1. The Pupil Deprivation Grant
Dr Brett Pugh, Director of the School Standards and Workforce Group, Welsh Government
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It’s a real pleasure to be with you at what is the second of three Consortia-led conferences with a focus on tackling poverty and an opportunity to explore together the links between pupil deprivation and attainment. I’m Emma Williams …… 1 1

2. Child Poverty - An Improving picture?
Last year there were 300,000 fewer children in poverty than the year before
BUT
There are 2.3 million children living in poverty in the UK
The fall in numbers is due at least in part to a fall in family income
The Institute of Fiscal Studies forecasts a rise of 400,000 children living in poverty.
A child is said to be living in poverty if the household income is less than 60% of average wages (lass year that + £251 a week).
IFS quote relates to numbers forecast to rise during this Parliament: quoted by opposition MP Stephen Timms
In Wales nearly 1 in 3 children lives in poverty; with around 21% living in absolute poverty.
Worryingly, recent estimates suggest that more than half of all children living in poverty are now in households where at least one person is working.

3. Tackling Poverty Action Plan
“Education has a fundamental role in helping to lift people out of poverty and in protecting those at risk of poverty and disadvantage. There is a strong link between poor educational attainment, low skills and poor health and wellbeing.”
Tackling Poverty Action Plan
The Welsh Government has given high priority to tackling poverty – and set out our objectives in our Tackling Poverty Action Plan published in June The plan has been refreshed and will be published this summer

4. Tackling Poverty Action Plan Objectives
Preventing Poverty
Helping People out of Poverty
Action to Mitigate the Impact of Poverty
The Tackling Poverty Action Plan set out three key objectives – to prevent poverty, help people to improve their skills to secure employment and mitigate the impact of poverty.
Why a Tackling Poverty Action Plan, not a child poverty action plan?
Very difficult to raise children out of poverty without tackling poverty as a whole
UNCRC – Ministers must consider the rights of the child in developing policies and bringing forward legislation

5. Impact of Deprivation Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds:
tend to have poor attendance records;
have parents who are less likely to be involved in their children’s education;
are less healthy;
are more likely to be NEET; and
are more likely to have a child in their teenage
years.
Effective practice in tackling poverty and disadvantage in schools Estyn, November 2012
We know that research clearly shows that a disadvantaged child’s home and family environment has a direct and often persistent effect on their life chances and learning opportunities.
Poverty begins to exert its effects from the earliest age. At birth a baby’s brain is only 25 per cent fully formed, developing to 80 per cent by age three. It follows that during that period babies’ development is key. Feinstein concluded that a child’s development score at just 22 months can serve as an accurate predictor of educational outcomes at 26 years.

6. Where we are now: primary and secondary school performance in Wales since 2007
So how, in terms of performance, how are we doing nationally?
The performance of pupils eligible for free school meals (e-FSM learners) is lower than their non eligible counterparts at all key stages and in all performance measures;
Looking at the core subject indicator (attaining the expected level in Maths, English/Welsh and Science), the gap in performance has narrowed over the last six years at Key Stage 2. However at Key Stage 4, the gap in performance in the Level 2 threshold including a GCSE A*-C in English/Welsh and maths has widened every year to 2010 before narrowing in the past two years;
The gap in performance increases as pupils get older. At Key Stage 2, 12.5 per cent more e-FSM learners now attain the expected level (CSI) than in 2007 compared with 7.5 per cent of their non eligible counterparts. At Key Stage 4, 5.4 per cent more e-FSM learners now attain the expected level (level 2 inclusive) than in 2007 compared with 8.9 per cent of their non eligible counterparts. 6 6

7. Average rank of test scores at 22, 42, 60 & 120 months by SES of parents and early rank position
Cognitive development in the early years is of great importance to later outcomes,
Performance on cognitive assessments from as early as ages 3 and 5 has been found to be related to later academic attainment and occupational outcomes, as well as adult health.
Poor cognitive performance early in life has also been found to be related to higher chances of unemployment, low qualifications and low income; this relationship is seen even when other factors are controlled for.
Children from more-affluent families show marked advantages in both knowledge and skills that are evident long before school entry
Source: Feinstein, L., (2003) “Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort”. Economica, 70, 277, pp73-98

8. Educational attainment matters long term…
1993
2010
Degree
Median hourly pay (£)
Pay gap to GCSE
10.29
95%
16.10
85%
Higher education
8.13
54%
12.60
45%
A Levels
6.25
18%
10.00
15%
GCSE grades A*-C
5.29 0%
8.68
Other qualifications
4.74
-10%
8.07
-7%
No qualification
4.18
-21%
6.93
-20%
And educational attainment matters to breaking the cycle of poverty –
Up to an 85% premium for higher qualifications
These are tomorrow’s parents – raising children in more or less affluent circumstances 8 8

9. The wider policy picture
Literacy and Numeracy – Framework, reading and numeracy tests;
National Support Programme;
System Leaders training;
Professional Learning Communities;
developing policy and practice in relation to meeting additional learning needs; and
aligning policy on reducing the impact of deprivation on attainment with family and community engagement.

