All schools receive additional income called the Pupil Premium.
This money is allocated by the Government to help schools support children from low income families and children in care. The amount of additional funding schools receive is based on the number of children who are entitled to receive free school meals (FSM)* or are looked after children (CLA). (* since September 2012 this includes children who have received free school meals any time over the past six years).
Nationally, FSM pupils and looked after children achieve less compared to other students. Pupil Premium money has been given to help schools narrow the gap.
Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make outstanding academic progress and achieve high attainment across a broad and balanced curriculum. We are also committed to opportunities beyond the curriculum to enrich a young person’s educational experience and develop their cultural capital.
High quality first teaching is at the heart of our approach. We aim to recruit, retain and train teachers who are subject experts and also have a deep understanding of how to deliver teaching and learning to support the needs of all learners, particularly those with additional needs or are disadvantaged, who often require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time benefits the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school.
Our approach will be responsive to common challenges and individual needs. As such, you will see in our strategy that we recognise the broader needs of young people. This includes the additional challenges disadvantaged students may face in relation to mental health and wellbeing, meeting pupils’ material needs (such as equipment for school, opportunities to attend trips and visits, etc), attendance, awareness of future pathways and careers and strengthening parental engagement. We also invest significantly in literacy intervention and support for those students who are reading at a level below that expected for their age.
To read more about how the school spends it’s pupil premium funding, please click on the link below: