Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to schools so that they can support their disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between these pupils and their peers. Schools have a statutory duty to provide information about how the funding is used and what the impact has been.
What is the Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium provides additional funding on top of the main funding a school receives. It is targeted at students from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure they benefit from the same opportunities as students from less deprived families. The pupil premium is £1455 per eligible child and goes to students who at any point in the past 6 years have been in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) entitlement; £2,530 goes towards the provision for any student who has been continuously looked after for the past six months or who has been adopted from care under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or who has left care under a Special Guardianship or Residence Order; finally £320 goes to the provision for any child whose parent/parents are currently serving in the armed forces or are in receipt of a pension from the Ministry of Defence.
How the Pupil Premium is spent is monitored closely with all schools accountable for the impact of the money spent. At Barnham Broom we pride out selves on utilising the Pupil Premium to support our students with a specific focus on English, Maths, engagement, attendance and transition; maximising the life opportunities for all students.
Is there an issue with eligible pupils not receiving funding for Free School Meals?
Schools are not told which children are eligible for FSM; we have to rely on parents letting us know so that we can apply for the funding that FSM eligible pupils are ENTITLED to.
All EYFS and KS1 pupils are currently able to have a free school meal under the 'Universal Infant Free School Meals' Scheme (USIFM). Schools receive funding for the number of children who take the meals on school census day.
UIFSM is different to FSM entitlement. Parents in receipt of Child Tax Credit are required to complete a free school meal application form, it is vital that the application form is completed to allow additional funding to be released to the school for the children who are entitled to it.
How will the impact of the spending of the Pupil Premium be measured?
To monitor progress on attainment, new measures will be included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of students covered by the Pupil Premium. At Barnham Broom, the usual cycle of data collection and the monitoring and tracking of the cohort’s attainment, will be used to inform student progress and enable the early identification of need, support and appropriate intervention.