Understanding and Accounting for Pupil Premium

A Guide for Parents, Carers and Guardians of Quadring Cowley and

Brown’s Primary School Pupils.

Pupil Premium is........

• The Pupil Premium grant is intended to address the current ‘gaps’ or inequalities between children entitled to free school meals and those who are not.

• The funding has been put into schools to reach the ‘deprived’ children who have been identified as needing it the most.

Why Pupil Premium?

‘National data and research has identified unequivocally that children

who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) underachieve

significantly compared with non-FSM children at every key stage.’

Government Initiatives

• The Government believes that it is morally right to provide additional funds to the poorest children to give them a better start in life.

Pupil Premium – The Facts

• The Pupil Premium funding is allocated to children who are eligible or have been eligible in the last six years for Free School Meals.

• It also includes children who have been looked after for more than six months and FSM children in non-mainstream settings.

• Children who have a parent serving in the armed forces are also entitled to a smaller amount of Pupil Premium funding.

Pupil Premium – The Facts

• Pupil Premium funding is additional funding provided to maintained schools via Local Authorities.

• Academies receive their Pupil Premium funding from the Young Peoples Learning Agency.

Pupil Premium – The Facts

• In most cases the Pupil Premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.

Pupil Premium – The Facts

• For pupils from low-income families in non-mainstream settings, it is for the Local Authority to decide how to allocate the Pupil Premium. For instance, it could be allocated to the setting where they are being educated or, held by the local authority to spend specifically on additional educational support, to raise the standard of attainment for these pupils. The Authority must consult non-mainstream settings about how the Premium for these pupils should be used.

Schools Decide

• Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However they will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families.

• New measures have been included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those deprived pupils covered by the Pupil Premium.

Government Input

• The Government undertook a consultation on the future of Pupil Premium in 2011. The results from the consultation were not highly positive. However the government still believed that funding deprived children will change lives and futures.

• The result was to make schools more accountable for Pupil Premium through the Ofsted inspection process. The Government also provides schools with information about strategies and interventions which can improve the progress and attainment of pupils from poorer backgrounds.

Money, Money, Money.......

• The Government have committed large sums of money to this policy which they have given top priority.

• Total Government funding for Pupil Premium was £625m in 2011/12 and will rise to £2.5 billion per year by 2014/15.

Money, Money, Money.......

• The level of Pupil Premium has increased dramatically over the past few years.

• 2011/12 - £430 – rose to £488• 2012/13 - £600• 2013/14 - £900• 2014/15 - £1300 • 2015/16 - £1320

How Schools Can Use Pupil Premium

• The Pupil Premium funding is not ‘ring fenced’ which means that schools can effectively spend it on what they like.

• The Government are aiming to provide schools with evidence about the effectiveness of the range of intervention strategies that can improve the progress and attainment of children from low income backgrounds.

Looked After Children

• Local Authorities are responsible for Looked After Children in care and will make payments to schools and academies where an eligible looked after child is on roll.

• For Looked After Children not in mainstream settings, the Local Authority will use the Pupil Premium to support them in line with each child’s personal education plan.

Accountability

• It is vital that schools are transparent about how the Pupil Premium funding has been spent and the impact that it has made.

• To ensure transparency and accountability schools have to report annually to parents about how they have used the Pupil Premium.

• Pupil Premium will also be measured in performance tables which outline and analyse the achievements of pupils entitled to the Pupil Premium.

Pupil Premium Policy

• It is not statutory to have a policy for Pupil Premium. However most schools are adopting a Pupil Premium policy.

• It is important that the school policy for Pupil Premium is understood and agreed by all school stakeholders.

Reporting to Parents

• Schools must provide an annual report to parents and make it available online. There is no statutory or standard format for the annual report to parents.

• The report should detail information about how Pupil Premium has been used within the school, the attainment and progress of pupils who are covered by the premium and the intervention that has been supported by the additional funding.

Reporting Online

• It is vital that schools make the annual report to parents available online because Ofsted inspectors will be checking!

Reporting to Governors

• Headteachers should regularly report about the Pupil Premium in their termly reports to Governors.

• These reports should be dated and minuted to record when Pupil Premium has been discussed.

Reporting to Governors

• Governors should be fully aware of the amount of Pupil Premium and the impact of each intervention strategy.

• Governors should be able to talk about individual case studies of children where the Pupil Premium has made a significant impact on progress.

Reporting to All Staff

• Ofsted inspectors are asking Governors, teachers and teaching assistants about the use and effectiveness of the Pupil Premium funding.

Teaching Assistants

• In some inspections teaching assistants are being asked detailed questions about the Pupil Premium.

What Works Well?

• The Government is very keen that schools use evidence and research to select the most effective strategies for increasing progress.

• The most high profile research has been carried out by the Sutton Trust.