10. Pupil Deprivation Grant
£36.8 million Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) will be made available in
The Pupil Deprivation Grant is an important opportunity for schools to secure direct funding for key initiatives to address the prime issues of socio-economic disadvantage.
Our commitment to tackle these issues is clearly demonstrated by our financial investment through our Pupil Deprivation Grant. Some £36.8 million is being made available for this year. Taken together with the School Effectiveness Grant, total grant funding directed at the Minister for education and Skills three priorities for schools is over £65m.
While the SEG is provided to raise educational performance as a whole, the PDG is specifically intended to address the barriers that result in pupils from deprived backgrounds not achieving as well as their more affluent peers. This distinction is very important.

11. Pupil Deprivation Grant – Guidance
The recently produced PDG guidance document is aimed at education consortia, local authorities and primary, secondary and special schools in Wales.

12. PDG - Outputs and Outcomes
For , we require all consortia to provide evidence that they have delivered against their projected outputs - those that are also able to evidence achievement against outcomes should do so.
By , we expect consortia to be clearly utilising assessment data to target inputs to activity and to be able to track resulting outputs against outcomes.
All consortia will be required to measure impact against outcomes in their reports for the year of SEG and PDG funding.

13. PDG – Online publication
Schools are required to publish online their PDG allocation
and...
details of how they have used the grant, the grant spend and report on its impact.

14. PDG - Expected Improvements
Schools will be able to demonstrate improvement in attainment of e-FSM pupils over the 3 year period.
Schools will be able to demonstrate improvement in attainment of LAC over the 3 year period.
Attendance levels for e-FSM learners supported by the grant will improve.
Attendance levels for LAC learners supported by the grant will improve.

15. PDG – Partnership working
PDG funded initiatives will include parental and community engagement and partnership working.

16. PDG - Evidence
The primary source of evidence will be in PDG spending plans and reports on the use of the PDG. Evidence will also be provided by:
teacher assessments;
reading and numeracy test data;
annual performance data for achievement of Level 2 Threshold including English / Welsh and Mathematics (L2 inclusive) at the end of key stage 4;
attendance and exclusions data; and
Estyn inspections.

17. PDG and Communities First
Communities First Pupil Deprivation Grant match fund:
improving community engagement in schools
supporting children to do well at school
school transitions
improving family engagement.
You will already have heard from the Minister for Communities Tackling Poverty, Communities First is a key Welsh Government programme for supporting the people disadvantaged by poverty in our most deprived areas in Wales. Communities First Delivery Teams funded by the Welsh Government are working with residents, community organisations, businesses and other key agencies, including schools, in these areas, called CF Clusters. The Communities First programme focuses on actions to build the long term sustainability and wellbeing of communities in order to tackle poverty and its effects. Involving local people in all aspects of this work is an essential feature of the programme.
Communities First aims to contribute, alongside other programmes, including Families First and Flying Start, to narrowing the education / skills, economic and health gaps between our most deprived and more affluent areas.
The Communities First programme works towards improvements in three key outcomes:
prosperous communities 
learning communities
healthier communities
Whilst good practice already exists within the Communities First programme of schools and communities working together to tackle the effects of poverty on pupils’ educational attainment, the Welsh Government wishes to further support this. Accordingly, the programme now offers match funding for proposals which bring CF Clusters and groups of schools together in improving educational outcomes and tackling poverty.
Proposals for Communities First match funding will be considered in support of the following areas of work:
improving community engagement in schools
supporting children to do well at school
school transitions
improving family engagement.

18. PDG Outputs and Outcomes
25 applications have been received for a total of £2 million fund over the next two years.
Successful proposals were from CF Clusters working with two or more schools in their area.
CF funding was applied for via the approved Lead Delivery Body for the relevant CF Cluster.
Awards from this funding were 50/50 matched with PDG.
Awards are between £10,000 - £75,000 max.
Schools in receipt of C F Matched Funding will be required to meet CF Performance Measures.

