The DfE has allocated £650 million nationally to schools to be spent on ensuring all students have access to catch-up and supporting schools to enable them to do so.The DfE has also set out the following Curriculum Expectations, to ensure that all pupils – particularly disadvantaged, SEND and vulnerable pupils – are given the catch-up support needed to make substantial progress by the end of the academic year.

Education is not optional

All pupils receive a high-quality education that promotes their development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

The curriculum remains broad and ambitious

All pupils continue to be taught a wide range of subjects, maintaining their choices for further study and employment.

Remote education

DfE asks that schools meet the following key expectations:

1. Teach an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term, but make use of existing flexibilities to create time to cover the most important missed content…In particular, schools may consider how all subjects can contribute to the filling of gaps in core knowledge, for example through an emphasis on reading.
2. Aim to return to the school’s normal curriculum in all subjects by summer term 2021.
3. Plan on the basis of the educational needs of pupils. Curriculum planning should be informed by an assessment of pupils’ starting points and addressing the gaps in their knowledge and skills.
4. Develop remote education so that it is integrated into school curriculum planning.

Schools should set out how they will allocate the additional funding to support curriculum recovery this academic year. The EEF guidance suggests a 3-tiered* approach:

• High-quality teaching for all
• Effective diagnostic assessment
• Supporting remote learning
• Focusing on professional development

• High-quality one to one and small group tuition
• Teaching Assistants and targeted support
• Academic tutoring
• Planning for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

• Supporting pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural needs
• Planning carefully for adopting a Social and Emotional Learning curriculum
• Communicating with and supporting parents
• Supporting parents with pupils of different ages
• Successful implementation in challenging times
• Ofsted will conduct interim visits to schools between 28 September and December 2020 and will discuss with school leaders how they are ensuring that pupils resume learning the school’s curriculum, including contingency planning for the use of remote education and the use of catch-up funding.

The allocation of the catch-up funding at King James’s School will be done on an ongoing basis across the academic year as new needs are identified in a changing national landscape of fluctuating case rates, track and trace isolation events and periods of national lockdown/ school closures. The Catch-up premium coordinator will liaise with the Headteacher, Leadership Team, Heads of Department, Pastoral Leads and other relevant school staff to identify and provide for these needs as and when they arise.  As such, this document will be updated at periodic intervals.