Pupil Development Grant (PDG)

St Mark’s VA Church in Wales Primary School PDG Statement 2024-2025 

The Pupil Development Grant (PDG) is allocated to schools with pupils who come from low-income families and 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 (YPLA). 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 YPLA. As a school we have agreed the following three steps: 

               1. to identify the target group of pupils, its characteristics and needs

               2. to plan interventions which make the most effective use of resources 

               3. to monitor and evaluate the impact of resources In 2024-25 St Mark’s VA Church in Wales School has been                  provided with a PDG allocation of £57,500. 

At St Mark’s VA Church in Wales Primary School we have a comprehensive plan, agreed and monitored by Pembrokeshire Local Authority and Partneriaeth, to promote progress and remove barriers to learning for students eligible for this funding. We have used the funding available to: 

Employ an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) 

• Promote successful inclusion for learners

• Promote successful family engagement, offering parenting advice and support when appropriate to support pupils in improving their educational attainment 

• Promote improved pupil attendance 

• Promote Restorative Practice and conflict resolution 

• Promote school values and positive behaviour 

• Provide a listening ear for vulnerable parents 

• Undertake home visits 

• Support children in areas of emotional, behavioural and social development and so remove barriers to learning and increase self-confidence and wellbeing. 

• ELSA role involves working both 1:1 and in small groups with pupils who have been identified as needing significant additional support in areas of emotional regulation, social skills, relationship difficulties etc. 

Employ a Skills Keyworker to provide interventions

• Monitor, Read, Write Inc progress 

• Tracking progress of vulnerable learners and those affected by poverty 

• Targeting individuals, pairs and small groups in skill development 

• Provide support in raising standards in Literacy and Numeracy. 

• Key intervention groups for targeted pupils. 

• Providing keep up sessions and reading, spelling and handwriting focus groups to ensure basic skill progress.

• Assessing and supporting mathematical development in “closing the gap” for targeted children. 

Employ LSA to support the development of early skills in Literacy and Numeracy 

• Work in conjunction with speech therapist to implement programmes for identified children.

• Targeting children following ‘Hands on Literacy’ assessment in order to develop early skills.

• Providing ‘keep up sessions’ to support individual literacy and numeracy development for targeted pupils. 

• Support the development of play skills and social skills within foundation learning.

• Carry out targeted work with pupils as directed by the ALNCo in line with IDPs. 

• Targeting individuals, pairs and small groups in skill development. 

• Key intervention to include SALLEY (Speech & language programme); Elkan; Play skills; 1:1/small group speech and language support as directed by the SALT; early reading development; fine motor development. 

Employ LSA to support the development of skills in Literacy and Numeracy

 • Provide additional “keep up sessions” to support individual literacy and numeracy development for targeted pupils 

• Support the development of play and social skills. 

• Carry out targeted work with pupils as directed by the ALNCo in line with IDPs. 

• Targeting individuals, pairs and small groups in skill development.

• Key interventions to include reading development, writing and oracy skills. 

• Assessing and supporting mathematical development in “closing the gap” for targeted children. Pupils to all have appropriate kit and resources to help them to be ready to learn.

• Purchase of book bags, water bottles, school uniform etc. so that all pupils feel confident that they have the resources / equipment they need to learn effectively.