Pupil Premium

At Oldfield School, our intention is that all students, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, are given the opportunity and support to achieve the highest of standards. We believe in equity for all learners, and we endeavour to provide the appropriate opportunities to improve the attainment and life opportunities for our students in receipt of PP funding.

Pupil Premium funding is used in many ways and we aim for all disadvantaged pupils to achieve their ambitions in a safe environment and have clear future pathways and aspirations in order to thrive in life after school.

Our focus is on helping maximise attendance, achievement and progress by removing any barriers to learning and by building strong, consistent relationships.

At Oldfield School we use the Education Endowment Foundation research and toolkit to inform our strategy to support students in receipt of Pupil Premium.

What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other students. Pupil Premium was first introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with students who have been registered for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years; have been adopted from care or have left care; or children who are looked after by the local authority. Schools also receive funding for children of service personnel.

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. Pupil premium can be used to support other pupils with identified needs, or used for whole class interventions that will benefit all pupils.

Applying for Free School Meals

To apply for free school meals please use the link below and scroll down for the application form and telephone helpline:

B&NES Free School Meal Application

Please note: if your child is/was at a B&NES primary school and they are currently receiving free school meals, there is no need to reapply because their eligibility  will automatically transfer to their new B&NES secondary school.

However: you MUST reapply via the B&NES Free School Meals  link if the child previously attended a school from another county.

Please inform the Free School Meal team:

  1. If an additional child is starting school.
  2. If you move house (please also tell the school).

How do Free School Meals work in School?

Your child’s ParentPay account will have £2.60 credited each day. This entitles them to a hot meal or baguette, plus either crisps or water or fruit. This can be spent at break or at lunch but not both. If this amount is not spent, then the credit is removed and does not roll over to another day. Parents/Carers can add funds to ParentPay so that additional items can be bought. The free school meal allowance is always used in full before we use any money that you have added.

The biometric system ensures that free school meal students remain completely anonymous from other paying students.

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they automatically qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme. Food vouchers may also be available through the Household Support Fund.

Breakfast Club

Every child at Oldfield School is welcome to a free breakfast every morning from 7.45am-8.15am. Students will be welcomed by our friendly staff and offered cereal, fruit, toast and fruit juice.

Uniform, Equipment and Resources

It is important for all our young people to be smartly dressed in Oldfield School Uniform and ready to learn. If you need any support with uniform, equipment or resources please contact j.dickinson@oldfieldschool.com and we will do our best to support you.

Meet the Team

If you have any questions about Pupil Premium Funding, need any support completing any forms or want to enquire about how we support our students, please contact the following people:

Ms Hannah Fleming Assistant Headteacher – Pupil Premium h.fleming@oldfieldschool.com
Mrs Jan Dickinson Pupil Premium Coordinator j.dickinson@oldfieldschool.com
Mr Seb Tennant Assistant Headteacher – Attendance s.tennant@oldfieldschool.com

What do we offer?

At Oldfield School improving the attainment, progress and opportunities for all our students is a priority. We prioritise knowing our students and building strong relationships. If our students are happy and safe, they will achieve their best. Some of the challenges we face and the support we give are outlined in the guides below. We know students in receipt of Pupil Premium funding are not a homogenous group. Our aim is to identify whether support is needed and then support appropriately.

Guide to supporting Pupil Premium Students

Please find a parent/carer guide to how we support Pupil Premium students here

Pupil Premium Implementation Plan

Pupil Premium Strategy

Pupil Premium Policy

Attendance

As a school we are committed to doing as much as we can to support your child; this includes supporting them to attend school. Our approach includes rewarding students who have excellent attendance as well as supporting those who might be struggling to attend school regularly.

All staff in the school have a responsibility to support attendance; some of the key staff in school to support your child are outlined below.

To see all attendance information, visit the Attendance page of our website here: https://www.oldfieldschool.com/about-us/attendance2024/ 

Tutor 

The tutor is the member of staff whom your child will see the most often in school. All students start their school day with a twenty-minute tutor session.

The tutor is the first point of contact for parents if you have any concerns or would like to report anything that might have an impact on your child’s attendance.

If we have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance to school the tutor is usually the first person to make contact home. This is done to check in and see if there is anything we can do as a school to support.

To get in touch with your child’s tutor email enquires@oldfieldschool.com and it will be forwarded onto the correct member of staff.

Head of Year and Assistant Head of Year 

Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year can support your child attending school if circumstances require a more individualised approach. The Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year work closely with other teams in the school such as the SEND team & attendance team to put plans in place to help improve student attendance.

Heads of Year 11 Ms Bird / Mr Ashroft p.bird@oldfieldschool.com   h.ashcroft@oldfieldschool.com  
Head of Year 10 Mr Dorman l.dorman@oldfieldschool.com
Head of Year 9 Mr Sargent r.sargent@oldfieldschool.com  
Head of Year 8 Ms Heaven l.heaven@oldfieldschool.com  
Head of Year 7 Mrs Blanchett h.blanchett@oldfieldschool.com
Assistant Heads of Years 10 & 11 Mrs Daniel /Miss Bucinskaite j.daniel@oldfieldschool.com b.bucinskaite@oldfieldschool.com  
Assistant Head of Years 7, 8 & 9 Miss Norris a.norris@oldfieldschool.com  

Attendance Team 

The attendance team at the school offers tailored support plans for pupils who are finding it difficult coming into school. This could relate to persistent illness, medical conditions or emotionally-based school avoidance. The objective of the attendance team is to work together with the families of young people to support them getting into school more often.

Amy Gotts – Education Welfare Officer

a.gotts@oldfieldschool.com

Stacey Collings – Education Welfare Officer

s.collings@oldfieldschool.com

Gemma Green – Attendance Administrator

g.green@oldfieldschool.com

If you have an urgent concern, please contact us via attendance@oldfieldschool.com, this will ensure your message will get to the right person.