Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium funding is a government initiative that targets additional support at pupils from deprived backgrounds. This is because research has shown that such pupils underachieve compared to other pupils. The money is provided to ensure that schools are able to support these pupils in achieving their full potential. The government have used pupils who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) as an indicator of deprivation and they allocate a fixed amount of money per pupil to schools each financial year based upon the number of pupils who have been registered for FSM at any point during the previous six years. An amount of money is also allocated to children who are looked after (LAC) and service children. The government does not dictate how this money should be spent but schools are expected to employ strategies that they are confident will ‘diminish the difference’ in attainment between those pupils which are considered to be deprived and those who are not. Schools are accountable for this allocation of resources and must demonstrate that pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium achieve well compared to other pupils. The funding is also used for the promotion of Extended services to raise aspiration e.g. residential trips annually and for widening pupils’ awareness of the wider cultural diversity e.g. trips, visitors to school. We have created our strategy document with our core mission statement in mind; we want all our children to develop an understanding of key values, become confident and successful lifelong learners and well-balanced youngsters who will be able to have access to a range of opportunities in the years to follow.