What is the Pupil Premium Grant?
The Pupil Premium Grant, introduced by the government in April 2011, is additional funding given to schools to help close the attainment gap between children from vulnerable backgrounds and their peers. Pupil Premium is primarily aimed at Reception to Year 11 children who are from low income families and are eligible for free school meals (FSM). The funding also covers children in care aged 4-15 (LAC) who have been looked after for more than 6 months. A service premium has also been introduced for children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
Pupil Premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. It is schools responsibility to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual children. It is not ring-fenced and schools are free to spend it as they wish, however schools will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support children from disadvantaged families.
How it works at Purston Infant School
At Purston Infant School our philosophy is to give all children ‘the best start’ through a nurturing environment. We have high aspirations for all children and endeavour to allocate the Pupil Premium effectively and strategically so that underachieving children are given every opportunity to succeed. The tables below show the pupil premium allocation for the year and how we intend to apportion the money. Throughout the year we will track children’s progress and monitor the effectiveness of the expenditure, amending any actions if necessary. At the end of the year we will examine the impact for the following year.