Pupil Premium
"Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be." (Rita Pierson)
What is the Pupil Premium funding?
In April 2011, the Government introduced Pupil Premium funding. This funding is allocated to schools for the specific purpose of boosting the attainment of children who receive free school meals, children whose parents serve in the Armed Forces and children in local authority care. These groups of children have been identified nationally as achieving at a lower level than children from less disadvantaged backgrounds.
Evidence shows us that children from disadvantaged backgrounds:
- generally, face extra challenges in reaching their potential at school
- often do not perform as well as their peers
The sums of money paid to school vary depending on whether the school is primary or secondary and which category the pupil comes under. The pupil premium grant is paid in quarterly instalments.
|
|
2019-2020 |
2020-2021 |
2021-2022 |
2022-2023 |
2023-2024 |
|
Pupil Premium Grant Allocation |
£43, 560 |
£57, 163 |
£57, 163 |
£74,030 |
£85,118 |
|
Total number of children eligible for the grant |
33 |
48 |
48 |
55 |
62 |
Our school vision takes inspiration from and is deeply rooted in the Greatest Commandment:
“Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself”.
We are an inclusive school and our vision, though distinctively Christian, welcomes and values all faiths and cultures within our diverse school community. Our school’s core values of love, friendship, compassion and respect sit at the heart of our school community and underpin every aspect of school life.
Love: “Do everything with love”. (Corinthians 16:14)
Friendship: “Encourage one another and build each other up”. (Thessalonians 5:11)
Compassion: “Be kind to one another”. (Ephesians 4:32)
Respect: “Treat others as you want to be treated”. (Luke 6:31)
As a Church school, we are deeply committed to serving the common good and thus we ensure well-planned and considerate spending of our pupil premium funding by adhering to latest government guidance.
We promote an ethos of excellent education and the highest expectations for all, regardless of background or barriers to learning. Evidence identifies that the most effective way to improve outcomes for all children is through quality first teaching, therefore, we ensure that pupil premium funding is effectively used to ensure disadvantaged pupils access excellent teaching and learning every day.
Spending decisions in school are informed by research and evidence and their impact are closely monitored by school leaders. Staff receive regular training to understand the causes of underachievement, barriers to learning and strategies which help improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
We plan a broad, relevant and child-centred curriculum that actively seeks to reduce disadvantage with a strong focus on social and emotional development, communication and language, reading, vocabulary and enrichment. We ensure that extra-curricular activities are accessible to all and that expense is never a barrier.
Research tells us that children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. For example, how well a child communicates at five years old is one of the best predictors we have about how will they will be doing in school at age eleven. Therefore we prioritise high quality teaching and learning throughout our Early Years, ensuring that we provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
Although we prioritise quality-first teaching over intervention, we acknowledge that targeted support is essential for some of our children to narrow the gaps. Teacher assessments are used to guide areas for focus and track progress, ensuring that the right support is being provided to the right child for the right amount of time. We use structured interventions that are evidence informed, for example Precision Teach and the Talk Boost. Sessions are planned with clear objectives and end goals, carried out by trained staff, supported by high quality resources and regularly impact assessed.