School name

St. Mary’s Catholic High School

Number of students in school

1572

Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible students

KS3-5 (284) 21.8%

KS3-4 (290) 11.9%

Academic year/years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers

(3-year plans are recommended - you must still publish an updated statement each academic year)

2024-2025

2025-2026

2026-2027

Date this statement was published

December 2025

Date on which it will be reviewed

July 2026

Statement authorised by

D Brahms, Headteacher

Pupil premium lead

H Charnley, Senior Assistant Headteacher

Governor / Trustee lead

V Dixon

Pupil premium funding allocation this academic year

£333.250

Recovery premium funding allocation this academic year

Recovery premium received in academic year 2023/24 cannot be carried forward beyond August 31, 2024.

£0

Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)

£0

Total budget for this academic year

If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year

£333.250

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Academic achievement

While national figures improve, a persistent gap remains between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This national picture is reflected in the most recent published outcomes from St Mary’s Catholic High School. For the 2025 leavers’, disadvantaged pupils scored around one GCSE grade lower than non-disadvantaged pupils across the Attainment 8 subjects, on average.

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Attendance and suspensions

Disadvantaged pupils nationally face higher rates of poor attendance and suspension. This national picture is reflected in the attendance data at St Mary’s Catholic High School. For the 2024-25 academic year the attendance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers was -7.4%

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Reading ability

KS2 data and results of reading tests indicate disadvantaged pupils have lower levels of literacy, which limits access to the curriculum and as such, academic achievement across all subjects.

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Agency and sense of belonging

Research into pupil engagement shows that disadvantaged students are more likely to feel disconnected from school life. Although none at St Mary’s were recorded as NEET in 2024–25, nationally they remain around twice as likely to become NEET as their better-off peers, reinforcing the need for continued focus on this challenge.

Improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils across all areas of the curriculum and close the attainment gap

The attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils is narrowed for the 2025-26 academic year and the following subjects achieve improved outcomes for their disadvantaged cohort: History, Spanish, Music, Maths and Geography.

There is a clear three-year upward trend in attainment and progress, with the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers steadily narrowing.

Improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and reduce suspension figures for disadvantaged pupils

The overall attendance of disadvantaged pupils at St Mary’s improves and is moving towards the national average and PA is reduced. Suspension figures for disadvantaged pupils to drop to no more than 5% difference to their peers.

There is a clear three-year upward trend in attendance, with the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers steadily narrowing.

Minimise the gap between the reading ability of disadvantaged pupils and their peers in NGRT SAS scores

The gap between the reading ages of disadvantage pupils and their peers continues to narrow and there is a clear three-year upward trend.

Increase the proportion of disadvantaged pupils who engage in high quality enrichment and co-curricular opportunities

No disadvantaged pupils are identified as NEET post KS4 and KS5. Co-curricular tracking data indicates that a growing number of disadvantaged pupils are accessing high quality enrichment and co-curricular opportunities.

Strengthen quality assurance processes across the curriculum to ensure that leaders have a more robust understanding of how effectively disadvantaged students are accessing the curriculum and making progress

The EEF’s updated guidance places strong emphasis on diagnosing pupil need, monitoring implementation, and evaluating impact as core to an effective Pupil Premium strategy. Their 5‑step framework makes clear that robust QA, ongoing monitoring and evaluation are not optional add-ons but integral parts of a Pupil Premium Strategy.

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Embed Steplab to drive improvements in the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom

Embedding Steplab to improve classroom teaching aligns with research showing that high-quality, structured professional development enhances teacher effectiveness and pupil outcomes. Evidence from the EEF (2025) indicates that improving the quality of teaching is the most significant school-based factor in closing attainment gaps, particularly for disadvantaged students. Steplab supports this by providing ongoing feedback, practical strategies, and reflective practice to drive consistent improvements in learning.

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Harness the CPDF programme with a focus on the responsive use of pupil passports and reactive assessment, so that disadvantaged pupils are truly ‘seen, known and heard’ in the classroom

Research highlights that personalised approaches, informed by high-quality formative assessment and pupil-specific data, improve engagement, progress, and attainment for disadvantaged learners (EEF, 2025). Tools such as pupil passports enable teachers to respond to individual needs, while ongoing assessment ensures timely support, consistent with evidence that targeted, responsive teaching is a key factor in closing attainment gaps.

