Upton Court Grammar offered a summer school provision for all incoming year 7 students. Places were offered to the whole cohort and a total of 155 students accepted, with majority attending on all five days.
The preparations for the summer school activities started well in advance and all students were allocated to the same forms as they would be in coming September. The students thus familiarised themselves with their form groups and with the routines and expectations of a typical day at Upton Court Grammar. The week started with the tours of the premises followed by team building exercises.
The academic sessions provided teachers and students opportunities to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Throughout the week staff delivered meticulously planned sessions on Numeracy, Literacy, Geography, Science, Games Coding/Computing, Art, Drama, Enrichment and a Cross-Curricular project. The sessions on numeracy and literacy identified learning gaps and provided attendees an opportunity to catch up on lost skills dues to COVID related disruptions of the previous year. The last day of the week had various team bonding activities and included inflatables, wall climbing and sports. There was even an ice-cream van for students. A packed lunch was also provided to all students every day of the week.
The effort of students was recognised in the celebration assembly on the last day of the week. Students were given participation certificates and resources on literacy and numeracy to aid learning for the year ahead. The pastoral staff collected vital information on special education needs, as well as any Social and Emotional needs of students, which was passed on to the Head of year 7.
The parents provided an overwhelmingly positive feedback with majority welcoming the return of normalcy as the summer school mimicked the normal school hours and the school timetable. The week also allowed students to make newer friends and reconnect with teaching and learning after disruption caused by national lockdowns.
The summer school was staffed by qualified teachers and teaching assistants from across Pioneer Educational Trust. The costings are as follows:
| Grant from DFE |
£33077.82 |
| Staffing costs |
£24758.30 |
| Lunch for students |
£3957.75 |
| External activities |
4361.77 |
| Total Expenditure |
£33077.82 |
