In 2019-20 the government provided additional funding for students who did not achieve the age expected standard in reading and/or mathematics at Key Stage 2.  The Year 7 Catch-Up programmes for both Literacy and Numeracy are coordinated and delivered by two HLTAs. The planned programme consisted of small group sessions that targeted key processes and techniques. In addition to this targeted support a number of other interventions were provided for identified students.

2019-20 Funding and Provision

In 2019-20 the school received a Year 7 Catch up funding allocation of £14147

The main spending is as follows:

Provision

Key Stages 2 results, CATs scores and internal assessments identified a total of 43 students to be involved in the small group programme delivered by HLTAs.

The Catch up Numeracy sessions involved 18 students and was scheduled to run for 8 months. Four of the students had three 1 hour session per week, three students had two 1 hour sessions per week and eleven students had one 1 hour session per week. 

The Catch up Literacy sessions involved 25 students and was scheduled to run for 8 months with sessions focusing on developing reading, writing and comprehension skills to support students’ literacy across the curriculum.

The majority of these students had one 1 hour session per week but four students had three 1 hour sessions per week. These were the four weakest students and their sessions combined the reading and writing programmes detailed above in a more extensive manner.

Impact of School Closure Due To Covid 19

The interventions were planned to run through the whole of the academic year. The literacy and numeracy programmes were approximately half way through their planned provision when, from 23 March 2020, schools closed as a result of lockdown. During the lockdown, four students on each of the literacy and numeracy programmes received weekly work from the HLTAs to support their progress whilst working at home.

Impact

At the start of the Catch up sessions in October 2019, students were given a test to assess their comprehension/number age with the intention being that the same test would be sat at the end of the programme to measure impact. Given the closure due to lockdown, the end of programme test was completed in school in September 2020.

Average Improvement = 18 months

Two students left our role in September 2020 and so were unable to be tested as part of this.

In 2018-19 the average improvement was measured at 13.8 months. This indicated an improved increase in 2019-20 despite the disruption presented by lockdown.

Literacy                         

Average Improvement in Reading Age: 13 Months

In 2020-21 our planned use of the Covid Catch up funding has resulted in us being able to continue to offer focused literacy and numeracy support in both Year 7 and 8 to identified students.