Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, was introduced in April 2011. The government believe it is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals and wealthier families by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The premium is allocated to schools for pupils eligible for free school meals and for pupils in care who have been continuously looked after for six months.
From 2012-13, it was extended to include all children who have been eligible for free school meals over the last 6 years. A premium has also been introduced for children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces
It is for the governors and school to decide how to spend the Pupil Premium, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility. In doing so, we have the following principles in place:
- We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all of the pupils.
- We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of children who receive the Pupil Premium funding are adequately assessed and addressed.
- In making provision for pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be disadvantaged.
- We also recognise that not all pupils who are disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils the school has identified as being disadvantaged.