19. Welsh Government will be looking for examples of good practice to disseminate as case studies in the future

20. PDG - Evaluation
Ipsos Mori commissioned to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of the Pupil Deprivation Grant.
Evaluation will focus on how the PDG is being interpreted and implemented in practice and what impact it is having on pupils’ performance and on practice within schools.
Evaluation is already underway and will report in two phases - the first in April 2014 and the second, a year after in April 2015.
With the first year of the PDG only just completed, it is too early for any meaningful, in-depth analysis of its effectiveness to have taken place. I am, of course, very anxious to know as soon as possible how effectively the PDG is being implemented in practice and where improvements can be made in implementation, management and governance. With that in mind, following a recent competitive tender exercise, Ipsos Mori, in collaboration with Cardiff University based WISERD, has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG).
The evaluation will focus specifically both on how the PDG is being interpreted and implemented in practice and what impact it is having on pupils’ performance and on practice within schools.
I am expecting the resultant evaluation reports to identify potentially productive strategies and best practice approaches which can be shared with local authorities and schools across Wales. I would also expect the evaluation to inform monitoring arrangements, including the possibility of broadening Estyn’s school inspection remit to include monitoring the use and effectiveness of the PDG. In addition, as part of their annual remit, Estyn has undertaken a number of pieces of work looking at how schools in Wales are tackling child poverty to improve learners’ achievement and wellbeing.

21. What else? A key feature in the Improving Schools Plan
Inputting into the Early Years and Care Project
Liaising with other key policies, for example Families First
Implementation Plan to implement the 20 priorities outlined by the Minister in his ‘Teaching Makes a Difference’ speech. This means that actions to achieve outcomes are reported to the Minister on a monthly basis.

22. What does work? Sutton Trust Toolkit High Impact / Low Cost, eg:
feedback on performance against learning goals
Learning to learn (metacognition)
Peer tutoring
Low Impact / High Cost, eg:
After school programmes
Teaching Assistants
One important resource tool for teachers and schools which does have a proven track record is the Sutton Trust Toolkit, and as you will have seen, I’m delighted that todays programme of speakers also includes Robbie Coleman from the Sutton trust. Robbie will of course tell you much more about this excellent resource but briefly:
Feedback = + 9 months
Homework is shown to have a positive impact (+ 5 months), but after school programmes less so (+ 2 months) – possibly because some after school programmes are no more than a child minding service without structured learning.
Teaching Assistants – 0 month, but is what most schools spend their PDG on. Can have some positive impact on perception and attitude.
Parental engagement less conclusive – clear evidence that positive parental support improves outcomes, but less robust evidence on the efficacy of programmes to increase parental engagement.

23. What Do Effective Schools Do?
Estyn found that effective schools:
adopt whole school strategies
use data intelligently
take a holistic approach to skills development
give pupils a reason to want to turn up, be punctual and behave
engage parents and carers
develop staff
Whole school approach: Not applying measures to improve outcomes indiscriminately across the school, as with RAISE, but consistent references to disadvantage in policies, targets for improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Data: Track progress against learning targets and target interventions
Holistic approach: Focus on literacy and learning skills (metacognition), but also on social and emotional skills.
Reason to turn up: tailor the curriculum to the needs of disadvantaged learners (G&T resource), listen to and include learners (pupil surveys etc) and extracurricular activities – eg trips, clubs and activities
Engage parents and carers: work face to face (eg EMAS and TES) – but see Sutton Trust comments.
Develop Staff: Not just training, but sharing best practice, classroom observation and performance management objectives

24. What about Consortia?
“I believe that the fragmentation of education following local government reform was damaging to our education system. The capacity simply wasn’t there.”
Leighton Andrews:
‘Teaching Makes a Difference, One Year On’

25. Consortia and Local Authorities
Consortia have a role in bringing about improvement through their action plans to support schools in Bands 4 and 5
They will be expected to facilitate best practice in schools
Consortia and Local Authorities must make sure they know how well their schools are performing
They must invest in skills and provide other support to schools to enable them to improve where necessary
Use their powers to intervene where schools are not performing adequately
Consortia, local authorities and schools must invest in skills and abilities of teachers through continuous professional development linked to School Improvement Priorities and based on development objectives identified through performance management systems

26. Thank You
Dr Brett Pugh, Director of the School Standards and Workforce Group, Welsh Government
I hope my presentation today has demonstrated that we now have well established policies that are having a significant impact on whole school improvement, quality of teaching and the curriculum. Poverty and inequality can be and will be confronted head on by our school system. The Pupil Deprivation Grant enables our schools and practitioners to put their creative and innovative ideas into action within a system wide infrastructure of local authorities and other partners.
We are investing in a range of programmes which tackle the effects of poverty. Our Pupil Deprivation Grant is focussed on improving pupil outcomes - and particularly in literacy and numeracy.
However, if we are going to succeed in making a lasting impact on tackling pupil deprivation and raising the attainment of the children of Wales’ poorest families, we are going to need to harness the energy of all. The Welsh Government will continue to play its part in the areas where only it can act and will make it a priority. But we will need the ideas and the skill of Consortia, the local knowledge of local authorities and health service professionals, the input and energy of voluntary and community sectors and local business, as well as of course the commitment of everyone in this room to hold us to account. It is up to us to make the system deliver for all our children and young people.  26 26