In 2011/12, the Government launched the Pupil Premium Funding initiative. This money is allocated to schools based on the number of pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM – allocated to pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years, known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’) Looked After Children (LAC) and Armed Forces Services Children (FC).
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 and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Schools have the freedom to spend the Pupil Premium in a way they believe will best support the raising of attainment and help overcome barriers to learning for the most vulnerable pupils.
At Boroughbridge Primary School and Nursery, our pupil premium spending has been allocated based on research and our knowledge of individual pupil’s needs. We work closely with families and seek support and advice from a range of services in our attempt to support children in the best way possible. As a school, we aim to use early intervention and a ‘keep up, not catch up’ approach, to ensure that children are accurately assessed from their individual starting points and targeted intervention is provided.
We use our pupil premium funding to support all children who are vulnerable at different stages during their school journey to:
- Improve oral language skills, starting with early intervention and identification of children with barriers to learning related to speech and communication.
- Ensure that all pupils ‘keep up; not catch up’ in line with age related expectations and their prior attainment to improve outcomes, particularly those children who passed the phonics screening test and who are falling behind in reading and writing.
- Engage parents to support children with their motivation for learning, well-being and attendance.
- Our Pupil Premium Strategy is closely linked to our School Development priorities, which are monitored rigorously and reviewed termly, to ensure that the additional funding further enhances and supports the quality of teaching and learning and personal development, behaviour, attendance and welfare for all our pupils. It is also monitored and challenged by governors to ensure that spending is having a positive impact. We have carried out the relevant research and scrutiny of resources to support and justify our decision making.
The pupil premium is now a significant part of many schools’ budgets and it is expected that the Headteacher/PP lead show the impact that the additional funding is having on eligible pupils.