Pupil Premium

What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium funding is a per-child grant given to around a quarter of all pupils in England in order to reduce the gap in academic attainment between disadvantaged children and their peers. It was introduced by the Department for Education in 2011 in recognition of research showing that children from low-income backgrounds perform less well at school than others.

Schools currently receive Pupil Premium funding of £1,480 per pupil per year for those whose families who have registered for FSM or who have been registered for FSM at any point during the past 6 years. In addition, schools receive £2,570 for Looked After Children (LAC) and ‘post-LAC’ (e.g. Adopted From Care), although some of this may be centrally retained by Local Authority Virtual Schools. The children of members of the armed forces also receive ‘Service Pupil Premium’ of £340 per year.

How is the funding used?

The key purpose of the Pupil Premium funding is to enable all pupils to reach their full potential. Each school may decide how best to use the funding to enable all its pupils to reach age related expectations and are held accountable for how it has been used to support pupils from these families. At Marsh Lane Primary we recognise that barriers to achievement take a variety of forms and will do whatever it takes to support a child, both in and out of the classroom.

Using evidence to inform decision-making throughout pupil premium strategy planning is vital in order to achieve the biggest impact on pupil outcomes. To support schools to make best use of their pupil premium, the EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) have introduced a ‘menu of approaches’, based on the evidence of how best to improve attainment. Using pupil premium in line with this menu helps us to develop our pupil premium strategies. The menu can be accessed below.

The conditions of grant require schools to spend their pupil premium in line with the menu. It is for school leaders to decide how to use their pupil premium within the framework set out in this menu. Schools do not have to allocate pupil premium to every item on the menu; instead, they should focus on approaches that best address the challenges they have identified.

Here are the challenges we have identified as a school:

1. Poor emotional wellbeing- factors such as low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

2. Additional needs such as ADHD, dyslexia or mild learning difficulties.

3. Poorer than average attendance (frequent ill health, unauthorised holidays or days out of school).

4. Lack of understanding and knowledge of vocabulary due to limited experiences outside of school,

that some may take for granted e.g. going to the seaside, visiting a museum.

5. Widening academic gap.

We use all our resources to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to become an empowered learner. In order to achieve this we offer our children a wide range of opportunities and we always make sure these are accessible for everyone.

The way that we allocate our funding is outlined in our Pupil Premium Strategy document below.

Pupil Premium Strategy 24/25

EEF Menu of Approaches

Using Pupil Premium: Guidance
for School Leaders

How can I find out if my child is entitled to Pupil Premium funding?

The process for applying is straightforward and confidential. You can check online using a ‘Free School Meals / Pupil Premium Service’ at:

Derbyshire County Council Pupil Premium Application

This system will check for eligibility and gives an immediate ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, and will notify our school. As soon as you are registered, the school will provide your child with a hot dinner and you won’t have to pay.

Alternatively, you can speak to Mrs Yorke in the school office, who will be able to assist you through this process, or collect a form from them (all enquiries will be treated in confidence).

For more information on the Pupil Premium, please visit:

Pupil premium: allocations and conditions of grant 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

Welfare benefits - Derbyshire County Council

FAQs

What are the new eligibility criteria?

Children are entitled to receive free school meals if their parents or guardians receive any of the benefits below:
• Universal Credit, provided they have a net earned income not exceeding £7,400 per year (£616.67 per month). This applies in each monthly assessment period so temporary drops to low income may mean you qualify but you must claim at the time.
• Income Support
• Income based jobseekers allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the immigration and asylum act 1999
• Guarantee Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided there is no entitlement to Working Tax Credit and the annual gross income is less than £16190 as assessed by HMRC

I am already getting free school meals – do I need to reapply?

No. If you already have free school meals for your child you will now continue to receive them until at least the end of March 2022. Your child will continue to receive free school meals even if your income increases to above the threshold or you stop being entitled to a qualifying benefit. After March 2022 your child will continue to receive free school meals until the end of the stage of education they are in at that time. This means that a child who qualifies in reception will continue to qualify to the end of year six and children now in year 4 will continue to qualify until the end of secondary education.

Is it too late to claim under the old rules?

No. If, for example, you are getting Child Tax Credit and your income drops you will still be able to make a claim for free school meals under the child tax credit qualifying condition - seek advice if you think your income is below £16190 but you are told you are not entitled (see below). If you are getting another income-based benefit (JSA, ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit) then you already qualify and should make a claim.

My child is in KS1 and gets free meals anyway/ my child prefers packed lunches – why should I claim under this scheme?

Universal free school meals end after year 2. Entitlement to Free School Meals will continue until at least the end of primary education and maybe to the end of secondary school (that’s at least 4 extra years of free school meals - £1600)

You don’t just get free meals. If your child qualifies for free school meals then the school gets additional funding that directly benefits your child. This is called the pupil premium. You can look on the school’s website for more information about how this is used. The pupil premium will continue for as long as the free school meals and beyond. Your child will benefit from the claim even if they have universal free school meals or packed lunches.