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Pupil Premium Policy

Overarching Principles

At Scargill CE (VA) Primary School, all members of staff and governors accept responsibility for those pupils recognised as 'disadvantaged’ and are committed to meeting their pastoral, social and academic needs.

Every child who is considered to be ‘disadvantaged’ is valued, respected and entitled to develop to his/her full potential, irrespective of disadvantage.

Background to the Pupil Premium

Introduced in April 2011, the Pupil Premium is a Government initiative that provides additional funding aimed at pupils from deprived backgrounds. Research shows that pupils from deprived backgrounds underachieve compared to their non‐deprived peers. The Pupil Premium is provided in order to support these pupils in reaching their potential by accelerating their progress.

The Government has used pupils entitled to Free School Meals and those who are looked after as an indicator for deprivation. They have given a fixed amount of money to schools per pupil, based on the number of pupils registered for Free School Meals and who are looked after by the local authority. A premium has also been introduced for children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces; for children who are in care and children who have been adopted from care.

Overall Objectives:
  • Our school will ensure that the Pupil Premium funding reaches the groups of pupils for whom it was intended and that it makes a significant impact on their education and lives.
  • The Pupil Premium will be used to provide additional educational support to improve the progress and raise the achievement for these pupils.
  • The funding will be used to narrow and close the gap between the achievement of these pupils and their peers.
  • The school will use the additional funding to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible for Pupils Premium and others.
How we will ensure effective use of the Pupil Premium
  • The Pupil Premium will be clearly identifiable within the budget.
  • The Head teacher in consultation with the governors and staff, will decide how the Pupil Premium is spent for the benefit of the entitled pupils. Funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority groups or individuals.
  • In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged or underachieving. We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We therefore reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any groups of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged.
  • The school will assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils.
  • The school will be accountable for how it has used the additional funding to support the achievement of those pupils covered by the Pupil Premium.
  • The Head teacher will report to the governing body and parents on how effective the intervention has been in achieving its aims, including publishing online information about how the Premium has been used.
  • We will track the impact of the strategies put into place through the funding to ensure that we can show the value that has been added to the education of the entitled children.
  • We will monitor evaluate and review the success of the impact of the pupil premium funding.
Provision

We will regularly seek to further develop strategies and interventions which can improve the progress and attainment of these pupils. Examples of the range of provision we may put in place include:
  • Providing small group or 1:1 support with an experienced member of staff to focus on overcoming barriers to learning
  • Facilitating pupils’ access to education and the curriculum through additional or specialist resources e.g. specialist software
  • Additional teaching and learning opportunities provided by trained TAs or external agencies
Key Principles

By following the key principles below, we believe we can maximise the impact of our pupil premium spending.

Building Belief

We will provide a culture where:
  • staff believe in ALL children
  • there are no excuses made for underperformance
  • staff adopt a solution-focused approach to overcoming barriers
  • staff support children to develop a positive attitude towards learning.
Analysing Data

We will ensure that:
  • all staff are involved in the analysis of data so that they are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses across the school
  • we use research and train staff to support us in determining the strategies that will be most effective.
Identification of Pupils
 
We will ensure that:
  • all teaching staff and support staff are involved in the analysis of data and identification of pupils
  • all staff are aware of who pupil premium and vulnerable children are
  • all pupil premium children benefit from the funding, not just those who are underperforming
  • underachievement at all levels is targeted (not just lower attaining pupils)
  • children’s individual needs are considered carefully so that we provide support for those children who could be doing even better.
Improving Day to Day Teaching

We will continue to ensure that ALL children across the school receive good or better teaching. Teachers will:
  • set high expectations
  • address any within-school variance
  • ensure consistent implementation of the non-negotiables, e.g. marking
  • share good practice within the school and draw on external expertise
  • provide high quality planning
  • improve assessment through moderation.
Reporting outcomes

It will be the responsibility of the Head teacher to produce a report for the Governing Body that will include:
  • The progress made towards closing the gap, by year group, for disadvantaged pupils.
  • An outline of the provision made during the term since the last report.
  • An evaluation of the cost effectiveness in terms of the pupil progress made.
The governing body will consider the information provided and will ensure that there is an annual statement to the parents on the school website outlining how the pupil premium funding has been used to address the issue of closing the gap for pupils eligible for pupil premium. The task will be carried out in line with the requirements published by the department for education.

Monitoring and Evaluation

We will ensure that:
  • a wide range of data is used – achievement data, pupils’ work, observations, learning walks, case studies, and staff, parent and pupil voice
  • assessment data is collected half termly so that the impact of interventions can be monitored regularly
  • assessments are closely moderated to ensure they are accurate
  • teaching staff attend pupil progress meetings twice a year and the identification of children is reviewed
  • regular feedback about performance is given to children and parents
  • interventions are adapted or changed if they are not working
  • the Headteacher maintains an overview of pupil premium spending
  • a governor is given responsibility for pupil premium.
Appeals

Any appeals against this policy will be through the governor's complaints procedure.