What is Pupil Premium Grant?
The Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) was introduced in April 2011 and is additional funding that the government gives to schools for each pupil on roll where they are deemed to be disadvantaged. The grant aims to:
Why has PPG been introduced?
Poverty or low income is the single most important factor in predicting a child’s future life chances, with many pupils having low attainment by the time they leave school at age 16. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address these underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
Who receives the Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school year groups from Reception to Year 11 from low income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’), together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more.
How can parents access this support for the benefit of their child?
Parents must apply for free school meals via the County Council or the school. Telephone 0845 155 1019 with your National Insurance Number, date of birth, name and child’s details and an eligibility check can be carried out using the Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking System, this will confirm if details have been matched or not. It will not tell us what benefits you are in receipt of, dates when a benefit was awarded or say how much you receive. Confirmation will be sent to you and the school within 5 to 10 working days.
Further information is available on Devon Council’s website at:
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/learningschools/parents/financial_support/free_school_meals.htm
The grant must be spent on disadvantaged pupils to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent. Pupil premium funding does not have to be used for the individual pupil it is given for, but to support groups of children. Parents should be involved in the programme, but schools do not have to consult with parents on what parents’ preferred activities are for their child. Parents do not have a right to demand that the grant is wholly spent on their individual child.
How much are the Pupil Premium Grants worth?
The Pupil Premium grant is £1,345 per pupil for the academic year 2020/21. The Service Premium is £310. The allocation per pupil for Looked After Children (defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority), and for children who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, or child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order) is £2,345. This is significant additional money for schools to spend on supporting disadvantaged pupils and schools are very keen to ensure that all eligible pupils are in receipt of the grant. Grants are based on those pupils included in the January school census.
- reduce the attainment gap between groups of children, particularly in literacy and maths, focussing on accelerating in-year progress for disadvantaged groups
- provide social and emotional support to enable effective access to learning
- increase overall attendance and reduce persistent absence, particularly for disadvantaged groups
- increase parental engagement to support their child’s learning
- ensure the progress made by all pupils is meeting or exceeding the national figure
Why has PPG been introduced?
Poverty or low income is the single most important factor in predicting a child’s future life chances, with many pupils having low attainment by the time they leave school at age 16. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address these underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
Who receives the Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school year groups from Reception to Year 11 from low income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’), together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more.
How can parents access this support for the benefit of their child?
Parents must apply for free school meals via the County Council or the school. Telephone 0845 155 1019 with your National Insurance Number, date of birth, name and child’s details and an eligibility check can be carried out using the Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking System, this will confirm if details have been matched or not. It will not tell us what benefits you are in receipt of, dates when a benefit was awarded or say how much you receive. Confirmation will be sent to you and the school within 5 to 10 working days.
Further information is available on Devon Council’s website at:
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/learningschools/parents/financial_support/free_school_meals.htm
The grant must be spent on disadvantaged pupils to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent. Pupil premium funding does not have to be used for the individual pupil it is given for, but to support groups of children. Parents should be involved in the programme, but schools do not have to consult with parents on what parents’ preferred activities are for their child. Parents do not have a right to demand that the grant is wholly spent on their individual child.
How much are the Pupil Premium Grants worth?
The Pupil Premium grant is £1,345 per pupil for the academic year 2020/21. The Service Premium is £310. The allocation per pupil for Looked After Children (defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority), and for children who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, or child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order) is £2,345. This is significant additional money for schools to spend on supporting disadvantaged pupils and schools are very keen to ensure that all eligible pupils are in receipt of the grant. Grants are based on those pupils included in the January school census.
