The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.
“It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per Free School Meal pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.”
Source - DfE website
The Pupil Premium is a government initiative that targets extra money at pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Research shows that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds underachieve compared to their non-disadvantaged peers. The premium is provided to enable these pupils to be supported to reach their potential.
The Government has used pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM), looked after children and service children as indicators of deprivation, and have provided a fixed amount of money for schools per pupil based on the number of pupils registered for FSM over a rolling six year period. At St Mary and St Chad First School, we will be using the indicator of those eligible for FSM as well as identified vulnerable groups as our target children to increase attainment.
At St Mary and St Chad First School, we have high aspirations and ambitions for our children and we believe that no child should be left behind. We strongly believe that it is not about where you come from but your passion and thirst for knowledge and your dedication and commitment to learning that make the difference between success and failure.
We are determined to ensure that our children are given every chance to realise their full potential. Pupil Premium funding, along with allocations made from the schools own budget, will help ensure this money is spent to maximum effect.
Information to be published to parents
In place of the current requirements regarding information about Pupil Premium expenditure, schools are now required to publish their Pupil Premium Strategy. This should include:
2. The academic year (2022/2023 report see the bottom of the page)
How will the school measure the impact of the Pupil Premium?
To monitor progress on attainment, new measures have been included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. At St Mary and St Chad First School, the usual cycle of data collection and the monitoring and tracking of the cohort’s attainment will be used to inform pupil progress and enable the early identification of need, support and appropriate intervention. Review meetings will take place at each term and will include a member of senior management and teachers. Teachers and teaching assistants regularly to analyse the progress and attainment of pupils.
At these reviews, the school will review the impact of actions taken and will plan for how the funding will be specifically allocated over the next phase. When selecting pupils for Pupil Premium target groups, the school will look at all pupils across the school. There are some pupils who are not eligible for Pupil Premium who will benefit from these groups if their needs are similar and we believe progress can be made towards individual targets.
Pupil Premium funding and the impact of this is a regular item on the governors’ meetings.
Designated staff member in charge: Mrs Sandra Lamond
Nominated governor: Mr Kevin Maycock
Financial Allocations
Schools receive the following funding for each child registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years:
adoption, a special guardianship order,a child arrangements order or a residence order
If a pupil has been registered as eligible for free school meals and has also left local-authority care for any of the reasons above, they will attract the £2,410 rate.
Eligibility for Pupil Premium
A parent may wish to check their child's eligibility for Pupil Premium or continued free school meals (from Key Stage 2). See the Staffordshire County Council website for more details.
Eligibility Criteria
Parents in England do not have to pay for school meals if they receive any of the following:
Pupil Premium is an important payment for schools and a really good opportunity for eligible parents to get even more support for their children in schools.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about Pupil Premium funding and how it is being used to benefit your child, please speak to the headteacher.
If you think your child may possibly be eligible for free school meals, even if you do not want your child to eat school meals, please call into the office for more information. Every child who is eligible generates valuable income for the school.