What is Pupil Premium?

Introduced in 2011, the Pupil Premium is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children.

This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, less family support, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates.

​Schools are given a pupil premium for:

• Children who have qualified for free school meals at any point in the past six years. The school receives £1455 for each of these children.

• Children who have been looked after under local authority care for more than one day. These children are awarded a premium of £2530.

How to claim your child's pupil premium:

Your child may be eligible for free school meals – and accordingly pupil premium – if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of State 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 (you must have less than £616.67 a month net earned income (after tax - and not including any benefits)​

• Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also allowed to receive free school meals.

  Children under the compulsory school age who are in full time education may also be entitled to receive free school meals.

Children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 will qualify for free school meals, regardless of their family income, but only the children who would have qualified for free meals under the above income-based criteria will receive the pupil premium.

If you think you may be eligible to obtain free school meals for your child or wish to apply you can contact benefit services by:

Apply online at http://www.dudley.gov.uk/resident/your-council/benefits/free-school-meals/

Email: freeschoolmeals.benefits@dudley.gov.uk

Telephone – 01384 814988

If you are eligible but choose not to apply we would ask that you do, even if your child does not take up their entitlement. During the allocation of budgets to schools, one of the elements taken into consideration is the number of children claiming free school meals. If you are entitled, please claim them and you could help our budget and yours!

If your child qualifies for free school meals, it’s important that you tell us – even if they take a packed lunch – as this enables them to claim pupil premium.

Pupil Premium at Oldswinford

Our Pupil Premium Policy is available to read on the policies page or follow this link: https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/oldswinford-cofe-primary-school/UploadedDocument/c72bf33959194f379535547baa1bef41/pupil-premium-policy-sept-2020.pdf

How do we Increase the Impact of the Pupil Premium Grant?

• Manage the performance of teachers and TAs to ensure high quality provision for pupils;
• Plan spending in line with school priorities;
• Ensure that the needs of all disadvantaged pupils are planned for, from SEND to G&T, both academic and SEMH;
• Treat each child as an individual and match provision to their needs accordingly;
• All staff support the pupil premium agenda by conveying positive and aspirational messages;
• Have high expectations of all disadvantaged pupils by comparing their performance to all pupils nationally;
• Raise the profile and esteem of disadvantaged pupils by rebranding them as learning champions;

How do we Measure Impact of the Pupil Premium Grant?

• Measure the progress and attainment of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding through our whole school data tracking system;
• Focus analysis of national data for disadvantaged pupils compared to school’s performance (ASP/ RoL);
• Regular and rigorous pupil progress meetings are held to discuss and evaluate provision and refine if necessary;
• Pupil progress meetings always include evaluation of children’s well-being, pastoral and emotional needs;
• Monitor progress and outcomes in books and cross reference with data and targets to move children’s learning on;
• RAG-rated intervention plans and records measure baseline and impact;
• Collaboration between the Deputy Head Teacher (responsible for Pupil Premium) and SENCO to meet, evaluate and provide for the developing needs of children with SEND who also receive Pupil Premium funding;
• Monitor and report to the Governing Body which includes data, progress and provision for disadvantaged children including LAC;
• Termly meeting with the link governor for Pupil Premium
• PEP meetings with target setting and tracking for LAC;
• Regular discussions and audit of provision for disadvantaged pupils take place with staff;
• Multi-agency collaboration where necessary and appropriate e.g. Virtual Schools, social services, Early Help, CAMHS, family support, Educational Psychologist which all report impact;
• Pupil voice is recorded on individual profiles, regularly listened to and acted upon;
• Support for and partnership work with parents and carers triangulates provision to meet children’s need;
• Staff work within children to develop their interests, character, social and learning aptitudes and attitudes, the impact of which is included on individual profiles;
• Pastoral issues and concerns about well-being are acted upon swiftly to ensure children are supported emotionally and barriers to learning are reduced, mainly through the coaching team;