gaps between Pupil Premium and Non-Pupil Premium students. 

At LAR we believe that given the right support, all children irrespective of their disadvantages can achieve extraordinary outcomes. LAR is committed to ensuring that every student eligible for the pupil premium is in no way disadvantaged when compared to their peers. 

The Academy was established with the vision of “unlocking potential; making dreams a reality,” this is core to our beliefs and underpins our strategy. 

We aim to: 

  • Draw on research, best practice and experience within the Academy and Trust to direct funding towards those practices which are most likely to maximise achievement and promote inclusivity.
  • High quality teaching and learning is one of the key drivers for academic success, as such we are committed to high quality, strategic, and timely professional development. Through our coaching practices we ensure all staff are delivering a high quality, academic and internationally minded curriculum. 
  • Never confuse eligibility for pupil premium funding with low ability, and have a focus on ensuring students are stretched and challenged to attain the highest levels. 
  • Minimise potential access barriers to learning both within the academic curricular and co-curricular offers, and maximise progress, achievement and raise aspirations by exposing them to culturally diverse experiences. 
  • Further advantage the disadvantaged students within the academic curriculum and when appropriate give them more targeted support. 
  • We have a commitment to support all students in receipt of the pupil premium to achieve their expected academic targets with a push to perform beyond that. 
  • Support students to access curricular and co-curricular trips and visits, removing all possible barriers to ensure inclusivity. 
  • Recognise that not all disadvantaged students are in receipt of the pupil premium and the Academy reserves the right to reallocate funding to support any student or group of students that are assessed to be socially disadvantaged. 
  • Engage the parents/carers of disadvantaged students, ensuring they are aware of how they can work with the Academy to best support their children’s achievements at LAR. Where necessary the Academy will offer academic support to parents to assist them in supporting their children’s education. 
  • Ensure our parents and carers are regularly updated about the children’s progress and how they might help drive learning forward.
  • Regularly assess students progress, analyse, reflect and respond to data through the curriculum model, ensuring we respond to the needs of the students . Regularly analyse and evaluate attendance and behaviour data.

Challenges

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

Challenge 1

Literacy and Numeracy. A greater proportion of our pupil premium children have lower KS2 scores and lower reading ages and require a smooth transition. Some students arrive in year 7 below the national average for reading, writing and Maths.

Challenge 2

Attendance and Punctuality – A greater proportion of pupil premium children require additional support to maintain good attendance and to also ensure they come to school on time.

Challenge 3

Parental support, some students do not have the same support at home as their peers. This can be financial, emotional, and academic.

Challenge 4

Behaviour and social communication issues – There are some pupil premium students who do not have an adequate understanding of behavioural and social boundaries, resulting in sanctions and needing more pastoral support than other student groups.

Challenge 5

Accessing high quality co-curricular activities, due to cost, transport and availability.

Challenge 6

Students do not, on the whole, have low aspirations but they have less idea of how to get to their desired end point.

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

Students to attain as highly as their peers.

Termly reports, milestone grades, and a minimal attainment gap.

Attendance to be >98%.

Termly attendance figures.

Students are well equipped for learning.

All students have access to the necessary resources and support.

Students to be fully engaged with all academy activities.

Increase the number of Year 7, and maintain the high proportion of Year 8 students taking part in co-curricular activities over the year.

Improve students’ aspirations through culturally diverse experiences.

All students have been involved in co-curricular trips and visits.

Improve students’ understanding of how they achieve their career goals.

All students can engage with the UniFrog platform throughout their curriculum.

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: £132,063

Timely feedback from teachers will align student’s effort and activity with a successful outcome.

Evidence that supports this approach

Research by the Educational Endowment Foundation shows that providing effective feedback redirects and refocuses the student’s actions, raises their expectations and has the most positive impact on student’s progress.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 and 2

Accelerated reading scheme. Disadvantaged students to be directed by English teaching staff to participate.

Evidence that supports this approach

Research by the Educational Endowment Foundation shows that reading comprehension strategies are highly effective.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 and 2

Training through high quality IB specific CPD

Evidence that supports this approach

Research from the Educational Endowment Fund shows that continued investment and engagement in CPD, leads to better student outcomes.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 and 6

Recruitment of highly effective teachers

Evidence that supports this approach

Research from the Educational Endowment Fund shows that highly effective teaching is crucial to raising attainment of all students including PP.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 to 6

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

Budgeted cost: £44,699

Students have access to episodical 1-1 mentoring sessions. Mentoring has a strong focus on reviewing academic progress and identifying potential barriers to other learning. There is also a focus on metacognition skills and self regulation strategies to support students. Any areas of weakness are identified and SMART targets for improvement are set and monitored.

Evidence that supports this approach

Research by the Educational  Endowment Foundation shows that metacognition and self- regulation strategies form part of the fabric of successful learning, having a significant impact on pupil’s academic performance. Disadvantaged pupils are less likely to use these techniques and, therefore, gain the most benefit from their use.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2, 3 and 5

Homework club which provides a suitable space and support.

Evidence that supports this approach

Research by the Educational Endowment Foundation shows that such support prevents homework deadlines being missed and falling behind with workload.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 and 2

Maths Progress Clinic. Reading and Handwriting interventions. PP students to be a priority group when picking students for small group intervention.

Evidence that supports this approach

Research by the Educational Endowment Foundation shows that small grouped, expert led intervention can be highly effective in closing the attainment gap.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1 and 2

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

Budgeted cost: £18,000

To reward exceptional attendance at termly certification assemblies and link to college competition awards. Weekly attendance % for Forms and College to be published on prominent notice boards. Pastoral team liaison with parents to support attendance.

Evidence that supports this approach

When pupils do not attend school regularly enough this is shown to affect their learning and academic progress.

Challenge number(s) addressed

3

Counselling

Evidence that supports this approach

Access to the school counsellor provides much needed support to vulnerable students.

Challenge number(s) addressed

2 and 4

Co-curricular activities including Music lessons, Sports, University visits, Cultural trips and Activity trips.

Evidence that supports this approach

Participation in extra-curricular activities provides personal enrichment and achievement. It promotes personal development and skills whilst also raising self esteem. Higher aspirations are encouraged within a sense of community and enjoyment.

Challenge number(s) addressed

5

ICT and learning resources

Evidence that supports this approach

Provision of Chromebooks and equipment enables better quality work in lessons  and performance in exams.

Challenge number(s) addressed

1, 2 and 5

Unifrog Platform

Evidence that supports this approach

Engaging in the platform and the curriculum for careers will allow students to gain a sense of direction, parents and carers have also been invited to access the platform to support careers and destination conversations at home. Families are also able to access the tools available which include looking for jobs and CV writing support.

Challenge number(s) addressed

6

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 2021 to 2022 academic year.

Intended outcome

Review

Students to attain as highly as their peers.

PP students attained broadly in line with their peers MYP subject grades. 

Average MYP grade difference in: 

Maths -0.75 

English -0.41 

Science -0.60 

Languages -0.58 

History -0.60 

Geography -0.66 

PP students received significant support for the Ebacc subjects including tutoring from academy staff, progress interventions and TA support where appropriate. The progress that the students made from this additional support has been significant with the overall residual across all subjects to their peers being -0.54. National average data reports that PP students compared to their Non-PP peers, where PP students achieved over half a grade less than expected. Therefore, our progress is above the national average (national data reports -0.73).

Students are well equipped for learning.

All students were fully equipped for learning, including a Chromebook. Where needed the PP funding was used to support PP students with the purchasing of equipment such as scientific calculators, compulsory stationery and subject specific revision guides. This ensured no student had issues with access to education.

This year we have been guided by good practice of spending PP funding by the EEF. This has meant we have removed the automatic purchasing of blazers for students, as it is not an effective use of funding. However, we will still support families who are currently experiencing financial hardship. To ensure students have access to correct and full uniform in our mission to foster a culture of inclusivity and belonging.

Attendance to be >98%

All students were fully equipped for learning, including a Chromebook. Where needed the PP funding was used to give PP students equipment such as calculators, blazers, etc. This ensured no student had issues with access to education.

Students to be fully engaged with all academy activities.

Non-PP % attendance PP % attendance
Yr 7 55.31 46.29
Yr 8 59.56 54.37
Yr 9 60.32 43.59
Yr 10 44.01 51.74

Over the course of the academic year many PP students accessed co-curricular clubs. Transport was the issue for the lack of engagement. The co-curricular offer of the academy is extensive, free, and open to all. The academy invested significantly in equipment for further expansion of the programme in the coming year.

Improve students’ aspirations through culturally diverse experiences.

Every PP student had full access to curriculum visits and they engaged in these opportunities. We offer contributions to all enrichment visits to support all PP families. Trips where a whole cohort has been invited, we will ensure all PP students are able to access this trip in our mission to foster a culture of inclusivity and belonging. 
The academy also invested in peripatetic music lessons, which were made available for some PP students at no cost. These offers gained in popularity across the year. They were also prioritised for extra assemblies from Cambridge University and others.

Externally Provided Programmes

Please include the names of any non-DfE programmes that you used your pupil premium (or recovery premium) to fund in the previous academic year.

Programme

Provider

Music Tuition

Music Dynamics Medway

Sparx

Sparx Maths

Accelerated Reader

Renaissance

Unifrog

Unifrog Education Ltd

Sparx

Sparx Science

Sparx

Sparx English

Exampro

AQA / Exampro

Historical Association

The Historical Association (UK charity and membership organisation)

KnowItAll Ninja

KnowItAll Ninja Ltd

Languagenut

Languagenut (by Learning Labs Ltd)

Seneca Premium

Seneca Learning Ltd

The PE Classroom

The PE Classroom Ltd