Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium
at Church Drive Primary School

What is the Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium was introduced by the Government in April 2011. It was designed to give additional money to support schools in raising the attainment of children who receive free school meals (FSM) and those children in local authority care. These groups of children have been identified nationally as achieving at a lower level than children from less disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, national figures show that 11-year-olds who are eligible for Free School Meals are around twice as likely not to achieve age-related expectations in maths and English as other 11-year-olds.

Pupil Premium is allocated to schools based on the number of children who are currently known to be eligible for FSM and children who have been looked after in local authority care continuously for more than six months.

Eligibility for the Pupil Premium is also extended to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years.  The funding is given to schools to spend as they think best, although there is a requirement to publish online how this money is spent.

The Pupil Premium at Church Drive Road Primary

At Church Drive, we are committed to ensuring all our children make the best possible progress. We track the achievements of every child on a regular basis and do all we can to make sure each child achieves their potential. We also have a duty to ensure that no group of children are disadvantaged due to their gender, ethnic origin or family income or background. At Church Drive, some of our children are disadvantaged through circumstance, yet do not claim free school meals.

We are well-staffed at Church Drive Primary School and each year band has access to some TA support allocated to Pupil Premium children as appropriate.

Children are familiar with working in groups of different sizes, at different times of the day, with different adults, such as support from outside organisations. With this type of organisation, we give children extra support as and when pupils need it.

The Pupil Premium funding has allowed us to continue and extend what we already do - to monitor children's progress and to give additional support when required, and support families who experience hardship. Children are certainly not singled out or stigmatised for getting some extra attention and we would never label a child in front of other children for receiving additional support.