As part of our wider provision for disadvantaged pupils I have created a ‘Pupil Premium’ promise. This essentially is a bucket list of life experiences each DP must fulfill before they leave our school. It is broken down into year groups and grows in complexity as they move through the key stages. The experiences are a mix of academic, enrichment and practical activties that look at developing mind, body and soul.
Now some time ago I attended an excellent pupil premium conference where I had the pleasure of hearing Sir John Dunford speak. In his speech he mentioned how fundemental it is to create an emotional ‘buy in’ for DP’s with school. If you think about this for a second it makes absolute sense. If the child’s experience at school is enjoyable and the environment is warm and welcoming, then they are more likely to attend and perform. There is also the moral justification that we should simply be providing more for the DP’s and keep on banging the drum of equity.
Now one way I have tried to create this emotional ‘buy in’ is to implement the assertive mentoring programme for DP’s. This allows staff to engage with our DP’s much more frequently and have 1:1 face-to-face interactions almost on a daily basis. These interactions are not purely based on academic achievement. Staff invest time in finding out about pupils interests, home life, what they did the evening before, what’s worrying them, what are their barriers this week...... They act in a heightened sense of
loco parentis. This shows the pupils their mentors care and staff are taking a honest and genuine interest in them.
Developing positive relationships is something not to be overlooked. Now if you think back to your own education..... I bet you can still name your favourite teacher all these years later. If you reflect on this and think of what they did habitually on a daily basis I bet some of the following traits resonate with you -
They took a general interest in you.
They were approachable.
You engaged in conversation about more than just thier subject.
They had a sense of humour.
They seemed human and not robotic.
You had mutual respect.
You remember their personality rather than what they actually taught.
Moving on to the Pupil Premium Promise
So another way I am also attempting to create an emotional attachment to school for the DP’s is rolling out the following list of experiences. The experiences were put together in collaboration with the pupils themselves and includes local community interests and service.
I’m happy to share the template which is adaptable. Just drop me a message!