Pupil Premium
Purpose
Pupil Premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other pupils.
| Pupil eligibility criteria | Amount of funding for each primary aged pupil per year. | Funding is paid to |
| Pupils who are eligible for free school meals, or have been eligible in the past six years. | £1455 | School |
| Pupils who have been adopted from care or have left care. | £2530 | School |
| Children who are looked after by the Local Authority | £2530 | Local Authority |
Use of the pupil premium
Funding paid to schools
School leaders are best placed to assess their pupils’ needs and use the funding to improve attainment, drawing on evidence of effective practice. Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils and schools are not required to spend all of the allocated grant on eligible pupils.
It is for school leaders to decide how to spend the pupil premium, within the requirements of the conditions of grant.
Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when used across 3 areas.
- High-quality teaching, such as staff professional development.
- Targeted academic support, such as tutoring.
- Wider strategies to address non-academic barriers to success in schools, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional support.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommend that schools particularly focus their pupil premium on supporting high-quality teaching.
Funding paid to local authorities for looked after children
Virtual School Heads are responsible for managing the funding given to local authorities for the children in their care. They work with schools to ensure the funding is used to help deliver the outcomes identified in the children’s personal education plans.
They can pass all of the funding on to schools or retain some to fund activities that will benefit a group, or all of the authority’s looked-after children.
Further information is available on Virtual School Heads responsibilities for using pupil premium.
Use of funds for non-eligible pupils
Schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits eligible pupils. They can use it wherever they identify the greatest need. Using pupil premium funding to improve teaching quality is the most effective way to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. By doing so, schools will inevitably benefit non-eligible pupils as well.
Academically able pupils
Pupil premium funding is not allocated based on academic ability. Schools and local authorities will receive funding based on all of the children who are eligible.
Evidence shows that academically able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of underperforming. These pupils should receive just as much focus as less academically able pupils
If you think you may be entitled to Free School Meals, please click on the link below for further information. Even if your child already receives a free school meal because they are in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2, your application will generate additional funding for school which can then be used to further support your child.
Please click on the links below to read our full report of spend and impact of Pupil Premium funding and our Pupil Premium Strategy.