The Pupil Premium

What is the Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium is additional funding for schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. It is given to help children from low-income families, children who are in-care or who have been adopted, and children with parents in the armed services.

Our aim is to raise the achievement of all our pupils, with a specific focus on raising the attainment of children from low-income and other disadvantaged families.

How do we try to achieve our aim?

We have implemented a three-layer approach, using the additional funding to raise achievement on three levels: across the whole school (for every child), for groups of children, and for individuals.

1. Using Pupil Premium to Raise Achievement Across the School

We use some of the funding to improve our School for the benefit of all children. We enrich the curriculum with activities and events to inspire everyone and provide resources and equipment to ensure nobody is at a disadvantage. We fund staff development to continually improve the quality of teaching and learning.

2. Using Pupil Premium to Raise Achievement for Groups of Children

We carefully monitor the progress of disadvantaged children against school and national averages, and try to close any gaps in achievement. We think about the context of our school: Which children receive Pupil Premium? What are their needs? How can we improve their achievement? Each term we identify our main priorities and Pupil Premium money is used to fund any identified actions. For example, we fund additional teachers and teaching assistants to help disadvantaged children and we buy educational resources for their specific use.

3. Using Pupil Premium to Raise the Achievement of Individual Children

In consultation with parents, teachers consider whether there may be any specific factors which may be preventing any child in receipt of Pupil Premium from high achievement. We expect all children to excel, including when they might otherwise be unable to do so because of a lack of opportunities outside of school or a lack of family finances. So we fund termly extended parent consultations to allow parents and teachers time to discuss children’s needs in greater detail. We help to fund school trips and individual equipment and support where it is necessary.

Who is eligible for the Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium is paid to primary schools as follows:

• For each child registered as eligible for Free School Meals now or at any point in the last six years, the school will receive £1,345 in the 2021-22 financial year.

• For each child in local authority care, or who have been in local authority care, the school will receive £2,345.

• For each child with a parent in the armed services, now or at any point in the last five years, the school will receive £30 to improve their social and emotional wellbeing.

How do I make an application for my child to receive Pupil Premium funding?

If you receive state benefits such as Income Support or income based JSA or ESA, you can apply for Free School Meals for your child. This automatically entitles your children to receive Pupil Premium funding. So, even if your child is in Reception – Year 2 and they already receive Universal Free School Meals, it is important to apply for Free School Meals. Otherwise, your child will not receive Pupil Premium funding.

You can make an application for Free School Meals by visiting Michelle or the school office. You will need to have your National Insurance number, or National Asylum Seeker number. You can download a copy of the application form below. For all other Pupil Premium applications, please enquire at the School Office.

The Sports Premium

What is the Sports Premium?

The Government has provided funding of £150 million per annum since 2013 to ‘provide new, substantial primary school sport funding’. This funding is being jointly provided by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport, and will see money going directly to primary school headteachers to spend on improving the quality of sport and PE for all their children. The sport funding can only be spent on sport and PE provision in schools.

Purpose of funding

Schools will have to spend the sport funding on improving their provision of PE and sport, but they will have the freedom to choose how they do this. Possible uses for the funding include:

• Hiring specialist PE teachers or qualified sports coaches to work alongside primary teachers when teaching PE

• New or additional Change4Life sport clubs

• Paying for professional development opportunities in PE/sport

• Providing cover to release primary teachers for professional development in PE/sport

• Running sport competitions, or increasing participation in the school games

• Buying quality assured professional development modules or materials for PE/sport

• Providing places for pupils on after school sport clubs and holiday clubs.

How will Walsgrave Academy be spending the Sports Funding and who will benefit?

At our school, we believe that the money must be used so all children benefit regardless of sporting ability; that the most able children are given the opportunity to compete in advanced tournaments, that children who are not ‘sporty’ have the opportunity to try something different, and that staff have access to training opportunities and continued professional development.

How will we measure the impact?

We will evaluate the impact of the Sports Premium funding as part of our normal self-evaluation and provision mapping arrangements. We will look at how well we use our Sport Premium to improve the quality and breadth of PE and sporting provision, including increasing participation in PE and sport so that all pupils develop healthy lifestyles and reach the performance levels they are capable of.

Measuring the impact of the activities provided with sports premium funding can be achieved in different ways. We will look at progress in PE as well as other areas of development such as self-esteem, confidence and the numbers of pupils involved in sporting activities in and out of school. Assessments are made both formally and informally using our school assessment systems as well as feedback from staff and visitors to the school. We will also evaluate the impact of professional development opportunities in improving teaching and learning in PE.