Pupil Premium

What the Pupil Premium (PP) means to us and where did it come from?

All our children who are currently on Free School Meals (FSM) or have at some time been on FSM will be registered on the Department for Educations (DfE) Ever 6 list in order to distribute additional funding to schools in the form of the PP. Government statistics show that children on the ever 6 register frequently have lower educational attainment than those that have never been eligible, so they introduced the PP in an aim to close this gap.

Our community does have a high level of deprivation and this funding drastically improves what we can offer our families both in education and family support. We pride ourselves in having the ability to provide additional support for children where needed in the form of grants for uniform, visits and additional resources in classes including one to one interventions and also for supporting the physical, social and health needs of pupils and their families where possible.

What do we use it for?

The Pupil Premium really does allow us to do a lot of things we would not otherwise have the funding to help with, and many people don’t realise what this is for as it is generally used in so many different areas. Some examples are listed below:

• Grants for visits to enhance our children’s experiences
• Uniform assistance grants
• One to one teaching from additional teaching staff, Higher Level Teaching Assistants, Teaching Assistants and specialised staff where needed
• Additional resources for classrooms
• Better facilities to provide our services in
• Additional training for all our staff to improve the whole school community and its educational aims

How much do we get?

The government initially allocates the funding from the number of children on the school roll each January and then finalises these numbers towards the end of the summer term so all our reports are done in the Autumn when we know the final amounts and have time to calculate the total spending and impact it has had on the full academic year it relates to. The government started allocating £623 per eligible pupil in 2011-12 which is now £1480 per pupil. If any child is eligible for FSM, but they don’t apply because they feel they don’t need it or are embarrassed about doing so, we try to tell their family about the overall benefits not just for their child but for the whole school and its community and that there is nothing to be worried about as we do not ‘label’ children FSM because we are an inclusive school.

The main barriers to educational achievement

• Low starting points.
• Language acquisition.
• Punctuality.
• Attendance.
• High SEND.
• SEMH.
• Aspiration.

How will we measure the effect of Pupil Premium?

• Progress/ Narrowing the gap
• Attainment.
• Ambition and Aspiration.
• Positive learning behaviours.

 How to Apply for Free School Meals 

https://www.bradford.gov.uk/benefits/applying-for-benefits/free-school-meals/