Coronavirus (COVID-19) Catch-Up Premium

Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium 2020-2021

Children and young people across the country have experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19). Those from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be among those hardest hit. The government has announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up. This includes a one-off universal £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020 to 2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time.

Garth Hill College funding received 2020-21:  £107,840

The funding will be used to employ seven catch up teachers across each core subject area.  In addition, we will top up this funding from the Main School Budget.

A programme of accelerated learning/catch-up for identified pupils is in place. The objective is to ensure that pupils can access help and support in a smaller group while focusing on any gaps and/or misunderstandings that have arisen in their learning.  This is to enable the teacher to give individual guidance and tutoring to each pupil so improving their knowledge, skills and understanding.

This will take the form of intervention sessions, either in small groups and/or one to one tuition. Groups are made up of no more than 6/8 targeted pupils with a key focus on PPG and SEND pupils using teacher assessments and review data.  In English and maths groups are targeted across years 7 to 11 and in Science the intervention is focussed on Key Stage 4 groups.  Sessions will take during the College day but also during AM and PM registrations and after College.

In addition, English intervention sessions are in place after College for targeted year 8 double disadvantaged pupils.

In maths, pupils will follow the scheme of learning but will be able to focus on key areas of knowledge, skills and understanding where there are gaps and have more opportunities for direct intervention from the teacher when misconceptions arise and so accelerating learning.

One intervention teacher will work with a targeted group of year 11 pupils working at grade 3 but aiming for 4. There is also support for the year 13 retake group. 

Classes and groups will be reviewed half-termly and stringent tracking will be in place to ensure that the students engage appropriately with the intervention.