Pupil Premium

Explanation, Spending Plans and Impact

What is it?

The Pupil Premium is an additional grant of money provided to schools by the government aimed at reducing the educational effects of disadvantage. In 2017-18 it was worth £1320 per eligible child. This is unchanged for 2018-19. There is an additional amount called 'Pupil Premium Plus', which is targeted at children who have been adopted or who are in  the care of a 'Special Guardian'. This is worth £2300 per pupil. There is a smaller amount for service children worth £300 per pupil.

Who is eligible?

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months. It is also paid on the basis of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years.

A smaller amount is allocated to children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces. This service premium is designed to address the emotional and social well-being of these pupils. 

What is it for?

As a group, national data shows that children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in time have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible for FSM. (Note that this does not mean that all children are doing less well)

The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

In most cases the Pupil Premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since the government’s view is that they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.

For further information please visit:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium/b0076063/pp

What it is worth to St Michael’s

In 2017-18, there were 88 children eligible for Pupil Premium, and 13 children eligible for Pupil Premium Plus. We had 3 service children. Our total allocation was £134500

Spending priorities

Our priorities are to support those children who qualify in the following ways:

Review of last year's spending 2017-18

Current issues for St Michael's

1) Achievement
When children start school, there is a large gap between children eligible for pupil premium and those not eligible. This is particularly evident in their speech and language skills, and this impacts on the whole of their learning.

By the end of Reception children in this group are less likely than their peers to reach the ‘good level of development’
Pupil Premium reaching GLD: 33% Non-pupil premium: 66%

In Year 1, fewer pupil premium pupils passed the phonics test than their peers.
Pupil Premium passing phonics test: 77% Non-pupil premium: 83%

By the end of Y2 there are still some large gaps between pupil premium children and their peers, particularly in maths.
Reading gap = 27% Writing gap = 19% Maths gap = 38%
Numbers of pupil premium children are relatively small, however, one or two children make a big difference.
 

In recent years these gaps have narrowed during the course of KS2:
KS2 SATS
In 2017, the gaps diminished, particularly in writing and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling.
Reading gap = 23% Writing gap = 10% GPS gap = 2% Maths gap = 38%
Our biggest concern was the gap in maths.

In 2018 the attainment gaps reduced, particularly in reading and writing
Reading gap = 5% Writing gap = 1% GPS gap = 27% Maths gap = 22%
Our main concern was the attainment gap in GPS.

2) Attendance
Attendance by Pupil Premium children is currently 2% lower than their peers. This gap has increased during 2017-18.
Focused family support has been implemented to reduce broken weeks and improve punctuality and attendance for eligible pupils.
We have an EWO (Education Welfare Officer) who works closely with the school to support families with attendance concerns.

3) Participation
Without additional support, Pupil Premium children are much less likely to participate in activities that enrich the curriculum and stimulate learning. These activities include:
Participation in after-school clubs
Attendance at School Camp (Y5 & Y6)
Music Lessons
Trips to support the curriculum

2018-19 Spending Plans
If numbers of eligible children stay the same as last year we expect to receive around £134,500. Our aim is to maintain the most effective strategies from last year to enable Pupil Premium children to make good or better progress.
• Deliver high quality teaching and learning through effective classroom support for all children.
• Target children throughout the school for additional 1:1 or small group support for writing, maths and reading skills
• Use feedback such as marking and discussion with children to support their understanding in reading, writing and maths on a daily basis, to enable Pupil Premium children to make good or better progress.
• Improve overall attendance for Pupil Premium children. Focus on reducing regular absence, lateness and broken weeks so percentages are in line with or better than their peers. The more children are in school - the better they will do.
• Provide additional Early Years support for children in Reception so that they make better progress with their speech and language skills.
• Continued support for pupils to access additional opportunities and have a positive effect on their wellbeing. This includes school trips; camps; after school clubs and peripatetic music tuition.

Spending Plans 2018-19

How are children’s needs identified?
Children’s attainment, progress and attendance are monitored regularly, and where issues arise children will be placed on appropriate support programmes. All children on FSM are eligible for support for Camp in Y5 and Y6, and may also have support for other trips/educational visits as needed. Our aim is that all children who attract this grant will benefit in some way from the grant, though clearly some may have a greater level of support than others depending on their needs. When deciding how to best use the Pupil Premium funding, we look at the Educational Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit. This is an excellent way of researching how schools can spend money to improve the teaching and learning of children from low-income families.
The Educational Endowment Foundation currently suggests that the most effective strategies are: 1-1 Tuition; Metacognition and self-regulation; focusing on reading comprehension skills as well as building fluency; mastery learning and quality feedback to children through marking and discussing work.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit

Applying for the Pupil Premium Grant 2018-19
To find out if your child/children qualify for the Pupil Premium Grant in 2018, please visit the link below. Additionally, you can contact the school office for further support and guidance on how to apply for the Pupil Premium Grant. The school will receive additional funding if you are successful in your application for free school meals. If you work in the armed forces, the school will also receive some additional funding to support your child.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals