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Thoughts on the Pupil Premium



Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
Sometimes it's important to put plans into action and theory into practice.  I'm using Staffrm here to voice some plans that are in progress. Time to get beyond the rhetoric (such as 'we must trust teachers') and commit to the how it is done. 
Looking after the Pupil Premium is quite a responsibility, but goes to the heart of the why I've chosen to work in state funded education in the places I have.  It goes right to the heart of what education is for, even when you take away the political football that is the ring fenced funding.  A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the Pupil Premium TeachMeet at Oxford University and here are some of the ideas that I shared. Sir Tim Brighouse chaired the event, and challenged me on a few things. I must point out that this is a small selection of what I do.

Providing opportunities for creativity, curiosity and serendipity within structures

Expert teachers are vital and a lot of my work is targeted at changing the culture away from a 'pupil premium' champion toward individual teachers and departments driving change and taking responsibility for progress.  With trust comes responsibility and accountability. I hope to help develop a range of strategies that are sustainable and lead to improvement for all students.  The priorities are:
//To support accelerated academic progress for Pupil Premium Students.
// To improve the attendance of Pupil Premium Students.
// To provide cultural capital and opportunities that would otherwise be missed.

1. High quality teaching and learning

I've developed a referral form using Google Docs. Individual teachers, tutors and other staff apply for funding through the form.  I'm trying to trust teachers and value their professional judgement - they are the ones working with these students everyday.  With funding comes accountability for the progress.

2. Teachers talking about teaching 

The Teacher Learning Communities are focused around Pupil Premium Profiles and four research bursars are currently engaged in the process of investigating what works.  I'm not one to settle for 'off-the-shelf' research and this is a way to prove and develop ideas within our own school setting. The projects are focused upon homework, meta-cognition, visual teaching strategies and peer teaching.

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