Pupil Premium
What is the Pupil Premium?
Every school has a duty to ensure that every individual child is given the best possible chance of achieving their potential. At Herschel we have uniformly high expectations of all learners.
The Pupil Premium is a government initiative providing additional funding to schools in order to raise the attainment of children from disadvantaged backgrounds and close the gap between them and their peers. Nationally, statistics indicate that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds do not achieve as well as other pupils.
The additional funding received by the school is based upon the number of pupils who are eligible for Targeted Free School Meals (FSM), or who have been eligible for Targeted FSM within the preceding six years. This is known as the ‘Ever 6’ measure and is used by the Department for Education as an indicator of disadvantage.
Secondary schools receive £1,100 for each eligible pupil attracting Pupil Premium funding. Schools also receive £360 per eligible pupil through the Service Pupil Premium for children of members of the armed forces. Schools can also receive Pupil Premium funding for eligible previously looked-after children, at a rate of £2,690 per pupil. Funding for children who are currently looked after is allocated to local authorities, who are responsible for deciding how this funding is passed to schools.
Students in the Sixth Form are not included in the Pupil Premium calculation. There is a separate 16–19 Bursary Fund to provide financial support to eligible Sixth Form students who may face financial barriers to participating in their education. However, it remains a focus at Herschel to ensure that A Level students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve as well as their peers.
How will the Pupil Premium funding be used at Herschel Grammar School?
The Department for Education does not dictate how schools should spend the Pupil Premium funding; schools should use strategies that they know will support their pupils to increase their attainment, and ‘narrow the gap’ between them and their peers.
In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be disadvantaged in the same ways. We also recognise that not all pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are registered for or qualify for free school meals. We therefore allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils we have identified as being disadvantaged or vulnerable.
We believe that support for Pupil Premium learners is at its most effective when it is tailored to the specific needs of that individual. Some examples of how Herschel uses Pupil Premium funding are listed below:
- To invest in the professional development of teachers as provision of high quality teaching is at the heart of our offer as a learning community
- The provision of resources that will allow learners to access the curriculum in full e.g. support with access to IT or other learning resources
- To provide a culturally-rich curriculum for all learners by subsidising enrichment activities e.g. educational visits, peripatetic music lessons
- To provide additional guidance with “Next Steps” as learners move on from GCSE/ A Level programmes
- To allow for smaller class sizes and a varied curriculum
- To fund time spent on the collection and analysis of pupil data to allow for focused intervention
The proportion of disadvantaged students at Herschel Grammar School is relatively low. However, these students almost always achieve very well. Further details can be found in the annual report published on the school website.
Claiming free school meals
The school currently receives £1,100 for each eligible pupil who attracts Pupil Premium funding to help them and others access additional learning experiences and resources. If you are eligible but don’t want your son or daughter to have free school meals, please still apply so the school receives the additional funding. The free school meals system is managed with complete discretion; for further information on eligibility and how to apply click here.
Michael Bourne
