Pupil Premium Policy

Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset, DT2 7LA

‘The Small School with the Big Heart.’

Tel: 01300 341319              e-mail:office@cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk             Website: www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk

Pupil premium policy

Our vision is to be the best we can be.

We are committed to nurturing every child to thrive in a safe and engaging environment based on our Christian values of Peace, Trust, Friendship, Joy, courage and Forgiveness. We strive to develop happy and confident learners ready to face the challenges of their next steps.

Aims

This policy aims to:

• Provide background information about the pupil premium grant so that all members of the school community understand its purpose and which pupils are eligible
• Set out how the school will make decisions on pupil premium spending
• Summarise the roles and responsibilities of those involved in managing the pupil premium in school. Thinking around this is based on our vision for every child to be the best they can be.

Legislation and guidance

This policy is based on the pupil premium conditions of grant guidance (2017-18), published by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. It is also based on guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) on virtual school heads’ responsibilities concerning the pupil premium, and the service premium.

Purpose of the grant

The pupil premium grant is additional funding allocated to publicly funded schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and support pupils with parents in the armed forces.

The grant will be used to help improve pupils’ progress and attainment so that they can reach their full potential.

Use of the grant

Sir John Dunford, formally a national pupil premium champion stated that the best effect on pupil’s progress was ‘relentlessly focusing on the quality of teaching and learning’.  Sir John made reference to the Sutton Trust (2011) research:
 

Effect of teaching on students in years progress

Poor teaching – green

Highly effective teaching - red

With this in mind we draw up our annual action plan to close any gaps between children in our school.

We will publish our strategy on the school’s use of the pupil premium in each academic year on the school website, in line with the DfE’s requirements on what maintained schools must publish online.

We will publish information on the school’s use of the pupil premium on the school website in line with the requirements set out in our funding agreement and the DfE’s guidance on what academies should publish online.

Eligible pupils

The pupil premium is allocated to the school based on the number of eligible pupils.

Eligible pupils fall into the categories explained below.

• Ever 6 free school meals

Pupils recorded in the most recent January school census who are known to have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years (as determined by the DfE’s latest conditions of grant guidance).

This includes pupils first known to be eligible for free school meals in the most recent January census.

It does not include pupils who received universal infant free school meals but would not have otherwise received free lunches.

• Looked after children

Pupils who are in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, a local authority in England or Wales.

• Post-looked after children 

Pupils recorded in the most recent January census and alternative provision census who were looked after by an English or Welsh local authority immediately before being adopted, or who left local authority care on a special guardianship order or child arrangements order.

• Ever 6 service children

Pupils:

• With a parent serving in the regular armed forces
• Who have been registered as a ‘service child’ in the school census at any point in the last 6 years (as determined by the DfE’s latest conditions of grant guidance), including those first recorded as such in the most recent January census
• In receipt of a child pension from the Ministry of Defence because one of their parents died while serving in the armed forces

Roles and responsibilities

The headteacher is responsible for:

• Keeping this policy up to date, and ensuring that it is implemented across the school
• Ensuring that all school staff are aware of their role in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and supporting pupils with parents in the armed forces
• Planning pupil premium spending and keeping this under constant review, using an evidence-based approach and working with virtual school heads where appropriate
• Monitoring the attainment and progress of pupils eligible for the pupil premium to assess the impact of the school’s use of the funding
• Reporting on the impact of pupil premium spending to the governing board on an ongoing basis
• Publishing the school’s pupil premium strategy on the school website each academic year, as required by the DfE
• Providing relevant training for staff, as necessary, on supporting disadvantaged pupils and raising attainment

The governing board is responsible for:

• Holding the headteacher to account for the implementation of this policy
• Ensuring the school is using pupil premium funding appropriately, in line with the rules set out in the conditions of grant
• Monitoring the attainment and progress of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, in conjunction with the headteacher, to assess the impact and effectiveness of the school’s use of the funding
• Monitoring whether the school is ensuring value for money in its use of the pupil premium 
• Challenging the headteacher to use the pupil premium in the most effective way
• Setting the school’s ethos and values around supporting disadvantaged members of the school community

All school staff are responsible for:

• Implementing this policy on a day-to-day basis
• Setting high expectations for all pupils, including those eligible for the pupil premium
• Identifying pupils whose attainment is not improving in response to interventions funded by the pupil premium, and highlighting these individuals to the senior leadership team
• Sharing insights into effective practice with other school staff

Virtual school heads are responsible for managing pupil premium funding for children looked after by a local authority, and allocating it to schools. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying the eligible looked after children and informing the local authority
• Making sure methods for allocating and spending ensure that looked after children benefit without delay
• Working with each looked after child’s educational setting to put together a personal education plan, agree how pupil premium funding will be spent to the meet the need identified in this plan, and ensure the funding is spent in this way
• Demonstrating how pupil premium funding is raising the achievement of looked after children

Virtual school heads are in charge of promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority they work for.