Pupil Development Grant

Improving Educational Attainment

The purpose of the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) is to improve the educational attainment of pupils from low-income families and who are entitled to free school meals (eFSM).  Schools are expected to maximise the use of this funding by introducing sustainable strategies that will quickly lead to improved outcomes for pupils entitled to free school meals.

At Ysgol Swn y Don we aim to have high standards and aspirations for all, whilst delivering an inclusive and innovative curriculum. Wellbeing and nurture are at the heart of our ethos.

Learners, especially those experiencing the challenges brought about by poverty, have access to the very best teaching & learning opportunities through a range of universal and targeted provision. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own individual learning journeys in order to achieve and succeed.

Swn y Don is a place where pupils feel safe, seen and heard. We have created an environment where our pupils can thrive, learn and emotionally develop, supported by trusted, emotionally available adults.

Ensuring strong links within the community and building positive relationships with parents, breaks down barriers and empowers families in supporting their children at Swn y Don. We know that greater engagement with families has been shown to tackle the impact of poverty on attainment.

We believe in working together to create a better future for all. Our main aims this year are as follows;

To provide high-quality learning and teaching and the continue to develop a ‘Community Focused Schools’ approach.

We will also;

  • Support pupils social and emotional wellbeing
  • Improve pupils’ attitudes to learning including developing metacognition and self-regulation strategies
  • Develop parental engagement and engagement with families in order to help develop their understanding of how to support their children’s learning
  • Develop literacy and numeracy approaches to raise attainment across the school
  • Improve attendance of our vulnerable learners
  • Utilise teaching assistants effectively in order to raise attainment for all learners ensuring equity for all
  • Provide universal, targeted provision through effective intervention programmes
  • Provide universal, targeted provision through effective intervention programmes
Detail Amount
The allocations for 2024-2025 have been determined by WG and the allocations are as follows
for ages 5-15: £77,050
for under 5s: £23,000
This funding is being distributed to schools who have been impacted with reduced funding due to the change in data and the allocation:
for ages 5-15 is £3,306
for under 5s is £6,612
Total budget for this academic year £109,968

Funding has been allocated to the following areas:

• The employment of Teaching Assistants to support intervention work, high quality support in the classroom and emotional and wellbeing work.
• The employment of Teaching Assistants to carry out specific intervention programmes.
• The employment of Teaching Assistants in the early years to ensure pupils readiness to learn, including working 1-1 and in small groups to teach children everyday routines, support early language and numeracy skills, independence skills, self-regulation, toileting, dressing and healthy eating.
• Developing the family liaison officer role in order to further increase parental engagement by creating meaningful opportunities for families/carers to be; engaged in children’s learning and involved in school life and decision making (including developing the home learning environment).

X