What is the Pupil Premium?
‘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 peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage 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’).
Nationally, the statistics show that students who are in receipt of FSM do less well than their peers academically. The aim of this money is to try to close that attainment gap.
Why report this information to parents?
All schools are required by the DfE (Department for Education) to publish how much Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) is received and how the money is spent. Schools are also required to publish academic results for those in receipt of FSM compared with their peers.
Highnam C of E Primary Academy
At Highnam Academy children work within a safe, stimulating environment in which all staff focus upon providing the highest possible standards of education and upon enthusing pupils with a love of learning. Through creative, broad and balanced experiences within a caring, disciplined environment, we aim to inspire confidence and to celebrate the successes of all.
We strive to ensure happiness and personal growth by utilising Christian values and by developing a culture of mutual respect. By working in partnership with families we aim to meet the needs of the whole child and to provide a firm basis for our pupils to take with them into the wider world.
PPG funding enables the Academy to close any attainment gap between children eligible for FSM and those who are non-FSM. Highnam C of E Primary Academy is an inclusive school and strive to:
1. Ensure that teaching, learning and opportunities within the school meet the needs of all our pupils.
2. Ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed.
3. Make provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who are eligible for FSM will be socially disadvantaged.
4. Recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are eligible for free school meals.
5. Use Pupil Premium funding carefully and diligently.
How much PPG is allocated and how is it spent?
The funding is spent in a variety of ways depending on the needs of each individual child.
The school uses the Sutton Trust toolkit which has formed the basis of much expert analysis in this field and assesses over 20 different approaches to improving learning in schools, estimating the extra progress over the course of a school year that an ‘average’ student might expect if this strategy was adopted. The following were found to be the top five strategies for improving learning: effective feedback, meta-cognition and self-regulation strategies, peer tutoring/peer-assisted learning, early intervention and one-to-one tutoring.
The PPG should also be used to ensure that FSM children can access all school opportunities such as trips, after school clubs and activities where parental voluntary contributions are requested.
Pupil Premium Payments to Highnam C of E Primary Academy
How the money is spent:
- One to one tuition by qualified staff
- Individual or group TA support for personalised learning
- Intervention programmes and associated resources led by trained TAs
- External professional support including assessments and interventions
- Counselling and a family support worker.
- Teacher and TA training and courses
- Teaching resources
- Subsidising school trips and swimming tuition
- Extra-curricular activities
- Reading Club
- Lego Writing Workshop
- Drama Workshops
- Bell-Boating Experience
- An introduction to Climbing
- An introduction to Skiing
- Art Academy
- Art Theraphy
- Mini-Marines Sessions
- Mentoring Services