Dear Parent / Carers,
Thank you for finding out more about Pupil Premium. If your child is currently eligible for Pupil Premium Funding, I would like to take this opportunity to explain how the funding the school receives for your child is used. The school also has a Pupil Premium Strategy, which can be found in the link below, this outlines our rationale for ensuring all children's needs are met across the school and the steps we take to ensure that children receiving Pupil Premium Funding make good progress both academically and personally. If you wish to request a copy, please let the School Office know.
In April 2011, the Government introduced the Pupil Premium. This additional funding was allocated to children from low-income families who were known to be eligible for Free School Meals in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who had been in Local Authority Care continuously for more than six months.
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 and those who are not, by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the students who need it most. Since its introduction, the eligibility criteria has expanded to include pupils from Service families and pupils who do not currently receive Free School Meals but have done so previously within the past six years. This provision is known as ‘Ever-6’. For those students who are under the care of the local authority or have been adopted from care on or after 30 December 2005, the school receives £2345 to support their progress.
Money received for Pupil Premium is not ring-fenced for each child. It is used to invest in resources and learning programmes, which are delivered to whole classes as part of the ‘High Quality First Teaching’ approach. This ensures that all children receive an excellent education. This will in turn support your child in making progress.
We strongly believe that children’s emotional well-being is vitally important for success. Funding is also used in providing pastoral care for children in ways such as training for all school staff. This means that all classrooms are a safe and nurturing place in which to be. A member of staff is also employed solely for this purpose and children receive support in small groups or as a 1-1. This can be a regular intervention or on a more ad hoc basis, as and when children need this help.
You will be aware that we also use the money to support children in other ways. This may be helping to provide school uniform or paying for enrichment activities such as clubs or school trips. This is only agreed where we feel that the child would really benefit and support them in having opportunities that would not otherwise be open to them.
As the funding is used in a wider context, there may be occasions where we are not able to agree to use money to pay for activities or other opportunities. However, you should be reassured that the way that the funding is used in our school will mean that your child continues to have the best possible education and make the most progress they can.
We typically spend Pupil Premium funding on the following things:
· Nurture sessions and 'Wobble' clubs
· After school Club (as Covid regulations allow)
· Uniform (PE kit and School Uniform)
· School swimming lessons
· School trips, including residential visits
· School Visitors, such as The Viking Experience Day and author visits
· Mentoring
· A school musical instrument (ukulele or recorder) or funding towards music lessons in school
· Pastoral training for all staff
- Language links to develop oracy
- Initiatives to improve attendance
- Pastoral and well-being resources
The Purpose of Pupil Premium
Key Facts
Even if you choose not to have a school dinner, the Pupil Premium will benefit the pupil and the school. The link below will take you to further information about Free School Meals and an application from. There is also information about who is eligible for FSM.