The mission of Queen Elizabeth’s School is to produce young men who are confident, able and responsible, and this applies equally to all pupils irrespective of their socio-economic background. Our aspirations for, and expectations of, our disadvantaged pupils are every bit as ambitious as for the cohort as a whole.
We aim for pupils to achieve outstanding academic results and progress to some of the most prestigious and competitive higher educational institutions and career paths. We expect and support them to be fully active members of the School community, participating in and contributing to the extra-curricular life of the School, embracing the many opportunities for personal development. We intend that all pupils leave us ready to take their place in the world as well-adjusted young men, prepared to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Whilst our ultimate objectives are the same for all pupils, our approach aims to be responsive to individual needs. This is enabled by bespoke academic and pastoral support for all pupils, with access to further interventions as required.
As a wholly selective school, admitting pupils on the basis of their academic ability alone, there should not initially be a significant ‘attainment gap’ to close between those pupils who qualify for pupil premium support and those who do not. We must, however, be alert to the possibility that the progress of pupils coming from a background of relative disadvantage may not be as rapid as that of their peers unless measures are taken to support them throughout their school career. At Queen Elizabeth’s, pupil premium funds are therefore directed towards those interventions and activities which are shown by research to be particularly effective in accelerating the progress of such pupils. The basis of this evidence is the list of approaches drawn up by the Education Endowment Foundation, administered by the Sutton Trust. A selection of these measures are supplemented by investment in digital technology to facilitate teaching, targeted support and engagement. The effectiveness of the support provided is monitored continuously through our system of bespoke tutorials, in which form tutors check and discuss the progress and involvement of each pupil on an individual basis, and through the measures included in the annual Analyse School Performance report for the School, in which the performance of disadvantaged pupils is compared to the other pupils in the cohort.
In this work, the School is conscious of the importance of supporting the growth of cultural capital in our pupils, alongside academic outcomes, to best prepare them for the next step of their lives.