At Dr Challoner’s Grammar School we aim to use this funding to narrow the disadvantage gap by addressing inequalities and raising the attainment of those pupils in low-income families. The Student Development Office offers a range of services including those that provide support for students with relatively low prior attainment to help ‘close the gap’. It also provides specific staff time to help monitor progress and attainment, to help ensure students have every opportunity to access to the wider school curriculum and to support transition planning as the students consider GCSE, A Level and careers options.

In addition to this general support, we develop, for those pupils who attract the premium, an individual funding support package tailored to their needs.

This plan is developed with the active involvement of parents who are asked annually to help the school identify any specific needs that this funding could help directly support so as to make the biggest impact for their son in one of the following areas:

  • have full access to our curriculum
  • access our extra-curricular provision
  • improve their levels of attainment and progress

This funding has been used in the provision of essential school equipment, to provide one-on-one revision sessions and music tuition, and to enable pupils to attend enriching educational visits.The fund has been set up so that it is possible that all the funding is spent directly on individual plans. At this time the funding of the Students Development Office staffing time is financed by the school’s general reserves. This provides us with the most flexibility to meet the needs of our most disadvantaged students.

In order to request any current/remaining funding, please use this Google Form which replaces the process of emailing requests to individual members of staff or the Careers and Educational Visits Team. However, this Google Form does not replace the need to send in receipts for reimbursement which should be scanned and sent to our central email mailbox: ppg@challoners.org. Where appropriate, we would also be grateful if you could let us know, via this ppg email address, when your entitlement to Free School Meals ended. Students eligible for funding continue to be entitled to use a guidance amount of £200 to assist with the ongoing cost of school uniform. Please be reassured that any requests will be handled in the strictest confidence.

Finally, if you believe you meet the Free School Meals criteria and are not currently registered, please complete an application form by clicking here and return for the attention of the Finance Office. Details of the criteria can be found on the form and if you have any queries please contact Mrs J Blake (finance@challoners.com](mailto:finance@challoners.com)).

Covid Catch Up Premium

During 2020-21 the Academy will receive approximately £74K of Covid Catch-Up Premium for the following purposes:

Teaching and Whole School Strategies including but not limited to

  • Supporting great teaching

  • Pupil Assessment and Feedback

  • Transition Support

Targeted Support including but not limited to

  • One to One and small group tuition

  • Intervention Programmes

  • Extended School Times

Wider Strategies including but not limited to

  • Supporting Parents and Carers

  • Access to Technology

  • Summer / Holiday Programmes

At DCGS we have used this grant as follows to meet these aims:

  • IT equipment to enable teachers to effectively teach students remotely

  • Additional Staffing to provide supervision in classes where teachers are isolating, maintaining continuing education provision

  • Additional Staffing Supporting Students most impacted by Covid

  • Increased Staffing Supporting the Attendance Function to provide early identification of issues regarding attendance and engagement by students to enable strategies to be put in place.