Pupil Premium
What is the Pupil Premium?
The pupil premium grant is additional to main school funding. It is allocated to help schools address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. Nationally, the statistics show that students who are in receipt of FSM do less well than their peers academically. The aim of this funding is to diminish that attainment gap.
Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:
- pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
- children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales
Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It can be used:
- to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer
- for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils
At Highnam Academy our vision, 'Inspiring Everyone to Shine,' drives us to focus on the well-being, learning and progress of every pupil, working to remove any barriers effectively and efficiently so that all children can do their best.
We strive to ensure happiness and personal growth by utilising Christian values and by developing a culture of mutual respect. By working in partnership with families we aim to meet the needs of the whole child and to provide a firm basis for our pupils to take with them into the wider world.
PP funding enables the Academy to close any attainment gap between children eligible for FSM and those who are non-FSM. Highnam is an inclusive school and we strive to:
1. Ensure that teaching, learning and opportunities within the school meet the needs of all our pupils.
2. Ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed.
3. Make provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who are eligible for FSM will be socially disadvantaged.
4. Recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are eligible for free school meals.
5. Use Pupil Premium funding carefully and diligently.
How much PPG (Pupil Premium Grant) is allocated and how is it spent?
The funding is spent in a variety of ways depending on the needs of each individual child.
The school uses the Education Endowment Found which has formed the basis of much expert analysis in this field and assesses different approaches to improving learning in schools, estimating the extra progress over the course of a school year that an ‘average’ student might expect if this strategy was adopted.
The PPG should also be used to ensure that FSM children can access all school opportunities such as trips, after school clubs and activities where parental voluntary contributions are requested.
Pupil Premium at Highnam C of E Primary Academy
2023-24: Action Plan including costings, intended outcomes and review of 2022-23
2024-25: Action Plan including costings, intended outcomes and review of 2023-24
