Equalities & Additional Intervention

We believe that all children should be equally valued at our academy. We will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe. We have a range of agreed policies to help us do this (see bottom of page).

Harris Garrard Academy is committed to inclusion and part of the academy’s strategic planning involves developing cultures, policies and practices that include all learners. We aim to engender a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties. This does not mean that we will treat all learners in the same way, but that we will respond to learners in ways that take into account their varied life experiences and needs.

We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, demographic group, ethnicity, additional need, attainment and background. We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement of different groups of learners:

• Students from families that are financially disadvantaged (PP - Pupil Premium)
• Students who arrive with below nationally expected ability in any area (LAPs)
• Students from minority faiths, ethnicities, travellers, asylum seekers, refugees
• Students who have English as an additional language (EAL)
• Students who have Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND)
• Students who are Most Able
• Students who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT)
• Students who are Looked After Children (LAC)
• Young carers, sick children, children from families under stress

We believe passionately that everybody is equal and that equal opportunities are part of our core values at Harris Garrard Academy. We will always strive to narrow any gaps regardless of whether they are social, academic or cultural to ensure every one of our students achieves their full potential every day. Our model of support for Pupil Premium students aims to address some of the challenges they may face and allow them to realise anything is possible in life. We help to remove the challenges our Pupil Premium students may face by:

• Improving self-efficacy and self-esteem of our disadvantaged students to ensure they are empowered to achieve anything in life and their true potential. Background does determine outcome.
• Improving emotional, mental and social wellbeing to ensure we are breaking down barriers that can inhibit learning.
• Improving low aspirations to ensure our students are empowered to explore careers that will give them fulfilment and challenge in life.
• Improve inconsistent and erratic attendance patterns when they enter the academy in Year 7.
• Narrow the gap in attainment and progress that typically exists on entry between our disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.
• Improve their aspiration, knowledge, information and guidance for all disadvantaged students, in particular, those who are most able and disadvantaged.
• Regardless of starting points, ensure that all disadvantaged students make positive progress and attainment, whilst continuing to outperform national disadvantaged students in all comparisons.
• Through our home visit programme, ensure that students have stability, resources, routines and the basic needs at home to flourish at school.
• Providing the basic resources that may be taken for granted by other students to ensure they receive equality of opportunity to be successful at the academy.

The academy has a Pupil Premium Champion to promote the above. They will work with the Vice Principal Pupil Premium Champion to help ensure our disadvantaged students always outperform national Pupil Premium students. They will help to:

• Improve students' intrinsic motivation to succeed and change some negative educational experiences for some
• Develop and increase cultural life experiences that help our students compete with those who have the same academic qualifications but who come from more affluent backgrounds and have experienced a wide range of cultural learning
• Teach students to find solutions to problems rather than to give up when they come to a barrier. Developing the resilient learner, regardless of background and experience.

To find out how we identify and support our Most Able students please see our Most Able page.

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HGA Catch Up Premium

In March 2020, primary and secondary schools across the country were closed or partially closed due to the implementation of a national Covid-19 lockdown. With the exception of children of key workers, vulnerable children, and children with an EHCP, students were asked to engage in home learning activities remotely under parental/ carer supervision. Whilst some students were able to engage with remote learning positively and consistently, a significant number of students faced social, economic, and emotional barriers leading to significant learning loss. National research has shown that students who are vulnerable or from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by school closures.  For all children, the aggregate impact of lost education has been significant. 

In order to support schools to address gaps in learning, the government announced the release of funding for a one-off Catch-Up Premium and a National Tutoring for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. Each school receives funding based on the number of students on roll. The amount of funding for the Catch Up Premium was £80 for each pupil in years reception through to 11 (higher amounts were awarded to specialist provisions). 

Harris Garrard Academy has received £105,000 Catch Up Premium for pupils across the primary and secondary phases. As the Catch-Up Premium was designed to address the effects to learning caused by the C-19 pandemic, the funding is only be available for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. Schools have the flexibility to spend their funding in the best way for their cohort and circumstances.

Please see the DFE website for further information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium

What are our aims?

The HGA Recovery Curriculum plan is designed to address learning gaps which have arisen due to partial and full school closures during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This includes support to address academic, social and emotional challenges faced by our school community.  The document below outlines the measures we are implementing to address the effects of lost learning during the course of the pandemic. 

Our main aims

• To use evidence informed practise and approaches to ensure all students rapidly ‘catch up’, and crucially acquire the knowledge and skills enabling them to  ‘keep up’ with academic milestones and expectations.
• To address learning gains lost in English, Maths and Science.
• To support the wellbeing and emotional development of students during the course of the pandemic, and the aftermath.
• To ensure that students move successfully to the next stages of education, employment or training.

Who is it for?

Although all children have had their education disrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it is likely that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups will have been hardest hit. The DFE guidance suggests that schools should use the funding to provide additional, targeted support for those children and young people who need the most help.

How are we using the Catch Up Premium?

Harris Garrard will use the funding to provide specific support and activities that address the impact of lost learning arising from the partial school closure in March 2020. We have used a range of research and resources to develop a comprehensive action plan for both primary and secondary phases, Including from the Covid-19 support guide for schools by the Education Endowment Foundation.  You can find out more about the government recommended resource from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) here.

We have decided to use the funding to support a series of interventions focused on accelerating progress and closing the gaps in English and maths.  We are implementing a programme of small group tuition and academic mentoring, enabling the Academy to support students to catch up on missed learning, and crucially keep up with their peers over the long term.  We have subscribed to both the National Tutoring and Academic Mentoring programmes and will work with providers to deliver high quality interventions in the Spring term. 

At KS4, we have been able to extend the focus to all subjects.  We have implemented a period 6 intervention programme in place for years 10 and 11.  These interventions allow students to access additional specialist teaching in both core and options subjects across the course of the week.  In addition, we have a programme of afterschool, weekend and holiday revision sessions open to year 11 students throughout the course of the year.

We have already facilitated 4 summer schools programmes in July/August 2020 for both primary and secondary students.  These programmes consisted of on-site tuition, and online tuition.  The evaluation document can be viewed in the documents below.

We have invested in additional IT resources to ensure that we are able to implement remote learning and remote teaching recommendations.  This means that if staff are required to isolate, they can deliver lessons to their usual class using MS Teams.  Additionally, if students are required to isolate, they can join their lesson from home remotely.  Both of these measures are designed to reduce the amount of learning time lost due to periods of self-isolation.

To support students with SEND, we have commissioned additional specialist support from Educational Psychology Services and Speech and Language Theory Services.  This means that we are better equipped to support students coping with C-19 related trauma and anxiety.  

• More about the National Tutoring Programme
• More about Teach First Academic Mentoring

How will we measure the impact the Catch Up premium?

We will assess the impact by:

• using progress and attainment data to monitor the progress of students across the Academy
• comparing the assessment data of students before interventions and after interventions
• collating student, staff and parent feedback and evaluations
• monitoring the Academy attendance, behaviour and safeguarding data.

You are able to view the full details of our recovery curriculum plan in the list of documents below.