Pupil Premium

 

Kings Ash Academy Pupil Premium Grant

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011.  It represents additional funding that the government gives to schools for each pupil considered to be ‘disadvantaged’.  The money must be spent on these pupils to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent.  The Department of Education website is a good source of additional information:

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

Why does the Government provide a Pupil Premium?

Poverty or low income is the single most important factor in predicting a child’s future life chances, with many pupils in low income families having low attainment by age 16.  The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address these underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

Who receives the Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school year groups from Reception to Year 11 from low income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years, together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more.  Adopted children who have been in care continuously for 6 months or more prior to adoption are also eligible.  Children who have a parent serving in the armed forces are also eligible for the service premium.

How much are the Pupil Premium Grants worth?

The Pupil Premium for the financial year 2013-14 was £900, and for the 2014-15 financial year it has increased to £1,300.  The Service Premium is now £300 per pupil.  This is significant additional money for schools to spend on supporting disadvantaged pupils and schools are very keen to ensure that all eligible pupils are ‘signed up’.  Grants are based on those pupils included in the January schools’ census.

How should schools spend the grant?

Schools must spend the grant for the educational benefit of their eligible pupils.  The grant can be spent on services that benefit pupils at the school or their families, in the locality in which the school is situated.  Pupil Premium grants can be carried forward to the next financial year if all the money is not spent in the year in which it is allocated.

Schools are held accountable for the use of their pupil premium funding by OfSTED who will look at the ways in which the school has used this funding as part of its inspection and will also look at the impact of the funding to ensure that it is being spent wisely and resulting in positive outcomes for the children it is intended for.