At Newlaithes Junior School, all members of staff and governors accept responsibility for those pupils recognised as ‘disadvantaged’ and are committed to meeting their pastoral, social and academic needs. Every child who is considered to be ‘disadvantaged’ is valued, respected and entitled to develop to his/her potential, irrespective of disadvantage.

Ever 6 – any pupil who has been eligible for and has claimed Free School Meals (FSM) in the last 6 years.

Free School Meals (FSM) – Free School meals is a benefit awarded to pupils under the age of 19 where the parent or carer is in receipt of qualifying benefits.

Looked After Child (LAC) – a child currently under the care of the Local Authority in some way.

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011, and paid by means of a specific grant based on school census figures for pupils registered as eligible for FSM in reception to Year 11. For looked after children the Pupil Premium was calculated using the Looked After Children data returns (SSDA903). A premium has also been introduced for children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces. This service premium is designed to address the emotional and social well-being of these pupils.

The Pupil Premium is additional to main school funding and it will be used by this school to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most. Research shows that pupils from deprived backgrounds underachieve compared to their non-deprived peers. The funding is provided in order to support these pupils in reaching their potential by accelerating their progress. In 2012, funding was extended to include pupils who have been eligible for free school meals within the last 6 years (Ever 6).

It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility. Schools have to be accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families.

• The Pupil Premium will be used to provide additional educational support to improve the progress and to raise the standard of achievement of these pupils;
• The funding will be used to narrow and close the gap between the achievement of these pupils and their peers;
• As far as its powers allow the school will use the additional funding to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible for Pupil Premium and others;
• We will ensure that the additional funding reaches the pupils who need it most and that it makes a significant impact on their education and lives.

PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES

Newlaithes Junior School will regularly seek to further develop strategies and interventions which can improve the progress and attainment of these pupils. Examples of the range of provision that may be put into place include:

• Achievement and standards work including additional class based or intervention activities to accelerate progress for targeted groups or individuals, alongside tracking systems to monitor pupil progress.
• Nurture group work in a designated Nurture Room with curriculum planned to meet the specific needs of pupils.
• Pastoral work with a qualified counsellor supporting pupils with emotional or socially related issues which inhibit learning, impact on self-esteem or mental health.
• Out of hours and enrichment to ensure that pupils are given the opportunity to develop a range of talents including sport and creativity, also improving self-confidence and motivation for learning.
• Residential learning to enable pupils to develop new skills as well as independence and confidence through access to alternative activities that the school cannot offer on site.
• Continuous Professional Development for teachers and support staff. Pupil Premium funding may also be used to provide sustained professional development opportunities for teaching staff. This will be targeted to improve the quality of teaching in relation to specific strategies or approaches that research suggests will disproportionately benefit ‘vulnerable’ pupils.

Head teacher

• Will regularly and rigorously monitor, evaluate and review the strategies put into place for Pupil Premium and report to the governing body on its effectiveness;
• Will ensure that parents, governors and others are made fully aware of the attainment of pupils entitled to the premium.
• Publish on the school website how funding had been allocated for the current academic year, and publish a statement of how the school spent the funding in the previous year and its impact on the attainment of pupils eligible for support through the Pupil Premium.

Governing Body

• Monitor and review the school’s Pupil Premium Policy;
• Ensure that the school uses the Pupil Premium and other resources to overcome barriers to learning in areas such as reading, writing and numeracy.
• Monitor and review the expenditure of the Pupil Premium budget allocation and its impact on attainment of the cohort;
• Liaise with the school’s Business Manager regarding allocation and monitoring of the Pupil Premium budget;
• Provide feedback with regard to the progress and attainment of the Pupil Premium cohort;
• Track the impact of the strategies put into place through the funding to ensure that we can show the value that has been added to the education of the entitled children.

• This policy will play an important part in the educational development of the individual pupils who are entitled to the Pupil Premium.
• We will ensure that these pupils are treated equally and as favourably as others and that the additional funding is used well to address the challenges they face.
• The school will use the additional funding to promote the achievement and progress of all entitled pupils.
• Through wise use of this additional funding we are fully committed to ensuring that the individual needs of each entitled child are met.
• As a result of the additional funding, these children will make better progress and achieve higher standards that would have been likely without it.