Pupil Premium Funding

What is Pupil Premium funding?

The pupil premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.

Pupil premium funding is available to both mainstream and non-mainstream schools, like special schools and pupil referral units.

What is a Disadvantaged Pupil?

A disadvantaged pupil, is a pupil whose social, economic or cultural circumstances may be proving to be a significant barrier to them making expected progress in line with age related expectations and/or their own relative starting point. It is clearly recognised that every child has the right to a high quality education, and every effort should be made to make sure that this promise is fulfilled both within the school context and beyond the school gates. Every child has a potential, and it is our intention here at St. John's to ensure that every child reaches their potential.

How is Pupil Premium Funding generated?

The Government uses the eligibility for free school meals as the main measure of deprivation at pupil level. Please note that although free schools measure is used as the main measure, it is up to schools to identify other vulnerable pupils or groups who may be disadvantaged from achieving and reaching their potential in the same understanding as pupils who receive free school meals.

From 2014, the government provides all schools with a list of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. This data allows our school to identify the pupils who have previously attracted pupil premium funding and to track & monitor that those children are on track for their personal targets and are working in line with age related expectations, and where this isnt the case, then we can target support accurately. The data can also help us to estimate how much pupil premium funding we will be allocated for budget planning purposes. 

It has been for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent since the funding was first introduced, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.

New measures have been included in the performance tables that capture the achievement of those pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. Schools are also required to publish online information about how the premium has been used.

In April 2022 St. John's CE Primary School was allocated £37,395 for the 2022-23 financial year and has prioritised the use of the Pupil Premium to support pupils as follows:

• Free School Meal (FSM) pupils who are not on track for their personal end of key stage targets given their starting points and working below age related expectations;
• Pupils who are no longer eligible for FSM, but have been at some point within the last 6 years, who are not on track for their personal end of key stage targets given their starting points and working below age related expectations;
• Pupils from other educationally vulnerable groups, but who do not generate any additional pupil premium funding as they are not eligible for FSM, who are underachieving in the same way as identified for FSM pupils;
• All other pupils who are in danger of underachieving and not reaching their personal targets.