The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011. It was allocated to children from low-income families who were known to be eligible for free school meals, and children who had been looked after continuously for more than six months. Eligibility for the Pupil Premium for 2012–13 was extended to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as the Ever6 Free School Meals measure). Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and a smaller amount for the children of service personnel and children adopted from care. Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However, they are accountable for how they use the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families and the other target groups.

(Ofsted: The Pupil Premium: How schools are spending the funding successfully to maximise achievement, 2013)

Q: What is Pupil Premium about?

The Pupil Premium Grant (PPG), which is additional to main school funding, is provided to support the learning of pupils who:

• are eligible for free school meals (FSM) now
• have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years (Ever6)
• are or have been looked after in the past 3 years (CLA)
• are children of parents currently working in the armed forces (SERVICE).

The school also receives some additional funding to support children who are registered as Travellers/Gypsy-Roma.

It is for schools to decide how best to use the funding in order to help these children overcome barriers to learning and close any academic gaps with their peers.

Q: What are the typical barriers to learning?

Typical barriers to learning that may be faced by vulnerable pupils in our school include:

• Low language levels when starting EYFS, leading to social communication difficulties, difficulties with reading and writing, which can also limit a child’s ability to access other areas of learning
• Complex family structures, which can lead to family stress, limiting the level of learning support at home and preventing children from flourishing
• Having additional Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, which increases the challenges for learning
• Experiencing limited or a narrow variety of learning / life opportunities outside school compared with peers
• Emotional & social needs including low self-esteem, low aspirations or a fixed mindset, which limits learning

By knowing individual children very well, speaking with parents and drawing on research identifying effective support strategies, the school aims to use the PPG to improve the academic progress and hence future life chances of vulnerable pupils.

Free School Meals

All children in FS, Year 1 and year 2 are entitled to receive a free school meal.

In addition, children are entitled to free school meals if their families are in receipt of any of the following:

• Income Support (IS)
• Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) – not Contribution related
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (IBJSA) – not Contribution based
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Child Tax Credit with an annual taxable income (as assessed by HMRC) of less than £16,190 as long as the family are NOT also in receipt of Working Tax Credit.

If you have recently become unemployed, but are still receiving Working Tax Credits, you may be entitled to free school meals. Please call 0845 345 9122 for advice.

Application forms for free school meals are available from the School Office. This matter is dealt with in confidence.

Principles of Pupil Premium expenditure

• We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all pupils
• We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups. This includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged, children looked after, services children and children who have been adopted, are adequately assessed and addressed.
• Pupil Premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals.
• Pupil Premium funding will address a full range of needs including educational, social and emotional support and provision.
• We recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged.
• We also recognise that not all Pupil Premium pupils will be below age related expectations in reading, writing and math’s. Pupil Premium resources will also be used to target children working above expectations, ensuring that all pupils are making or exceeding expected progress.

Useful websites and links related to the Pupil Premium:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium

- All you need to know about the Pupil Premium. This is the DfE website which gives the background to the PP, effective use of the PP and also successful case studies from primary and secondary education.

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/

- The Sutton Trust-EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit is an accessible summary of educational research which provides guidance for teachers and schools on how to use their resources to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Toolkit currently covers 30 topics, each summarised in terms of their average impact on attainment, the strength of the evidence supporting them and their cost.

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/pupil-premium-how-schools-are-spending-funding-successfully-maximise-achievement

- Ofsted tool kit for the PP with links to research documents including “The Pupil Premium – How schools are spending the funding successfully to maximise achievement” and “The Pupil Premium – Analysis and Challenge tools for schools”.

This strategy will be reviewed termly and reported to governors and an annual review will take place each July.