Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

www.teachwire.net | 37 L E ADERSH I P THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP The biggest Pupil Premium MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE... I t’s a familiar scene: the staffroom discussion about how to spend the school’s Pupil Premium pot – that extra funding meant to boost disadvantaged pupils. Everyone has ideas, from new laptops to hiring more teaching assistants. Yet year after year, some schools struggle to see a real difference. Why? Often, it boils down to the biggest mistake in using Pupil Premium: spreading it too thinly across ad hoc initiatives instead of zeroing in on what truly drives progress. A very good place to start “Maybe we start with the basics – like breakfast?” one teacher suggests, half-joking. In fact, they’re onto something. Free breakfast clubs have been shown to improve punctuality and behaviour, especially for persistently late pupils. Many schools that introduced a universal breakfast club found that children who had always rolled in after the bell began arriving on time. Headteachers reported that classrooms were calmer, and teachers noticed pupils settled down to learn more quickly. Even those who didn’t attend directly benefitted from a smoother start to the school day. It’s not glamorous, but ensuring that children start the morning fed and calm is one of the simplest ways to use Pupil Premium effectively. It makes them more ready to learn – and that’s half the battle won before the first lesson begins.