Does this sound right - SATS/G&T/Pupil Premium related?

[TwistedMelon]

DS is 10 and in Y6 of a very small primary (only about 10 children in each year group). He is G&T and is also in reciept of free school meals due to family circumstances. Therefore the school gets pupil premium funding for him.

A new head started in September and in the newletter sent out at the start of this term she announced that the PP funding was being spent on 1-2-1 sessions to challenge and extend eligible children to make sure they reach their full potential. DS would be taken out of normal lessons for 1 hour once a week for this. All fine, I thought.

Anyway DS has been complaining that all he does is SATS revision in these sessions - seems that the school want to sit him for L6 papers and so he is having to go through past papers with a TA every week instead of doing whatever his class are doing (usually something fairly 'fun' on the new tablets the school has bought). DS comes home moaning about a) the injustice of missing 'fun' time and b) the boredom of SATs revision every week after the 1-2-1 session. This is on top of 1 English and 1 Maths past SATs paper being set as homework every single week since Christmas!

Is this acceptable use of PP funding? DS is very good at both English and Maths (hence the school wanting him to sit the L6 papers) with a reading age of 14 and getting high L5s for all written work, but for example he is weaker in science and IT skills - yet they are not being worked on. I feel like the school is using the PP funding to pile pressure on DS and boost their position in league tables etc but then again maybe this is just what happens and I need to be less pfb. Any opinions before I decide whether to speak to the school about it?

My DC qualify for pupil premium. Having looked at what the school says it uses the pupil premium, I really can't see how they would be benefitting from any of the things it is used for. I don't especially mind, but was wondering if I am allowed to ask how it is used specifically for my DC.

Miranda as I understand it the PP does not have to be spent to the penny on the individual pupil BUT the school have to be able to show that the money spent is targetted at/benefitting eligible children. I'm not sure that all schools have that good a handle on what they should be spending it on tbh!

Hi Twisted:

haven't read all responses to your OP & am just a Mum but here are my thoughts:

1. It's the system: The school's CVA (value they add to your child) is judged against SATs scores. If your DS scored NC L3 at KS1 SATs then getting him to L6 would show more than expected progress (expected progress being 2 full NC Levels between KS1 SATs and KS2 SATs). So that's why the school are focusing on getting those precious L6 results.

2. What is the school to do: If your child is G&T in reading/ writing - for example should they support that or work on weaker areas. In theory being listed G&T is about the school supporting that strength - so again the school may be correct in working with your son on the various skills required to achieve NC L6. Certainly

Twisted - I too had a child enter a SATs-based system without any previous record. They base expectations on assessments made once at the school in question.
The problem with applying PP at a small school is that there may be a number of pupils who don't qualify because they're at the wrong side of the income cut-off point. Schools like the one your DS attends thus have to be subtle rather than specific when revealing how the extra money is spent, as it's easy to alienate parents whose incomes aren't quite low enough to qualify their DC for FSM. I agree their approach with your DS isn't up to much, but the blunt truth is that they will be able to demonstrate to Ofsted that they have closed a perceived statistical gap if he gets a level 6. If you want some more imaginative help, it looks as if you'll have to do the thinking for them.

Thing is they do some quite good stuff at school, that DS loves. The capacity for planning good,engaging, and interesting lessons is definitely there!

But today for example, he came home genuinely upset because he'd missed a lesson (DT I think he said?) where they were finishing off rainforest themed board games that they've been making for a few weeks. It was their chance to show the rest of the group how to play the game they'd created - DS has really enjoyed this task, he's come home fizzing about it every week since starting on it. But he didn't get to finish his game or show it round, because he got taken out to do a practise L6 maths test instead

I just get the impression this is all a box ticking exercise with little thought as to exactly how the child will actually benefit. Which I know is par for the course with so much nowadays but it still rankles. Why the hell should DS miss out on the bits of school he loves, just so they can drag their overall SATs scores up?

that's weird, we've never had any info from our school about how PP money is spent. Do other people often get this info?

And I had to argue last yr to allow DD to take L6 tests.

HolidayCriminal all schools have to publish a report on how it is spent. Check your schools website, it should be there.

Just out of genuine curiosity - why did you argue for her to sit the L6 tests? I'm uncertain as to what if any benefit is in them for DS so interested to know what others think. I know our local high school completely disregard SATs results and teach in mixed ability groups throughout Y7, then stream based on their own assessments for Y8. So I'm not seeing any major benefit - maybe if the results counted for something at secondary level I'd feel different though.

Long story about DD & the L6 tests. Briefly:

In October I told her about them & she wanted to take.
In October teacher said it might be possible.
In March teacher said impossible for anyone going on school trip, timetable conflict.
DD had enormous paddies that not allowed.
I found out from MN that teacher was wrong about dates of the tests.
2 days before submission deadline I convinced teacher he was mistaken. She & a clutch of others were entered.
...
DD off school Monday of SATs week due to vomitting/exhaustion.
Deferral granted for DD to take SATs on Tuesday instead.
DD got to take 4+ tests on Tuesday.

I totally agree with you about no benefit for the kids!!

PP: I had to resort to google (searched for "premium site:DC school-website-name"). Appears our 2012-13 PP spent on underachievers, pastoral care & a very rowdy reception class (I know a bit about them already).

*the 2013-14 PP I meant (dunno why I HAVE to correct that, but I do)

oh I know why, because DS was in last yrs's reception class, and they weren't that rowdy.

A couple of things - information about use of PP should be on the school website (obviously in general terms, not identifying individuals) - as a Governing Body we've requested details of all the PP students and how PP interventions affect them (this is all recorded in the confidential Part 2 minutes of GB meetings).

Secondly, a general point about withdrawing from SATS - most secondaries use the SATS data for initial assessment, if your DC has not got a SATS grade they will be treated as average (at best) and will not be set challenging work. The same thing happens if you move from private to state at Y7. Even if they say they disregard SATS scores, I would bet that they would view someone without one as a potential issue (as there must be a reason why the student didn't sit the SATS).

My suggestion on approaching the school would be along the line of how you appreciate that they are trying to get L6 but your DS is becoming demoviated by missing lessons he likes and you feel it's counter-productive - could they look at some other intervention? And, while you are at it, ask to check the book list as DS has 'read all those' and is read x, y and z - so could he be set something more challenging?