Covid Catch-Up Funding

Coronavirus Covid-19 has resulted in unprecedented disruption to pupils’ learning both in the last academic year and also this year. This has had an impact on all pupils in our school, with those children who are from vulnerable or the most disadvantaged backgrounds being hit hardest. The effect of lost time in school and inconsistent school attendance on learning and development will be considerable.

In June, a £1 billion fund for education was announced by the government.  Further guidance was later released (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium) showing that the money is split between a catch-up premium and a national tutoring scheme.

The catch-up premium is funded on a per pupil basis at £80 per pupil. This will be based on the previous year’s census and will not include Nursery numbers. We estimate that St Peter’s Catholic Primary will receive approximately £8,000 this academic year.

The catch-up premium has been designed to mitigate the effects of the unique disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic and is only available for this academic year. The funds must be spent in the best way for the school's pupils to make the best progress possible to 'catch-up' with lost learning. Each school will utilise the funding and decide on what is best to support their pupils.

As a resource for school, the Education Endowment Foundation has published a support guide for schools with evidence-based approaches to catch up for all students. At St Peter’s, we have used the Education Endowment Fund Guide to Support School Planning: A Tiered Approach to 2020-21. The guide proposes a tiered model that focuses upon (1) high-quality teaching, (2) targeted academic support, and (3) wider strategies.

‘Catch Up’ at St Peter’s is based on the tiered approach as recommended by EEF guide to supporting schools.