What is Pupil Premium?
Since 2011, the Pupil Premium has been the Government’s principal strategy to help schools improve the learning and opportunities of disadvantaged pupils, reducing the attainment gap and in doing so, reduce educational inequality.
Pupil Premium has now been extended to include children who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the past 6 years (the Ever 6 measure) and children who have left the care system through adoption, residence orders or special guardianship orders. Additionally, the Service Premium grant is for pupils who have a parent serving in the armed services.
Pupil Premium is £1,385 per FSM Ever 6 primary pupil and £2,410 for Children Looked After and Post CLA (adopted). The Service Premium is £320 per pupil.
The Department for Education has recently published a document on the Pupil Premium for 2017/18 and the conditions of the grant which is available to view here
Why is there a Pupil Premium?
Students who have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in their school career have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible. In 2009-10 GCSE statistics showed that around a third of students who have been on Free School Meals in the previous six years achieved five or more A*- C grades, compared to more than two-thirds of their fellow students.
How is the impact of the spending of the Pupil Premium measured?
Our usual cycle of data collection and the monitoring and tracking of the cohort’s attainment will be used to inform children’s progress and enable the early identification of need, support and appropriate intervention.