To receive the above report.

Sarah Cottle from Cookham Nursery stated the project was run for three years and last year they identified nursery schools and settings that were pre-entry into schools with three or more children receiving Pupil Premium (PP). As PP numbers were low in the Borough, they decided to use a more targeted approach.

The project involved meetings where 20 settings were identified in the Independent and private sector and schools. The project looked at barriers to learning and held conferences and meetings after school so that staff from those settings could attend.

Sarah Cottle stated there were lessons learnt. Settings and schools are very different which means intervention is difficult to introduce as a whole. Schools have GLD as a measurement but settings are not required to measure GLD.

Lindsay O’Connell, AfC stated that for this year the project will looked at trends in schools and focus on reception years especially those with low GLD. Schools need to buy into the offer and be fully engage with the programme. The first training session trained attendees on how to fill out an action plan with a focus on the quality teach first.

Inspiration days are being held in January 2019 and the project would be collaborating with schools with high numbers of PP; it would also be running parent sessions too. Children tended to miss their GLD in literacy and language so there would be a focus on those areas too. Lindsay O’Connell confirmed that the project is opened to all settings and schools

Councillor Hollingsworth stated PVI settings were not as high quality as that in schools so he wanted to raise quality in the private and voluntary settings. Sarah Cottle responded that when children moved to feeder schools, it’s important that PVI provide information on children so that schools were more prepared.

The Chairman stated there was a lot of great work going on and asked what the project did to help Struggling children dropping off the radar. Lindsay O’Connell responded stating that during visits the settings are challenged on individual performance. Cluster meetings are being held and settings are also monitored within their clusters to ensure children did not slip. Clive Haines, Schools Leadership Development Manager explained academy schools tended to not attend the meetings and the Borough had no control; he added he would keep emailing them and inviting them as they provide education for our RBWM pupils.

Sarah Cottle and Lindsay O’Connell stated PP was just one part of the story. The Chairman requested the project be made a standing item on the agenda of the School Improvement Forum. If there were schools not attending the meetings and workshops, the Chairman offered to write to them; she felt parents would want to know and the Borough needed to find out why academies did not want to get involved. Sarah Cottle responded that free courses and money for training had been offered but academies still did not want to engage.

Councillor Jones asked if the borough was engaging with school governors. There is PP training scheduled for governors in the Autumn Term. Councillor Hilton said the Borough should be engaging with parents as a focus. Sarah Cottle stated that settings and schools are asked why children were not achieving and what the barriers are. A lot of the cause was lower attendance. Schools and settings are encouraged to invite parents in to settings and schools to offer parental sessions to help break down the barriers. The Schools Leadership Development Manager stated different parents had different reasons for not engaging and there are complex issue that schools and settings face.

The Chairman asked if PVI’s are attracting PP children. Sarah Cottle stated two year old funded children became PP however the settings can refuse PP children. It was a strategic decision for the individual setting as to how many PP children they could cope with. The Schools Leadership Development Manager explained parents did have a choice if the PVI setting accepted the child.

PVI’s have no published result accountability He added a sufficiency audit had just been carried out on regarding 30 hours in the borough to see where the need  is for future places.

The Chairman asked how well other services were linking up with PP children such as libraries and extracurricular services. The Schools Leadership Development Manager confirmed the initiatives available were limited. The services did communicate their offers to schools but it was mainly a sign-posting exercise. Lindsay O’Connell said one such school provided a booklet for parents which signposted them to free activities in the half term such as going on nature walks. The school had agreed for this to be shared

Councillor Jones asked if a barrier to settings was staff attending the meetings and workshops, was it a resource issue? Lindsay O’Connell responded everything that had been planned for the project was carried out at lunch time, after or before schools so that staff could attend. She added that a payment to cover PPA had also been offered if staff were attending a training course.

v  Action: The Schools Leadership Development Manager to send out a letter to PVI’s and governing bodies informing them of local needs and requesting they engage with the project.