Ysgol Bryngwyn School

Pupil Development Grant (PDG) Access

Pupil Development Grant LinkPupil Development Form (English)Ysgol Bryngwyn School PDG StatementThe Pupil Development Grant (PDG) is allocated to schools with pupils who come from low-income families, are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (e-FSM) and pupils who have been looked after continuously for more than six months (LAC).Schools are expected to make the best use of this funding to implement sustainable strategies that will quickly bring about changes for learners eligible for free school meals or who are LAC.As a school we have agreed the following three steps: 

1. to identify the target group of pupils who would benefit from additional support
2. to plan support strategies which make the most effective use of resources
3. to monitor and evaluate the impact of resources

At Ysgol Bryngwyn School we have a comprehensive plan, agreed and monitored by Carmarthenshire Local Authority, ERW and Estyn, to promote progress and remove barriers to learning for students eligible for this funding.The school has been featured as a case study of good practice in supporting disadvantaged learners in an Estyn thematic report published in February 2020. The school has used its PDG to provide support for pupils’ wellbeing, to train and develop support staff to provide wrap-around support for LAC, eFSM and other disadvantaged pupils, to facilitate strategies to develop pupils’ skills across the curriculum and to improve the tracking and monitoring of a pupil’s journey at the school.The impact of this work has been that all groups of pupils experience high quality teaching and learning and nobody ‘gets left behind’. (Estyn)We have used the funding available to:

• Enhance teaching and learning by providing a programme of support strategies.
  In doing so, we have developed a holistic approach that focuses on excellence in teaching and learning for the most vulnerable groups of learners and places wellbeing at the heart of practice. 
• Establish personalised learning across the school including a better understanding of the needs of targeted learners. This has included creating additional groups both within the curriculum and extra-curricular to support learning, particularly in the core subjects and through enhanced library provision.

Personalised learning has brought more engagement and enjoyment, and as a consequence improved performance of many disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils. (Estyn)

• Provide specific intervention and support according to individual needs with a focus on wellbeing and both pastoral and academic progress. By developing an Emotional and Behaviour Support Hub, we have access on site to specialist support provision focussed to meet the needs of individual pupils and vulnerable pupils. This ensures that they continue to be engaged in their education and are given tailored support that allows them to attain their full potential. Strategies undertaken to support disadvantaged learners in school have been the subject of an Estyn Best Practice guide. Breakfast Clubs are in existence and pastoral support is available for all vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils before the start and throughout the school day.
• Incorporate a flexible curriculum that provides motivation through variety, challenge and opportunities for all learners. This includes a focus on vocational skills.
• Ensure a comprehensive focus on skills for all learners in key stage three in readiness for the KS4 curriculum, including making sure literacy and numeracy skills are as strong as possible for every learner especially those from disadvantages backgrounds. Further opportunities for additional support are made available according to individual need at Key Stage Four.

• Provide extensive digital learning opportunities for pupils to be able access appropriate digital resources in both the formal and non-formal curriculum in order that all learners leave school with the necessary technical IT and digital awareness to be able to progress in further education, training and employment.

• Provide specific high quality training for school staff, by ensuring that all INSET and CPD is focused on pedagogy to provide quality teaching and learning and meeting the needs of all groups of learners. Staff receive both the data and the training to ensure that they always make a difference. 

• Effectively use rigorous data tracking systems to identify learners’ needs, target interventions and monitor impact. Pupils’ performance potential and targets are derived using thorough baseline testing. Challenging targets based on academic potential are set for all pupils and for groups of learners, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Improve attendance of target group by using interventions. A designated attendance officer tracks and monitors groups of learners and works internally with Heads of Pupil Progress and externally with specialist agencies and engagement workers to effectively support and improve pupil attendance at school. As a result attendance across the school and across the groups of learners has improved significantly. A programme where Teaching Assistants have been assigned Attendance Monitoring duties for the tracking and intervention of  pupils throughout the school has been added this year. Heads of Pupil Progress and a pastoral inclusion team provide additional  pastoral support to vulnerable pupils across both Key Stages 3 & 4.
• Support learners and their families by organising and facilitating learning opportunities beyond the school day. Such activities include homework clubs, catch up and revision sessions and the operation of the Library for additional learning facilities at lunchtime and after school. Bryngwyn also employs a Learning Coach to support both pupils and parents, sometimes liaising with external agencies to provide support to families where help is needed. Staff provide both group and ‘one to one’ support to pupils preparing for their GCSE exams and WBQ Skills. The school is also proud of the transition projects that work between ourselves and catchment primary schools to ensure that we are fully aware of the learning and well-being needs of new pupils before they transfer to Bryngwyn. 

Additionally, Individual/Group Activities enable vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils to attend and participate in curricular and extra-curricular activities on an ad hoc basis throughout the school year to extend those with ability and talent as identified on our MAT registers. This ensures that we meet the needs of our learners, ensuring that the necessary interventions are in place in order to support young pupils and maximise their attainment. 

• Work in partnership with other schools, the community and other organisations. The school is currently working under a federation arrangement with Glan y Môr School, Burry Port and through the Welsh Government’s ‘Lead and Emerging Schools Project’ to share best practices. The school also works through 14-19 partnership with Coleg Sir Gar to maximise opportunities and pathways suitable to all groups of learners. The school also works through learning visits to other schools outside Carmarthenshire to identify and implement the most effective intervention strategies

As a result of the development of the above strategies, the school aims  to maintain a  reduction in the gap between FSM and Non FSM learners and across other groups of learners.Links to some of the Estyn case studies can be found at:http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/provider/6694054/