What is pupil premium funding?

2019 Statement

The Department for Education states that “the pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.”

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to support  pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years. Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and children of Service Personnel.

National performance tables  capture the achievement of those groups covered by the Pupil Premium and  schools are required to publish online information each year about how the Pupil Premium has been used.

At Gaddesden Row, our targeted and strategic use of Pupil Premium  supports us in achieving our school aims;  to nurture and support all children to reach their potential in their academic, creative, personal, physical, moral and spiritual development.

Such as:

*Use of targeted TA time to support children in class

*Teacher release to work with small groups or individuals to close gaps in learning

*Enrichment of the curriculum - funding visits and visitors as well as some clubs

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has undertaken substantial research into strategies which make a significant difference to learning and provide the greatest impact and value for money.

Some of the strategies we employ to support your child are taken from this research and are:

• Small class sizes
• Small group and 1:1 tuition
• Effective feedback
• Individualised instruction
• Collaborative learning
• Social and emotional learning

Barriers to Learning that we aim to address through our Pupil Premium strategy:

*For some pupils, educational and emotional targets cannot be met/ met as well without additional support and targeted intervention.

 *For some pupils, specific needs and barriers cannot be addressed as effectively with within whole class teaching and require small group support.

*Some pupils lack wider experiences of the world, limiting their imagination and understanding and ability to apply this to wider contexts of learning. 

*Some pupils’ families cannot afford school trips and are entitled to support towards payment.

*Some pupils do not have opportunities to pursue individual interests outside school.

The impact of the strategies used is regularly measured throughout the year, in a variety of ways such as through data analysis, Pupil Progress meetings and anecdotal evidence. Updates are reported to School Governors  throughout the year with an overall summary published at the end of each academic year. 

To find out in more detail about how we strategically use this funding, please read the report below.