In 2011-12 the government introduced Pupil Premium funding. Pupil Premium funding is allocated in the school’s budget and the amount depends on the number of families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals or have been at any point within the last 6 years. The Pupil premium provides schools in England with additional funding to help them raise the attainment of disadvantaged children and close the gap with their peers, so they may reach their potential.
“The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’). In most cases the Pupil Premium is paid direct to schools, allocated to them for every pupil who receives free school meals. Schools decide how to use the funding, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision their pupils need.” DfE – Pupil premium: What You Need to Know
The Pupil Premium is funding provided to schools on the basis of the following criteria:
- children from low-income families who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM)
- those who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years
- those adopted from local authority care; and those who are currently ‘looked after’.
- Pupils from service families are also eligible for another strand of the pupil premium funding.
Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However, they are accountable for how the additional funding is used to support pupils to whom it is allocated. Funding is allocated for the financial year, but schools report on its use and impact based on the academic year.
Please click on the links below to read more about the use of Pupil Premium funding at St Peter’s.