PACA's Progress: Cultivating Inclusion and Transforming Culture

A: So, let's start by painting a picture of the PACA cohort. It's an average-sized school, according to the IDSR data. But what truly sets it apart is its unique selling proposition: it's a smaller setting, fostering a greater sense of belonging for students.

B: That smaller setting definitely sounds like a key factor in their approach. And digging into the demographics, we see that deprivation is quite widespread there. The IDACI figures show 21.2% in the bottom 20% and 34.7% in the bottom 30%.

A: Yes, it's a significant indicator. And along with that, the Pupil Premium numbers are on the rise, now sitting at 32.93%. More profoundly, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities cohort is increasing dramatically. Overall, it's 31.2% across the school, but Year 7 alone is at 35.6%.

B: That jump in SEND, especially in Year 7, is substantial. Is there a dominant primary need within that group?

A: The most prevalent primary need is Social, Emotional, and Mental Health, or SEMH. On the flip side, their English as an Additional Language, or EAL, cohort is relatively low, around 7.5-8%. And in terms of staffing, the school boasts high stability, with new vacancies effectively filled by Early Career Teachers.

B: That stability in staffing is valuable, especially considering the cohort's needs. Let's pivot now to the academic outcomes. The P8 and A8 results for 2025 are quite interesting. The overall Progress 8 was 0.21, which puts us quite close to the national average. It's a solid benchmark.

A: That's a good starting point. What mechanisms are driving that? We've seen consistent strength in Science, Maths, and Modern Foreign Languages. It seems our focus on sequential knowledge building and robust teaching in those areas is really paying off.

B: Indeed. However, the data also shows some clear challenges. English, particularly at grade 5+, and some of our Open Bucket subjects like Art and Music, aren't performing as strongly. There's also a recurring issue with extended writing proficiency at Key Stage 3.

A: And that ties directly into our curriculum intent, which is ambitious, broad, and balanced. We aim for incremental knowledge acquisition across all subjects. The challenge is ensuring that ambitious intent translates consistently everywhere, especially with those complex skills like extended writing.

B: Precisely. The curriculum delivery, especially our 'core offer' developed with the local SEND team, uses strategies to reduce cognitive load, with that consistent 'I-We-You' teaching model. But despite these efforts, significant achievement gaps persist: a -0.72 P8 for SEND learners and a -0.42 for Pupil Premium students in 2025.

A: Those persistent achievement gaps certainly highlight areas for continued focus. However, I understand that after the complexities of the pandemic, 2022 also saw a real spike in incidents, particularly around behavior, which unfortunately impacted community perception of the school by 2023. That must have been a tough period.

B: It truly was. Our strategic response focused heavily on re-engaging positively with the community and really embedding relational practice among staff. It was about rebuilding trust and consistent support.

A: And those efforts seem to have paid off dramatically. The data shows suspensions plummeted to less than one-sixth of the previous year's rate in 2024-25, and detention completion went from under 50% to over 70%. That's remarkable.

B: We're very proud of those figures. Our inclusion strategy, driven by the Pupil Premium approach, was key. Identifying students on a 'high-needs list' and using fortnightly triage meetings allowed us to target support precisely where it was most needed.

A: So, it wasn't just about managing incidents, but fundamentally shifting the culture. Could you elaborate on how those '4 elements of respect' and scripted routines contributed to that?

B: Absolutely. Those elements provide a clear framework. Scripted routines ensure consistency, and the focus on early help and alternatives to exclusion means we intervene proactively, rather than reactively, building a genuinely positive environment.