Secondary schools in Northamptonshire are set to receive nearly £1 million in funding to provide extra tuition for pupils who are struggling with English and maths.
The Department for Education (DfE) announced today that £500 per pupil will be handed out to help every Year 7 pupil who did not reach the expected level in literacy and maths when they finished primary school.
The ‘catch-up premium’ is intended to be used to provide intensive tuition which could take place at lunchtimes or after school.
In Northamptonshire, a total of £935,000 will be handed out with the schools receiving the most money including Kingsthorpe College, which will get £44,000, Malcolm Arnold Academy, £40,500, and Weston Favell Academy, £32,000. The highest amount to be handed out in the county is £51,000 to Kingswood School in Corby.
Figures released by the DfE show that only five per cent of pupils who did not manage to get level four in both English and maths at key stage two went on to achieve the Government benchmark of five GCSEs at A* to C, including English and maths.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “The announcement of additional funding is welcomed. With the additional money schools will be able to work with new year seven students to help them make the best progress possible in their learning, especially where they may have fallen behind in the basic skills required for future success.”
Nationally, the catch-up premium funding for this year will be £54.5 million.
Schools will have the freedom to decide how best to use the catch-up premium, but Ofsted inspectors will consider how schools are using the premium when inspecting schools.
Examples of how schools could spend the money include small-group tuition supported by new classroom materials and resources at lunchtimes, after school or during school holidays.
Schools could also purchase tutor services or proven computer-based learning.
Comments