The Pupil Premium
What is the Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium is additional funding to help schools close the attainment gap between children from low income and other disadvantaged families and their peers.
If a child has been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point over the past 6 years or has been continuously looked after for 6 months (LAC), the school receives an amount per child within our budget. This has risen each year to the current amount of £1,455 per child. Schools will receive £2,345 for each pupil who has left local authority-care.
Children who are in local-authority care also attract £2,345 of pupil premium funding. Funding for these pupils doesn’t go to our school; it goes to the virtual school head (VSH) in the local authority that looks after the child. VSHs are responsible for managing pupil premium funding for looked-after children.
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. Other groups that may also be able to access Pupil Premium are children who have been Looked After (LAC) and children of Service Personnel. 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.
Our Funding
For the Financial Year 2023-24, our school will receive £7,275 of Pupil Premium funding. The percentage of our pupils known to be eligible for the Pupil Premium this year is 9%.
Longford C of E Primary School is committed to ensuring maximum progress for all groups of children and strives to close any gaps. We also actively promote equality of opportunities for all staff, governors, pupils and parents, creating a harmonious learning community where all can succeed.
We have clear strategic approach to the use of specific pupil premium funding and plans are integrated into wider school support and improvement systems. These are monitored and evaluated regularly and data analysis ensures that the correct support and strategies are identified to maximise progress.
We do have a named governor who monitors the pupil premium spending and matters relating to pupil premium are reported back to the governing board.
What do we expect to see?
Barriers to learning identified and overcome with targeted specific support so that every child, however financially disadvantaged, is able to have full access to our curriculum, extra-curricular activities and where possible, support with educational activities at home.
How does it work?
Each school can decide how to spend the pupil premium.
Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across 3 areas, with a particular focus on teaching
1. Teaching
Investing in high-quality teaching, for example:
2. Targeted academic support
Additional support for some pupils focused on their specific needs, for example:
3. Wider approaches
Support for non-academic issues that impact success in school, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional challenges. For example:
Pupil Premium Stratergy Statement 2023-2026:
