Pupil premium is additional funding for schools, granted by the government, designed to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other pupils.
The amount of pupil premium funding schools and local authorities receive for each eligible child is:
It is up to school leaders to decide how to spend the pupil premium, drawing on evidence of effective practice. Schools do not have to spend pupil premium so it solely benefits eligible pupils. They can use it wherever they identify the greatest needs.
Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across 3 areas, with a particular focus on teaching.
Investing in high-quality teaching, for example:
2. Targeted academic support
Additional support for some pupils focussed on their specific needs, for example:
3. Wider approaches
Support for non academic issues that impact success in school, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional challenges. For example:
Schools must show how they’re using their pupil premium funding:
In February 2021, the government announced a one-off recovery premium as part of its package of funding to support education recovery.
The recovery premium provides additional funding for state-funded schools in the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Building on the pupil premium, this funding will help schools to deliver evidence-based approaches for supporting disadvantaged pupils.
All schools that are eligible for pupil premium are eligible for recovery premium. This includes schools such as ours which is a mainstream, local authority-maintained school.
The recovery premium will be allocated using the same data as the pupil premium. This means the following pupils will attract recovery premium funding to schools:
• pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM)
• pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years
• children looked after by local authorities and referred to as looked-after children (LAC)
• post looked-after children (post-LAC)
£145 will be given for each eligible pupil in mainstream education. A minimum payment will ensure that no school receives less than £2,000.
Schools can spend the premium on evidence-based approaches to support pupils. In line with the Education Endowment Foundation’s pupil premium guide, activities should include those that:
• support the quality of teaching, such as staff professional development
• provide targeted academic support, such as tutoring
• deal with non-academic barriers to success in school, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional support
• spend the recovery premium on a wider cohort of pupils than those who attract the funding
• direct recovery premium spending where they think the need is greatest
As with pupil premium, funding for looked-after children should be managed by the local authority virtual school head. They should work with schools, including the designated teacher, to decide how to use the funding effectively to support looked-after children.
Schools must show how they are using their recovery premium effectively:
• by reporting on their use of recovery premium as part of their pupil premium strategy statement
• through inspections by Ofsted – as part of these inspections, inspectors may discuss plans schools have to spend their recovery premium funding
Please click the link below to show how pupil premium & recovery funding is being used this academic year and the impact it is having/predicted to have on attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