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Actively plan for the recruitment and retention of high-quality teaching staff to ensure disadvantaged pupils are accessing high quality, subject specialist teaching in every lesson

Recruiting and retaining high-quality, subject-specialist teachers is critical to improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Research consistently shows that teacher quality is the most significant school-based factor influencing pupil progress, and that disadvantaged learners benefit disproportionately from effective teaching (EEF, 2025). Ensuring that every lesson is led by a skilled, specialist teacher supports consistent access to high-quality instruction, helping to close attainment gaps and improve engagement across the curriculum.

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 Implement targeted reading interventions for disadvantaged pupils 

Targeted reading interventions for disadvantaged pupils are supported by evidence showing they improve literacy and close attainment gaps. Research indicates small group or one-to-one support can add up to five months’ progress, helping pupils reach age-related reading expectations.

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Implement targeted pastoral interventions which have a clear focus on the interdependence between attendance, behaviour for learning and academic outcomes

Evidence indicates that targeted pastoral interventions, including academic mentoring, can improve attendance, behaviour for learning and engagement, which are closely linked to academic outcomes. Disadvantaged pupils benefit particularly from consistent, personalised support that addresses both social-emotional and learning needs.

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Invest in digital resources and use these in a structured way to support teaching and learning and as such, the academic progress of disadvantaged pupils

Studies show that disadvantaged pupils, in particular, benefit from digital tools that offer immediate feedback, personalised learning pathways, and access to high-quality content outside the classroom. Programmes such as Sparx Maths use algorithms which are proven to help pupils remember topics better.

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Implement a programme designed to help disadvantaged pupils develop the habits and routines required for sustained academic success and build culture of revision.

Research shows that structured programmes which teach effective study habits, time management, and revision routines can improve self-regulation and independent learning, with disadvantaged pupils benefiting most from explicit support in developing the habits that underpin sustained academic progress.

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Actively foster and promote the Catholic life and mission of the school to ensure that disadvantaged pupils feel known, valued, and experience a strong sense of belonging within the school community

Research indicates that fostering a strong sense of belonging and connectedness in school supports disadvantaged pupils’ engagement, wellbeing, and academic outcomes. Pupils who feel valued and included are more likely to attend regularly, participate actively in learning, and achieve higher attainment.

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Harness the role of the Family Liaison Officer with a focus on the attendance of disadvantaged pupils

Evidence shows that targeted support and engagement with families improves regular school attendance

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Prioritise the removal of barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils, ensuring that the preferential treatment of the poor is embodied throughout all our interactions with disadvantaged pupils. This will include breakfast clubs, subsidising peripatetic music lessons, support with uniform costs, support with transport costs, support with specialist subject equipment etc

EEF research shows that removing barriers, such as access to food, transport, equipment, and enrichment, boosts engagement and attainment for disadvantaged pupils, helping to close the achievement gap

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Subsidise and prioritise the inclusion of disadvantaged pupils in co-curricular and enrichment activities

Research shows that prioritising disadvantaged pupils’ inclusion in co‑curricular and enrichment activities supports their social, emotional and academic development. For example, a longitudinal study found that involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with higher intrinsic motivation and a greater sense of school belonging

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Purchase and embed the use of systems such as Provision Mapper, Bromcom and Power Bi to support effective and robust data analysis and therefore, disadvantaged pupils are truly seen and known.

Research shows that robust data systems help schools track and respond to the needs of disadvantaged pupils, ensuring they are ‘seen and known’ and that interventions effectively close the attainment gap (Jerrim & Vignoles, 2015)

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Improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils across all areas of the curriculum and close the gaps between them and their peers.

The Ofsted inspection and subsequent report from the 2024-25 academic year highlighted that “the school’s expectations of pupil’s achievement, particularly those who are disadvantaged have risen considerably...teachers consistently follow the school’s ‘think first, think twice’ policy to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are supported well in lessons. This helps to ensure that these pupils are prioritised for support. Coupled with high expectations and clear identification of barriers to learning, this results in these pupils learning better than they have previously.”

