Pupil Premium Strategy Review 2024–25 and Forward Plan 2025–26
At The Dorcan Academy, we are committed to ensuring that all students, especially those who are disadvantaged or receive Pupil Premium funding achieve their full potential.This report reviews our progress during the 2024–25 academic year and outlines our key priorities for 2025–26.
The Pupil Premium is additional government funding that helps us to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers. We use this funding to provide targeted support, improve teaching and learning, and create opportunities for all our students to succeed.
What We Achieved in 2024–25
1. Raising Achievement and Progress
We introduced focused intervention programmes for Year 11 students in English, Maths and key subjects. Led by our PP Lead and Heads of Department, these sessions provided small-group and one-to-one tuition based on individual needs.As a result, our disadvantaged students made stronger progress than in previous years, with improved GCSE readiness and higher assessment scores.This shows that our targeted teaching and mentoring are having a clear impact on outcomes.
2. Improving Reading and Literacy
Our Literacy Lead and SENDCo expanded reading interventions such as Nessy, Fresh Start, and Dyslexia support groups. Many students who took part improved their reading age by over a year, helping them access the wider curriculum with greater confidence.We also began developing disciplinary literacy, helping teachers in every subject to build students’ reading and vocabulary skills.While individual progress has been excellent, we will continue to extend these programmes to reach more students next year.
3. Strengthening Numeracy and Confidence in Maths
Our Maths Lead held the Numeracy Ninja programme.These sessions helped students practise and improve their times tables, number fluency, and problem-solving confidence.Regular tracking showed strong improvement across the PP cohort, with more students demonstrating secure recall and accuracy in their mathematical work.
4. Personalised Mentoring and Support
Leaders introduced a mentoring programme for students who needed additional guidance. Mentors worked closely with these pupils to track progress, set goals, and address barriers to learning.This approach had a positive impact on many students’ engagement, attendance, and motivation. However, consistency of delivery varied, and this will be a key focus for development next year.
5. Improving Literacy Across All Subjects
We delivered a whole-school focus on literacy in every classroom, supported by the Teaching and Learning Lead. Staff training focused on how to help students read, write, and speak confidently in every subject.This approach is beginning to show real benefits, with students more confident in using key vocabulary and explaining their thinking. Next year, we will continue to build on this through regular staff training and lesson reviews.
Priorities for 2025–26
Building on our successes, our Pupil Premium Strategy for 2025–26 will focus on:
Our Commitment
We are proud of the progress made this year and remain committed to ensuring every disadvantaged student at The Dorcan Academy achieves their potential.Our approach is rooted in evidence-based strategies recommended by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), and our plans for 2025–26 build directly on what has worked best for our students so far. Together with staff, students, parents, and trustees, we will continue to ensure that every student, regardless of background, can succeed and thrive.
