What is Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium is a Government initiative that targets extra money for pupils who are in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) or have received FSM at some time, known as Ever6, in addition to the number of looked after children (including adopted), who attend the school. 

The service premium, for children whose parents are serving in the armed forces, is designed to address the emotional and social well-being of these pupils. 

The Pupil Premium is intended to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for FSM and their less disadvantaged peers by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most. The DfE have stated that schools have the right to spend this funding as they see fit based upon their knowledge of pupil needs. 

Pupil Premium at Southbourne Infant School

Our goal at Southbourne Infant School is to ensure ALL children, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, receive the support that they need to become creative, independent, enthusiastic and resilient learners, who achieve well.

We are committed to raising the achievement of vulnerable groups of children, and those eligible for Pupil Premium, by striving to develop a love of learning and the skills and knowledge that enable them to reach their full potential. Our ultimate objectives for our disadvantaged pupils are:

•  Every child is a reader
•  Every child is a mathematician
•  Every child has had a rich and wide primary curriculum learning experience
•  Every child has raised aspirations and expectations of themselves for their future

We will do this by: 

• Providing all teachers with high quality CPD to ensure all children access effective quality first teaching 
• Providing quality, targeted training for all support staff to ensure they are able to deliver quality support effectively 
• Supporting the emotional health and well-being needs of Pupil Premium children 
• Supporting Pupil Premium children to be able to articulate and deal appropriately with their emotions
• Developing the knowledge and skills, from their starting points, of Pupil Premium children in phonics, reading, writing and maths, ensuring that progress and attainment is at least in line with that of their peers 
• Providing high quality, targeted early intervention for children identified as underperforming 
• Developing language and vocabulary, including speech sounds and language comprehension skills for Pupil Premium children, which should in turn improve reading, writing and maths outcomes 
• Supporting Pupil Premium children to participate in activities that broaden their lived experiences, create awe and wonder, and improve their Cultural Capital, including extra-curricular activities.

How can parents and carers contribute to the success of the Pupil Premium scheme?

Parent support and involvement is a key factor in raising standards. If you would like help or advice in supporting your child as always your first point of contact should be your child’s class teacher. Mrs Whiffin is the Disadvantaged Lead and can be contacted through the school office should you require further information. 

As a parent or carer of a child who is entitled to Pupil Premium, our parent-teacher consultations provide a good opportunity to review children’s progress and the intervention strategies that have been used. 

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, it is worth registering them, even if they are not going to have a school lunch. It will have a direct impact on the funding the school receives and will enable us to maximise the support we can provide. Please speak to the school office for support or help with this.