Pupil Premium

Mr Clegg reported on BBC breakfast this morning that he feels that the Pupil Premium is helping the most disadvantaged students, the Skills to Shine programme supports schools in closing the gap between the most advantaged and disadvantaged students. Our programme raises aspiration, motivation and desire for learning through making learning real, relevant and inspiring and can be linked to the curriculum in order to raise attainment and achievement levels. The programme is ideally placed and designed to meet the objectives of the pupil premium funding. However our experience some what reflects the view of the Labour party, not all teachers are being given the freedom as yet to spend their pupil premium on what they feel works best for their students. Mr Clegg its a great idea we just need to ensure schools spend it as intended! 

Summer Schools

As many of you will already know the DfE has launch a £50 million fund for summer schools to help disadvantaged students make a successful transition from primary to secondary schools.

To support schools in the delivery of this, Skills to Shine has developed and will be offering an enterprise/career focused summer school during the summer holidays.

The Skills to Shine summer school model will be enterprise and career focused, complimenting either your Maths or English curriculum. It will prepare the young people for their new curriculum through raising their aspiration, motivation, and desire for learning, they will work on a enterprise challenge supported by employers and higher educational institutes. The programme will aim to engage the young people in learning by showing them that what they learn in school is real and relevant to the world of work and their future career choices.    

The Skills to Shine programme will:

·         Work with either your English or Maths department during the summer term to develop a programme which compliments your Maths or English curriculum, enabling participating students to prepare for the secondary curriculum.

·         We will help students develop enterprise skills and capabilities such as confidence, team work, self motivation and independent learning which will help then with the transition from primary to secondary.

·         The programme will be run from the school site which will help students familiarise themselves with their new school environment.

·         The programme offers enrichment activities including visits to employers and HE institutes.

Skills to Shine is a social enterprise with the aim of making learning real, relevant and inspiring for all young people regardless of academic ability and background, therefore for every 5 students funded by the DfE a free place  will offered to a young person not on FSMs that the school feels would benefit from the experience.  

If you are interested in Skills to Shine running your summer school email Lindsey Dunn at ld@skillstoshine.co.uk for more information. For more information about our programme why not take a look at some case studies of programmes ran last academic year click here.