What is it?
The pupil premium is an extra budget, in addition to main school funding. The DfE believes that this is the best way to address the current attainment gaps between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and other students. This funding is designed to help close the gaps by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most. The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’).
Why has it been introduced?
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 wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Whilst schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit, we are required to publish online information about how we have used the Premium and the impact it is having. Pupil Premium Plus is also awarded for children who have been in Local Authority care for 24 hours or more at any point in their life.
Who receives the Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school from Reception to Year 11. They must come from low income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’), together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more. Pupil Premium at Portland Spencer Academy We believe that our Pupil Premium funding should only be spent if it has a great impact for our children, and challenges the attainment gap. We base our decision making on our values ASPIRE and on evidence based research, particularly the EFF toolkit and Sutton Trust research. We have used the ‘model of success’ and the seven building blocks for successfully raising attainment for disadvantaged thinking to develop excellent practice. We were commended for our whole school approach to Pupil Premium, at the success of our interventions and for the taking a ‘whole’ child view to raising aspirations and attainment.
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. As a result, our strategies will focus on ensuring all children, but particularly 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. 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. Our strategies will focus on improving disadvantaged children’s access to a wide variety of life experiences and extra-curricular activities.
What are we spending our Pupil Premium on this year?
- Professional development for all staff, at all levels, to establish high quality teaching and learning and robust assessment systems which lead to swift and timely interventions where and when needed.
- Personalised intervention programmes and nurture groups (working to improve the children’s social, emotional and mental well-being).
- 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.
- Subsidised (often free) trips and extra-curricular activities to widen our children’s experiences and horizons.