Pupil Premium

Strategy Statement

School Name: Malden Oaks School and Tuition Service

Academic Year: 2025–26

Next Review Date: October/November 2026

Pupil Premium Lead: Ayse Meliz (Deputy Headteacher)

Governor Lead: Jill Braun

Context of the school

Malden Oaks is a specialist SEMH provision for students aged 11‑19 from Kingston upon Thames and Richmond (Malden Oaks School & Tuition Service)
In the latest published data, approximately 45.8 % of students are eligible for free school meals (FSM), indicating a significant proportion of disadvantaged students (Get Information about Schools)
As a pupil referral unit, many students present with complex social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH), and some are dual‑registered or receiving tuition off‑site (Ofsted)
The school has recently been rated “Good” overall by Ofsted (Sept 2023) with “Outstanding” for Behaviour and Attitudes (Ofsted Reports)
Our aims include supporting students to re‑engage with education, attain qualifications (GCSE/A‑Level) and develop positive personal skills for adulthood.

Disadvantaged pupil profile

Disadvantaged students include those eligible for FSM at any time in the last six years, looked‑after children, children adopted from care, and students supported by social services.
Many disadvantaged students at Malden Oaks also have SEMH needs, attendance issues, prior exclusion, or disrupted school experience.
The strategic use of Pupil Premium funding must therefore be aligned with our specialist context: not only academic catch‑up but also engagement, emotional regulation, attendance, behaviour for learning and personal development.

The key challenges for our disadvantaged students

Students who have experienced lower attendance and higher rates of fixed‑term exclusion in previous settings prior to Malden Oaks. This is compared to non‑disadvantaged peers, limiting access to high-quality teaching.
Gaps in core literacy and numeracy skills on entry, reflecting disrupted prior schooling, make access to the secondary curriculum more difficult.
Engagement in learning: some students struggle to sustain effort, self‑regulate behaviour, manage relationships, and access more complex work.
Reduced opportunities for wider enrichment (educational trips, extra‑curricular, mentoring) having had spells out of education, lowering aspiration and social capital.
Emotional and social barriers to learning: SEMH needs, trauma, low self‑esteem, less developed resilience or growth‑mindset orientation.

Our intended outcomes for disadvantaged students

Improved attendance and reduction in absence for disadvantaged students to match or close the gap with non‑disadvantaged students.
Disadvantaged students make accelerated progress in literacy and numeracy such that they are able to access and complete GCSE / A‑Level courses, narrowing the attainment gap when compared to peers.
Disadvantaged students develop stronger engagement with school, show improved attitude to learning, and are reintegrated into mainstream or progress into positive destinations.
Increased access to enrichment, mentoring, and personal development opportunities for disadvantaged students, enhancing cultural capital, aspiration and post‑school outcomes.
Emotional, social and mental health needs of disadvantaged students are well supported through evidence‑based provision so that these needs do not act as a barrier to learning.

Measurement of impact - We will measure impact for all students through the following:

Attendance of disadvantaged students (termly and year‑end)
Progress in literacy and numeracy (from baseline assessments to termly review) of disadvantaged students.
GCSE / A‑Level attainment and progress of disadvantaged students (including % achieving a pass in key subjects).
Participation rates in enrichment/mentoring programmes by disadvantaged students.
Student voice surveys: sense of belonging, engagement, and aspirations among disadvantaged students.
Destination data: proportion of disadvantaged students moving into positive destinations (further education, training, employment) by end of year.

Governance and oversight

The education subcommittee meets termly to scrutinise outcomes, spend and strategy adjustments.
The senior leadership team will track disadvantaged pupil data and report to the management committee as requested.
The Pupil Premium Strategy will be published on the school website and reviewed annually.

Statistics

Stats for 2024/25:

92 students eligible for FSM in the last 6 years
11 students currently in LA care
11 students ever in LA care
99 total students eligible for pupil premium funding
We received £72,630 in pupil premium funding

Current stats for 2025/6:

71 students are eligible for FSM in the last 6 years
11 students are currently in LA care
11 students ever in LA care
78 total students eligible for pupil premium funding
We expect to be allocated £112,645 by the end of March next year
Calculating numbers is a challenge; unlike mainstream schools, we have a large number of students starting mid-year and not all information on their previous history of free school meals is obtained when they start.

Strategic approach – how we’ll use the Pupil Premium funding 2025‑26

Challenge number	Details of the challenge
1	Inconsistent school history - Students have often had multiple school moves and/or lengthy absences. These may be as a result of illness, mental health needs, suspensions, poor engagement and/or family circumstances. This lack of continuity means that students are likely to experience gaps in their learning. This in turn can lead to a lack of confidence which can exacerbate existing learning and/or SEMH needs.
2	Insecure and poor attachments - Some students have difficulties in forming and maintaining positive and secure relationships with key adults. These difficulties lead to students struggling to trust those around them which can negatively impact on their ability to take risks with their learning and social interactions.
3	Uncertainty of long-term plans (specifically KS3) - Most students are placed whilst longer-term placements are sought. This can lead to students being reluctant to invest fully in learning or developing attachments.
4	Inconsistency with GCSE Programme - KS4 students may join partway through either Year 10 or Year 11, meaning they may have to switch between different subjects and/or specifications. This disruption can be difficult to manage.

Intended outcomes

This explains the outcomes we are aiming for by the end of our current strategy plan, and how we will measure whether they have been achieved.

Intended outcome	Success criteria
Students feel a sense of belonging to Malden Oaks.	Students (through student voice) and parents/carers (through parent survey and verbal feedback in reviews) continue to report a high level of satisfaction. Many KS3 students and parents continue to state a preference for Malden Oaks as their named placement at KS4.
Students are exceptionally well-supported to move on to the next stage of education, employment and training.	Our NEET figures remain exceptionally low in comparison to national AP averages of around 50%. Our rates were 8% for 2025 and 4% in 2024.
Students to be supported to fill the gaps in their learning resulting from an inconsistent school history and/or the impact of the pandemic.	Students continue to achieve exceptional academic success in comparison to national AP averages.

Activity in this academic year

This details how we intend to spend our pupil premium (and recovery premium funding) this academic year to address the challenges listed above.

Teaching (for example, CPD, recruitment and retention)

Budgeted cost: £50,000

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Smaller group teaching for specific students. Our usual group size is 5 - 6. Some students benefit from an even smaller group for some specific subjects.	EP Endorsed History of success	1/2/3/4
EP Hours- used for staff training and consultations	Our allocated EP specialises in CME (Children Missing Education) and so we make use of his expertise for staff supervision and consultation,	1/2/3/4
Realignment of responsibilities to provide a renewed focus on the whole school leadership of core subjects and curriculum continuity.	Malden Oaks has a history of recruiting experienced, subject specialist teachers. This approach has resulted in academic results which are exceptional in comparison to national averages for AP settings. This year, we aim to ensure that this expertise is disseminated more widely, to develop even better links between key stages and between different parts of our provision. This year, the timetable has been designed to allow all staff to be off teaching on a Tuesday till 10.30 am, allowing them to work collaboratively to improve curriculum continuity.	1/4

Targeted academic support (for example, tutoring, one-to-one support, structured interventions)

Budgeted cost: £ 30,000

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
KS4 Mentoring Project	The majority of this cost is met through the Mayor of London’s fund, but in order to maximise the impact, we are using PPG funding to ensure EP support/supervision for teachers delivering the intervention	1/2/4
KS3 Transition Work	Case studies from previous years evidence that the support we provide to settle KS3 students into their destination schools has a significant impact on their successful transition and longer-term outcomes.	2/3
KS4 to 6Oaks Transition work	The previous years shows evidence that the support we provide to settle 6Oaks students early has a significant impact on their successful transition and longer-term outcomes.	1/2/4

Wider strategies (for example, related to attendance, behaviour, wellbeing)

Budgeted cost: £40,000

Activity	Evidence that supports this approach	Challenge number(s) addressed
Pet Therapy	EPS endorsed Evidence-based therapy	1/2
Targeted Engagement	We have an engagement lead who works across the school with students at home and/or in the community, using an approach that meets them at their starting point. Our provisions have a growing number of staff who specilise in engagement who work with families/key adults. This approach has already resulted in students moving from very poor engagement to being able to attend a school setting and participate in group teaching.	1/2
Enrichment activities	Educational visits, Duke of Edinburgh, outdoor education, cultural capital experiences targeted at PP students. Parental engagement programmes (coffee mornings, home‑school links) focused on disadvantaged families. Transition support for PP students into post‑16 destinations and careers.	1/2/3/4

Review of previous year (2024‑25)

The Outcomes for pupil premium students are well above the national average for AP schools. These are documented on our website
Students transitioned much better into KS4 from Lower School and Tuition
More disadvantaged students who were struggling in Upper School (KS4) were moved to Tuition, where their needs were better but and safeguarding was maintained better in smaller groups and more bespoke offers.
The number of pupil premium students who took part if the Duke of Edinburgh award increased
The coffee mornings were a huge success in all provisions. Parents reported feeling supported and building connections with each other, including setting up their own WhatsApp support groups.

Summary
At Malden Oaks we view all students as being disadvantaged. We recognise that our disadvantaged students often face multiple barriers to success, including educational, social, emotional and behavioural. The Pupil Premium funding will be used strategically to ensure that disadvantaged students can access excellent teaching, personalised academic support and enrichment/engagement opportunities that build their skills, resilience and aspirations. Through rigorous monitoring, focused provision and whole‑school commitment, we aim to narrow the gap in outcomes and equip our students for positive futures.