Pupil Premium
Striving to close the gap; unlocking the potential.
"Although the number of disadvantaged pupils that attend the school is low, careful thought and consideration are given to ensure that the funding to support them is spent wisely. This allows these pupils to participate in all that the school has to offer. The school’s tracking information shows that this group of pupils achieve as well as (and at times, better than) other pupils in the school." OFSTED March 2016
Introduction
The Pupil Premium is allocated to schools with pupils on roll that known to have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any time in the last six years; that are children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months; or that are children of service personnel. Schools have the freedom to spend the Premium, which is additional to the underlying schools budget, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for the most vulnerable pupils. On this page you can access the School's Policy for Pupil Premium and an annual report that is produced for the Governors which analyses whether the attainment gap is closing and documents the expenditure of the Pupil Premium money. Our policy meets Article 26 for the Rights of the child which makes clear that every child has the right to social security, including financial support and other benefits.
~~Free School Meals Eligibility
To be entitled to free school meals parents must be receiving one of the following support payments:
• Income Support
• Employment Support Allowance (Income Related)
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Guaranteed Pension Credit
Child Tax credit and the assessed family income does not exceed £16,190. Parents receiving Working Tax Credit are not entitled regardless of the level of assessed income.
Children of Asylum Seekers who receive support from Social Services are entitled as are those children who receive Income Support in their own right.
Parents are required to complete a Free School Meals Application form available from the school, or the form is accessible on this page or direct from the Cheshire website: Click on this link - Cheshire West.
Parents are not required to provide evidence of the benefit as checks will be made using data held by the Department for Education.
Principles
The targeted and strategic use of Pupil Premium will support us in achieving our vision. In using the Premium at Farndon, we will adhere to the following principles:
- We will ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all the pupil.
- We will regularly review our strategy for the expenditure, and along with the Link Governor, we review in the Summer term in readiness for the next academic year.
- We will ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups. This includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed.
- In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals with be socially disadvantaged.
- We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or group of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged.
- Pupil Premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis, which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals. Limited funding and resources means that not all children receiving free school meals will be in receipt of Pupil Premium intervention at one time.