The Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM). The premium is provided in order to support these pupils in reaching their potential. Pupil premium funding is also given to the school for those children who have received FSM within the last 6 years, service children, children who are within the care of the local authority, adopted or receive special guardianship.
The Government have deployed a fixed amount of money to schools per pupil, based on the number of pupils registered for free school meals or who qualify for any of the above. The Government do not dictate how schools should spend this money but are clear that schools need to employ strategies that they know will support pupils to increase their attainment, and ‘narrow the gap’.
What are our main barriers to disadvantaged children’s progress?
- Many children have gaps in their learning and are generally well below age related expectations when they start school. So our strategies will focus on ensuring all disadvantaged children receive consistently high quality personalised teaching and learning that ensures they make accelerated progress.
- Many children have gaps in their vocabulary and are not as confident to take on new challenges or overcome barriers to learning difficulties. So our strategies will focus on improving disadvantaged children’s independence, resilience, confidence and vocabulary.
- Our other strategies will focus on working with parents, improving parental knowledge and strategies to support disadvantaged children as well as improving the parents’ and pupils’ attendance and engagement.
- Many children have limited access to wider life and extra-curricular activities further limiting their vocabulary and confidence to take part in new activities and take on board new ideas. So our strategies will focus on improving disadvantaged children’s access to a wide variety of life experiences and extra-curricular activities.
Pupil premium funding must be used for purposes which supporting closing of the attainment gap between eligible and non-eligible pupils. Examples of the uses of the pupil premium in Spencer Academies Trust schools include:
- Additional one-to-one and small-group support for eligible children
- Funding extra teaching assistants to work with classes
- Supporting delivery of catch-up and booster sessions before and after school
- Running a breakfast club to improve attendance
- Funding additional help such as speech and language therapy or family community support
The free school meal eligibility form can be accessed in the school office. Completing the eligibility criteria allows an application to be made on behalf of parents who believe that their child may have the right to pupil premium funding. Pop in to school if you need help completing this.
What are we spending our Pupil Premium on this year?
- The majority of our spending is on additional teaching assistants to support in classes; with personalised intervention programmes and nurture groups (working to improve the children’s social, emotional and mental well-being).
- Professional development for the staff to establish high quality teaching; raise awareness; develop and present personalise pupil support programmes and to focus progress tracking.
- Improved provision and inclusion for vulnerable children and families.
- Strategies to improve parental knowledge and support for home learning.
- Strategies to improve parental engagement and pupil attendance.
- To increase access to all our school has provides.
