We believe that all children, regardless of their background or ability, should be given the opportunity to achieve their potential and the Pupil Premium funding is a key factor in helping to achieve this aim.
The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to schools in England to support specific groups of children who are vulnerable to possible underachievement. These include
• children who are entitled to free school meals or have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years,
• those Children Looked After by the Local Authority
• children who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales
• and children of armed service personnel.
The intended effect of this funding is to accelerate progress and raise attainment so that the gap between them and their peers closes.
Applying for Pupil Premium funding is completely confidential and any extra support provided, including financial support, is carried out discreetly so that others are unaware.
For anyone interested to see if their circumstances meet the criteria to receive Pupil Premium funding, please use the following website to find out more information and to apply:
https://www.westberks.gov.uk/article/36469/Apply-for-Free-School-Meals
Pupil Premium funding is also used to support the children in the participation of activities in the wider curriculum. The Government has used children entitled to free school meals as an indicator to receive the Pupil Premium funding and has allocated a fixed amount of money to schools per child. Each financial year, every school will receive:
• £1,480 for children in Foundation to year 6 for each child registered as eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years.
• £2,570 for children who have been in Local Authority care for 1 day or more (Children Looked After - CLA). The funding for these children is managed by the virtual school head (VSH) in the Local Authority that looks after the child.
• £2,570 for children who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), or a Child Arrangements Order (CAO - previously known as a residence order).
• £335 for children who has a parent serving in the regular armed forces or are receiving a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme: Service Pupil Premium – (SPP)
As a school we decide how the allocated Pupil Premium funding should be spent. We assess each child’s needs and in discussion with the child and their parents or carers, we decide what additional provision should be made available. We then measure the impact of any additional support or provision, and adapt it to ensure that the needs of the child continue to be met. We are held accountable for the impact of Pupil Premium funding through performance tables, which show the performance of disadvantaged pupils compared with their peers, and against national results.
Our School’s Principles:
• We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all children.
• We ensure that appropriate provision is made for children who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged children are addressed.
• In making provision for socially disadvantaged children, we recognise that not all children who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged. We also recognise that not all children who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals.
• Pupil Premium funding is allocated following a needs analysis which identifies priority classes, groups or individuals and which provisions will be required.
• We monitor and evaluate our Pupil Premium spending, so that we spend it on activities that have most impact on achievement, in ways known to be most effective at meeting the needs of each child in receipt of Pupil Premium funding.
Provisions and support provided for children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding at our school:
We use a range of provisions to raise attainment of underachieving and vulnerable pupils in order to overcome gaps in learning and ensure that they make expected/accelerated progress. Here are some examples of how Pupil Premium supports pupils:
• Providing individual/small group work with an experienced teacher or specialist teaching assistant
• Providing 1:1 tuition and small group tuition with an experienced teacher
• Providing training for additional adults in school to ensure effectively targeted support for underachieving pupils or to challenge the children further to reach their full potential.
• Additional teaching and learning opportunities provided by external agencies, higher potential learners events and through additional support/opportunities with local schools through the school’s Link group
• Providing specialist resources to support children’s learning
• Using pupil profiles to track children’s learning and to show the development of the whole child; academically, emotionally and socially – acknowledging their achievements both in school and outside of school
• Child conferencing - to give each child in receipt of PP funding a voice about their own learning and to set achievable but challenging targets. It also gives the child an opportunity to share any achievements and a chance to discuss any worries they may have with an adult they trust.
• Providing opportunities for parents to develop their own understanding of their child’s learning by offering parent workshops of the core subjects, so that they are able to support their child’s learning at home
Developing self-esteem and confidence and removing social and emotional barriers to learning:
We use a variety of provisions to develop self-esteem and confidence of identified vulnerable pupils - fostering positive peer and parent relationships and removing social and emotional barriers to learning. For example:
• Funding the cost of educational visits
• Subsidising the development of a talent through extra-curricular activities
• Providing individual sessions with a counsellor, a play therapist or a specialist teaching assistant for ELSA. This enables us to provide support with developing a child’s social skills and their self-esteem as well as supporting parents and carers with their child’s behaviour and providing advice and support with family circumstances
• Support for children with EAL
• Support with funding of school uniform
• Support with transport costs to ensure all children can attend school
Please refer to the Pupil Premium Strategy Statement below for more information. This clearly outlines:
• The school’s Pupil Premium funding for the current academic year
• Details of how we intend to spend the Pupil Premium funding
• The review of the previous academic year’s Pupil Premium funding
• How the funding made a difference to the attainment of the children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding.
If you would like any further information regarding Pupil Premium support at Birch Copse Primary School, please contact the Pupil Premium Lead (Sarah Smith) either via the school office 01189 427442 or by email: pupilpremium@birchcopse.w-berks.sch.uk