The Sutton TrustStrategy Potential Gain

Effective Feedback + 9 months

Meta-Cognition and Self-Regulation Strategies

+ 8 Months

Peer Tutoring/Peer Assisted Learning + 6 months

Early Intervention + 6 months

One to One Tutoring + 5 months

Homework + 5 months

ICT + 4 months

Assessment for Learning + 3 months

Parental Involvement + 3 months

Sports Participation + 3 months

The Sutton TrustStrategy Potential Gain

Summer Schools + 3 months

Reducing Class Sizes + 3 Months

After School Programmes + 2 months

Individualised Instruction + 2 months

Learning Styles + 2 months

Arts Participation + 1 months

Performance Pay + 0 months

Teaching Assistants + 0 months

Ability Grouping, Timetabling, School Uniforms

+ /- 1 months

Ofsted Research and Reports

• In September 2012 Ofsted conducted research with 262 school leaders to find out how schools were using the Pupil Premium funding to raise achievements for disadvantaged pupils.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• The report was not very positive about the impact of Pupil Premium.

• 1 in 10 school leaders stated that the Pupil Premium has significantly changed the way they supported children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• The majority of school leaders stated that they were using Pupil Premium funding to maintain or enhance existing provision rather than put in place new interventions and initiatives.

• Schools also stated that they were not separating out Pupil Premium from their main budget.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• Over 20% of schools had used the Pupil Premium to fund new or existing teaching assistants.

• Over 25% of schools had used the money to fund new teachers.

• A small percentage of schools had used the Pupil Premium to fund parent support workers, counsellors or behaviour support personnel.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• Schools felt that there was a lack of transparency in the way they received their allocation from the Local Authority.

• Inspectors found that Governors were not placing a strong focus on the Pupil Premium.

• A very small number of schools stated that Pupil Premium was having an impact on admissions and exclusions.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• Only 20% of secondary schools reported that they were involved in the Pupil Premium summer school programme.

• Only 33% of school leaders stated that they had used the funding for curriculum enrichment activities both inside and outside of school hours.

Ofsted Research and Reports

• Over 33% of school leaders stated that they had used the funding to subsidise or pay for education trips and residential visits.

• Just over 16% of school leaders had used the funding to pay for uniform and equipment.

• Inspectors felt that in some schools the funding was not being used at all to meet the needs of the children it was intended to support.

The Outcome Was……

Specific Inspections of Pupil Premium

Ofsted introduced one day subject specific inspections based solely on the use and impact

of Pupil Premium funding.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Maslow describes five levels of need with the lowest (1) being the most basic needs

a person needs. This is an important concept when lining social and emotional development together.

• Level 1 – the most basic – reduce physical discomforts first such as hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, smells, rest, sleep etc. Only when this level is met can a person move up to level 2.

• Level 2 – The need to feel safe and secure – avoiding danger and insecurity. Only when this level is met can a person move up to level 3.

• Level 3 – when the previous two levels have been achieved the third level to to feel accepted by and part of a group of other people such as a family, group or tribe! Only when this level is met can a person move up to level 4.

• Level 4 – to be known and appreciated and recognised as special and valuable in a group. Only when this level is met can a person move up to level 5.

• Level 5 – the highest level and where we all aim to be. This level is where we are fully ‘ourselves’ and where we are fully creative, energised, focused and productive.

Basic Needs – Food and Clothing

Questions1.What impact does having ‘tatty’ clothing have on children?2.What impact does being hungry have on children’s learning?

Basic Needs – Food and Clothing

• Ofsted will not be impressed if they see a Pupil Premium child in tatty clothes and starving hungry!

Basic Needs – Food and Clothing

Schools can spend PPG on the follwing;•School Uniform•Name Tags •P.E Kit•School Bags•Fancy Dress•Travel to School Events/Sports•Bus Passes•Extended Activities

• Breakfast Club• Healthy Snacks• School Lunch• Water• Snacks for After School

Activities

Getting it Right – School Life

The Pupil Premium could be used for:•Musical Lessons/Instruments•Educational Trips •Residential Visits•Transport•Equipment/Stationery•Ingredients for Cookery/ Materials for Lessons•Christmas Party

Getting it Right – Reading and Literacy

• Range of reading materials – comics, magazines• Reading clubs/enrichment• Subscriptions to magazines• Kindles or Apps • Reading material appealing to interests e.g. fishing,

football, gaming• Subscription to RSPB, National Trust etc• Transport to Homework Club/Study Club

Getting it Right – Parent Activities

• Parents support workers• Attendance support workers• Special events at dropping off and collection

times – reading, writing, maths• Arts and Craft family activities• Summer family trips

Getting it Right – Looked After Children

• Nurture groups• Lunchtime/break time groups or activities• Learning mentors/personal mentors• Counsellors• Self esteem workshops• Anger management• Martial arts subscriptions and fees• Musical lessons/instruments• IT packages• Educational visits/residential visits• Transport

Getting it Right – Armed Forces

• Nurture groups• Lunchtime/break time

groups or activities• Learning

mentors/personal mentors for fixed time during parents absence

• Counsellors• Sports

Equipment/Subscriptions

• Self esteem workshops• Anger management• Martial arts subscriptions

and fees• Musical

lessons/instruments• IT packages• Educational

visits/residential visits• Transport

Ofsted Checklist - Parents

Actively encourage parents to sign up/register for free school meals – newsletters, text messages, notices.

Display notices in entrance directing parents to who they need to speak to if they need help with uniform, transport etc.

Speak to parents to ask them if they can think of anything which would make a difference to their child’s learning.

Workshops, events and literature available to show them how they can help at home.