Pupil Premium
What is Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium is a Government initiative that targets extra money to schools based on the number of pupils from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, as research shows these children are more likely to underachieve compared to their peers. The funding is provided with the express intention of supporting these pupils in achieving their full potential.
Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium monies, which is additional to the underlying schools budget, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for the most vulnerable pupils:
‘It is best for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM (Free School Meal) pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils within their responsibility’
Source: Department of Education Website
While the money is awarded on a per-child basis, the funds are not to be spent each year on a particular child; the money is pooled and allocated according to need in order to ‘close the gap’. The targeted and strategic use of Pupil Premium will support us in achieving our vision of closing the attainment gap and accelerating progress across the School.
How do we use the Pupil Premium Grant?
The Pupil Premium funding is used for academic interventions; in particular, small group and 1:1 tuition which is led by teachers and teaching assistants. Temple Grafton C of E Primary School acknowledges that the attainment and progress of children can be affected by a child’s self-esteem and wellbeing. Therefore, the pupil premium can also be used for pastoral support and enrichment activities, such as nurture groups, music tuition and Forest School. We also use Pupil Premium funding for staff CPD (Continuing Professional Development) as the quality of the staff delivering our interventions is of the utmost importance.
For more information regarding our principles and provision of the Pupil Premium, please see our Pupil Premium Policy and the full Pupil Premium Strategy Statement, accessed via the links below.