What is it?
Introduced in 2011, the pupil premium is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children.
This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers.
Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates.
Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across the following 3 areas below but focusing on teaching quality – investing in learning and development for teachers.
Teaching
We aim to ensure an effective teacher is in front of every class and regularly arrange training and professional development for all our staff to improve the impact of teaching and learning for pupils.
Academic support
All staff are encouraged to look at how they can provide targeted support, whether it be in structured 1:1, small groups or classroom teaching.
Wider approaches
At our school, we use the pupil premium to support with:
- music lessons for disadvantaged pupils
- educational trips or visits
- equipment/resources
- uniform
This helps us to:
- increase pupils’ confidence and resilience
- encourage pupils to be more aspirational
- benefit non-eligible pupils
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.
To read our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement please click on the link below:
Pupil Premium 2024-25
Pupil premium strategy statement (2024-25)
Pupil Premium 2023-24
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement (2023-2024)
Pupil Premium 2022-23
Pupil Premium strategy statement (2022-2023)
Pupil Premium 2021-22