Pupil Premium is funding, provided from the Government to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.
There are three elements to pupil premium funding;
a) An element of funding for children with parents in the regular armed forces – this is often called ‘Service pupil premium’ – this includes children whose parents have served in the last 6 years but may have left the armed forces in that time. In 2024-25 this equates to £340 per pupil.
b) An element of funding for children eligible for free school meals through financial hardship (not all of those in Years R, 1 & 2 though who have universal infant free school meals). In 2024-25, this equates to £1480 and also applies to those who have been in receipt of or qualified for FSM in the last 6 years.
c) A third element of funding is available for children who have previously been looked after by a local authority (PLAC) or who are currently looked after by a local authority (LAC). In 2024-25, this equates to £2570 per child.
Although this funding can be linked to individual children, it is not a personal budget and can be used to support better educational outcomes for others, including those with a social worker or who act as a carer.
In our school, in 2023-24, we have 16% of children who receive pupil premium in one of the three above categories. 2.3% of our children are service children.
We publish a ‘Pupil Premium Strategy Statement’ each year; this is a statutory document and is written by the school’s leadership, including Governors, to ensure the funding provided goes towards meeting children’s needs. This document actually sets out a 3 year plan running from 2022-23 academic year to the end of the 2024-25 academic year.
Our school priorities for the PP funding for the year ahead (2024-25) are: