Understanding Financial Benchmarking for Our School

We are committed to transparency and accountability in managing our school's finances. As part of this commitment, we are required to publish a link to the Department for Education (DfE) financial benchmarking tool. This tool allows you to see how our school's income and expenditure compare with other schools across England.

What is Financial Benchmarking?

Financial benchmarking is a process that helps schools compare their financial data with similar institutions. By doing this, schools can identify areas where they are performing well and areas where they might need to improve. This comparison helps ensure that resources are being used effectively to support the best possible educational outcomes for our students.

Why is it Important?

• Transparency: It provides a clear view of how our school is managing its finances.
• Accountability: It helps us ensure that we are using public funds responsibly.
• Improvement: By comparing our data with other schools, we can learn from best practices and make informed decisions to enhance our financial management.

How Can You Access This Information?

You can access the DfE financial benchmarking tool through the following link: Schools Financial Benchmarking - Hook Junior School. This tool allows you to explore detailed financial information about our school and compare it with other schools in England.

You can use this tool to gain a better understanding of how our school is performing financially. Your engagement and feedback are invaluable as we strive to provide the best possible education for our pupils.

Blooket Sets

Use these Blooket sets with your class:

What is an ELSA?

An ELSA is an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. They are a specialist teaching assistant with a wealth of experience working with children. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists.

An ELSA is a warm and caring person who wants to help your child feel happy in school and to reach their potential educationally. Their aim is to build your child’s emotional development and help them cope with life’s challenges. The ELSA will help your child to find solutions to any problems you may have.

Please do talk to Miss Carne, via the school office, if you have any concerns about your child.

Individual Session

Your child will be offered 6 sessions initially and they can vary in time, according to the needs of your child. The ELSA will plan their sessions for your child very carefully. The session consists of several parts. The ELSA will plan the activity to a SMART learning target. For example, your child might have low self-esteem so the ELSA will work on your child’s strengths. The ELSA will encourage your child to talk about their talents or personal characteristics such as ‘kind’, ‘caring’, ‘helpful’ or ‘brave’. The child may then make something to reinforce those strengths. Your child will be able to reflect on the session and realise they have lots of strengths and talents which will boost their self-esteem.

Group Session

Your child will be offered 6 sessions initially and they can vary in time according to the needs of your child. The ELSA will plan the group sessions for your child very carefully.

• Emotional Check In: This is an opportunity to talk about feelings.
• Warm Up Activity: A fun game or activity to help all of the children.
• Main Activity: This is similar to the individual session but your child will be encouraged to work with other children. This helps with co- operation, social skills, friendship and gives a sense of belonging. A SMART target will be set for the group of children.
• Review: Your child will be able to reflect on the session and talk about what they have learnt.

ELSA Support Benefits

ELSA support can benefit pupils who are:

• Experiencing loss and / or bereavement
• Struggling to regulate their emotions
• Have low self-esteem
• Have limited social skills
• Experiencing friendship issues
• Are experiencing relationships anxiety
• Managing strong feelings

For more information, and for an informal discussion, please contact the school office by phone (01256 762 468) or by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).