What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium was introduced by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2011, as additional funding for pupils who receive Free School Meals and who are Looked After Children. This is because the DfE have recognised that good education is the key to improving young people’s life chances. This is particularly true for children from low-income families, or who are Looked After Children, who are far less likely to leave schools with good GCSE results than other children. The Pupil Premium, using additional resources from outside the School’s Budget, is intended to address the current inequalities by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most. The DfE have stated that schools have the right to spend this funding as they see fit based upon their knowledge of pupil needs.

Schools, headteachers and teachers will decide how to use the Pupil Premium allocation, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils.”

DFE Website 

Pupil Premium at St Mary’s

At St Mary’s we want all of God’s children to flourish. Our pastoral care and rigorous monitoring and tracking of all pupils helps us to identify any pupils who are at risk of not making sufficient progress and have helped us to plan and implement good intervention strategies. Value for money is central to sustained improvements in both well-being and academic achievement. There is the potential challenge that less advantaged pupils do not have the same starting point, experiences or support as their peers.  Recognising some of these differences, we have been very clear in our vision that, whilst learning is essential to expenditure, our belief in opportunities in a wide range of experiences are integral to opportunity and entitlement.

Other documents attached below include a pupil premium strategy document which sets out expenditure for this academic year and the evidence base used in making these decisions.

How can parents/carers contribute to the success of the Pupil Premium Scheme?

Parent support and involvement is a key factor in raising standards. If you would like help or advice in supporting your child, you can always ask your class teacher or email the school for information.

As a parent or carer of a child who is entitled to Pupil Premium, Parent-Teacher consultations will provide a good opportunity to review children’s progress and the intervention strategies that have been used.

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals or is an infant child and part of the Universal Free School Meals, it is worth registering them, even if they are not going to have a school lunch. Parents can register their child for Free School Meals if they are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or 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
  • Working Tax Credit run-on
  • Universal Credit