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20th May 2013 - How to show Catch Up® is an effective use of your Pupil Premium

Catch Up Blog

More money than you know what to do with?? Well, not quite, but wisely spending Pupil Premium (PP) (or, in Wales, the PDG – Pupil Deprivation Grant) is a time-consuming responsibility, especially as use of that money is included in the performance tables and must also be published online. Schools need to have evidence that they are spending the money on initiatives that will really benefit those disadvantaged pupils.

So how does Catch Up® fit in?

Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy have statistical evidence of their impact at an individual pupil level, with average ratio gains of 2.2+. (So we know it works!) But it is also easy to calculate the costs per pupil, around £130. (So we know it’s good value!) This also means that it’s dead easy to show that PP money spent on Catch Up® is using it to good effect.

How can progress be reported to Ofsted/Estyn for an individual pupil?

Let’s call her Jane. Jane’s TA attended Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy training and Jane received Catch Up® Literacy support for two 15-minute sessions per week.

What did Jane’s literacy progress look like?

Jane started on Catch Up® at the end of Year 2, when she was a low 2c in writing and a low 2b in reading. By the end of Year 3, after a year of Catch Up®, Jane achieved 2a in writing and 2b in reading. Catch Up® Literacy was halted but, importantly, Jane’s progress was not:

  • End of Year 4: 3c in writing and reading

  • End of Year 5: 3a for both and …

  • End of Year 6: 4a in writing and reading


Not bad for a summer-born pupil with a record of low motivation and self-esteem and poor attendance! With Jane’s success in literacy on track by the end of Year 3, the school started her on Catch Up® Numeracy. She had 2 x 15-minute Catch Up® Numeracy sessions throughout Years 4 & 5 and Teacher Assessments at the end of Year 6 revealed she was performing at NC 4a+.

Importantly, the school used this as a case study for Ofsted as evidence of prudent use of Pupil Premium.

So, as they say, ‘do the maths’ (or, if necessary, do the Catch Up® Literacy as well!)

Dee Reid, Catch Up® Consultant and Approved Trainer

Read more about Ofsted and the Pupil Premium in Trevor Hawes’ Keynote speech at our recent 'Overcoming disadvantage' conference.

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