Pupil Premium
If your child is eligible for free school meals, their schools may also be entitled to receive a sum of money to boost their learning. This guide explains the allocation of the Pupil Premium for Charnwood College and its students.
What is Pupil Premium?
This is based on research showing that students from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Research showed that often, students who are entitled to Pupil Premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, less family support, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality compared to non-Pupil Premium students. The Pupil Premium is intended to directly benefit the students who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates and their peers nationally.
Is your child eligible?
Schools are given a Pupil Premium for:
- Students who have qualified for free school meals at any point in the past six years. The school receives [£935] for each of these students.
- Students who have been looked after under local authority care for more than one day. These school is awarded a premium of [£2300].
How is it spent at Charnwood College?
Schools can choose how to spend their Pupil Premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the students who are eligible.
Common ways in which schools spend their Pupil Premium fund include:
- Extra one-to-one or small-group support for students within the classroom.
- Employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes.
- Running catch-up sessions before or after school, for example for students who need extra help with particular skills.
- Providing extra tuition for able students who receive the Pupil Premium.
- Funding educational trips and visits.
At Charnwood College, Pupil Premium money will be used to support the following areas identified as barriers to success for Pupil Premium students:
- Low literacy levels are affecting progress
- Low numeracy levels are affecting progress
- Lack of homework completion affects progress
- Student(s) is/are frequently off task in lessons
- Poor attendance has affected progress
- Significant behaviour issues affect progress
- Lack of specific skills, knowledge or understanding is affecting progress
- Teaching and assessment strategies are not entirely appropriate
- Feedback and next steps are not helping the students to progress in their learning
All schools have to show that they are using their Pupil Premium fund appropriately. This is measured through Ofsted inspections and annual performance tables showing the progress made by students who are eligible for Pupil Premium. In Charnwood College the Pupil Premium Plan 2019/20 (shown below), shows how much money has been allocated, how the academy intends to spend it, how the previous year’s allocation was spent and how it is making a difference to the attainment of disadvantaged students.
If your child qualifies for free school meals, it’s important that you tell us – even if they take a packed lunch – as this enables them to claim Pupil Premium.