For the 2025 cohort at KS5, the progress of disadvantaged pupils increased by +0.13 when compared with the 2024 cohort. In addition, the average point score for disadvantaged pupils at KS5 was 0.12 above their non-disadvantaged peers. 

For the 2025 cohort at KS4, the national picture is reflected in the most recent published outcomes from St Mary’s Catholic High School, whereby a persistent gap remains between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their peers. However, several subjects demonstrated clear improvement in their Subject Progress Index for disadvantaged pupils. The most substantial gains were seen in RE, Photography, Computer Science, and Chemistry, all of which moved decisively upward, with some shifting from negative progress into positive territory. Geography and Physics also showed steady improvement, while Maths recorded a modest upward movement. Overall, this pattern reflects growing strength in several subject areas, with targeted curriculum work and focused intervention beginning to translate into measurable gains for disadvantaged pupils.

Increase and sustain the improvements in attendance for disadvantaged students

Nationally, disadvantaged pupils continue to experience higher rates of absence, and the pattern at St Mary’s reflects this wider context. While overall attendance remains a challenge, with a gap between the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers, St Mary’s disadvantaged pupils are performing close to the national average, with a difference of -0.8%.

However, the school’s Pupil Premium strategy is beginning to influence key indicators, with early signs of improvement in the most entrenched attendance challenges. Persistent absence has shown a small but meaningful improvement. The gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers reduced by 1.5%, indicating that targeted pastoral support, enhanced attendance monitoring and improved partnership work with families is helping more disadvantaged pupils remain engaged in school for longer periods.

Continue to decrease gaps between the reading ability of disadvantaged pupils and their peers in NGRT SAS scores

Across 2024–25, a total of 139 pupils in Years 7–10 accessed targeted reading intervention following assessment of their reading ages. Fifty of these pupils were disadvantaged, representing 36% of the intervention cohort and reflecting the school’s commitment to ensuring that those with the greatest need are prioritised for support.

Outcomes from the programme are positive. Over half of all participating pupils (53%) significantly narrowed their reading deficit, and one third (33%) made enough progress to no longer require literacy intervention. While gaps proved more challenging to close for disadvantaged pupils, the data demonstrates clear improvement. 42% of disadvantaged pupils reduced their reading gap, with 22% successfully ‘graduating’ from the intervention. Importantly, when attendance is consistent, the impact is comparable across groups: 60% of regularly attending disadvantaged pupils narrowed their gaps, showing that the intervention model is effective for PP pupils when access is secure.

Pupils with overlapping needs showed similarly encouraging progress. Twenty-six percent of the cohort (37 pupils) were both disadvantaged and had SEND. Despite typically greater barriers to learning, 38% of this group made good progress, and 19% were able to exit the intervention entirely—an outcome that represents meaningful movement for some of the school’s most vulnerable learners.

Overall, the reading intervention programme is having a sustained and positive effect, particularly where pupils engage consistently. The data highlights both the growing impact of the school’s literacy strategy and the importance of continued work to remove attendance-related barriers for disadvantaged pupils so they can benefit fully from the support available.

Reading engagement among disadvantaged pupils also remains a clear strength. Over the last academic year, PP pupils borrowed 1,232 books from the school library, representing 24% of all loans. This demonstrates that a significant proportion of disadvantaged pupils are actively engaging with reading for pleasure and making strong use of the school’s literacy resources.

The Pupil Premium strategy has continued to support this engagement through targeted investment in initiatives such as Bookbuzz, with PP funding contributing to the programme last year and again this year. This investment ensures that every pupil, including those who may not otherwise have access to books at home, owns at least one high-quality text as they transition into secondary school.

Continue to provide aspirational careers and co-curricular opportunities to all disadvantaged pupils

In the 2025 KS4 leavers’ cohort, two pupils were recorded as NEET, representing 0.79% of the year group. This figure remains low and continues to reflect the school’s strong work in transition and post-16 support. None of the pupils who were NEET were disadvantaged, meaning the NEET rate for disadvantaged pupils was 0%.

Similarly, in the 2025 KS5 leavers’ cohort, all students progressed to positive destinations, and no pupils were recorded as NEET.

Overall, the above data underscores the continued effectiveness of the school’s CEIAG and transition work, particularly for disadvantaged learners.