Pupil Premium and Catch Up Funding
What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other students.
School leaders are best placed to assess their students’ needs and how to use the funding to improve attainment. Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual students and schools are not required to spend all of the allocated grant on those eligible.
It is for school leaders to decide how to spend the pupil premium grant so it is within the requirements of the conditions of grant and is evidence informed. Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when used across 3 areas:
1. High-quality teaching, such as staff professional development
2. Targeted academic support, such as tutoring
3. Wider strategies to address non-academic barriers to success in schools, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional support
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommend that schools particularly focus their pupil premium on supporting high-quality teaching.
Pupil premium funding is not allocated based on academic ability. Schools and local authorities will receive funding based on all of the children who are eligible. Evidence also shows that academically able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of under-performing. These pupils should receive just as much focus as less academically able pupils.
Schools get funding for every secondary age student who claims free school meals, or who has claimed free school meals in the last 6 years. There are additional funds available for students who are looked after or previously looked after, and for students with a parent who is serving in HM Forces or has retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence.
Eligibility Criteria
Your child may be able to get free school meals (FSM) if you get any of the following:
· Income Support
· Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
· Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
· Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
· The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
· Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
· Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
· Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
Students may also get FSM if they receive any of these benefits directly. Further details are available through https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals