Purpose

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The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their more advantaged peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

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In most cases the Pupil Premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.

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For pupils from low-income families in non-mainstream settings, it is for the local authority to decide how to allocate the Pupil Premium. For instance it could be allocated to the setting where they are being educated, or held by the local authority to spend specifically on additional educational support to raise the standard of attainment for these pupils. The authority must consult non-mainstream settings about how the Premium for these pupils should be used.

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Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However they will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families. New measures will be included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those deprived pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. From September 2012, schools were also required to publish online information about how they have used the Premium. This will ensure that parents and others are made fully aware of the attainment of pupils covered by the Premium.

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The Government also provides schools with information about strategies and interventions which can improve the progress and attainment of pupils from poorer backgrounds.

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Key Facts

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The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for FSM in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months.

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The level of the premium in 2021–22 is £955 per pupil for pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and for pupils in care who have been continuously looked after for six months. It will increase to £985 per pupil in 2022–23.

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The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011, and paid to local authorities by means of a specific grant based on January 2011 school census figures for pupils registered as eligible for FSM in reception to Year 11. For looked after children, the Pupil Premium was calculated using the Children Looked After data returns (SSDA903).

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The Pupil Premium was also paid to academies via the Young Peoples’ Learning Agency. (YPLA)

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Local authorities are responsible for looked after children in care and will make payments to schools and academies where an eligible looked after child is on roll.

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How we use the Pupil Premium

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We provide each child eligible for pupil premium with a bespoke package of support, tailored to their own needs and requirements. We look holistically at each child and work collaboratively with parents/carers to ensure the most appropriate package of support for each individual.

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Research detailed by the Education Endowment Foundation about the efficacy of interventions in the context of Pupil Premium was referred to when we made decisions about which to deliver in the context of our school.

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Pupil premium funding for each individual child is put towards the costs of providing support with interventions such as:

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• Effective feedback on pupil performance
  This means that we have trained our teaching staff to use marking and verbal feedback to children in such a way that it helps them to understand what they have learnt and what they need to do next to make good or better progress.

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• Development of peer feedback and support
  We have trained and developed staff skills, in order to support our children giving each other constructive feedback on their work. We have also introduced the practice of ‘peer tuition’, where older pupils support the learning of younger pupils.

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• Early Years’ Intervention
  This is to ensure that the majority of children are operating at an age-related level, in all core subject areas by the end of their Reception year.

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• One to one or small group tuition
  This is provided for pupils who are not making good or better progress in literacy and mathematics.

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• Speech and Language support
  Our Inclusion department works with children who need support in developing their speech and communication skills, and follows specialised programmes.

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• Enrichment of the curriculum
  We have introduced a school to school development programme with our sister school to support pupils’ engagement in their learning.

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• Numeracy and literacy interventions

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• Mentoring enabling tailored support

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• Parent/carer Support
  Our Head of Inclusion, along with our Head of Primary, work with our most vulnerable families in ensuring that pupils attend school every day and offers support for those children whose behaviour or emotional needs are impacting on their learning. We offer a programme of Family Workshops to parents and carers to help them support their child with their homework in targeted areas of reading, writing and mathematics. The Head of Inclusion regularly holds parent clinics and communicates with parents/carers via regular newsletters, which focus on whole school development areas.

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• Parental choice
  This element of the fund is allocated following communication with the parents/carers.

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• Teaching Assistant Support
  We use highly skilled Teaching Assistants to support groups of children with a range of need, in order to improve their attitudes toward school and learning.

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• Nurture Groups
  In the primary phase, we have invested in a trained, creative therapist to work with our children through a specialised developmental programme.

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• Pupil Progress Meetings
  We hold termly meetings with staff in each class to discuss the progress of each child in reading, writing and maths. These meetings are used to plan and evaluate interventions for children at risk, who might not make at least good or better progress and/or achieve their age-related levels at the end of the year.

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• Technology
  We have recently purchased a variety of technological aids for use in the classrooms. These act to motivate our learners and improve access to learning.

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• Support with Trips

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• Support with music lessons

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• Extra-curricular activities