What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium was introduced by the Government in 2011/12. It provides additional funding to help schools ‘close the gap’ between children who are vulnerable to underachievement and all other children at the school.

In 2019/20 schools were given £1,320 for each child who had been registered for Free School Meals in the last six years or £2,300 for looked-after children who have been in continuous care for more than six months. This is because there is lots of evidence that many of these children underachieve.

In addition to this money, Service Child Premium of £300 per pupil has also been allocated to children with parents in the armed services in recognition for the particular challenges that they face. We carefully base our spending on the needs of all of our children.

St. Andrew’s prides itself on being a church school at the heart of the community guided by the words of Jesus in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, life in all its fullness”. In holding these values at the centre of everything we strive to do all pupils must benefit from an inclusive and equitable education experience. Pupils from all backgrounds will be given the opportunity to succeed and be equipped with the skills to make them reflective, resilient, and active learners sharing in a belief that they can succeed and to be lifelong learners.

Children will be accurately identified, and support will be tailored to meet their needs with a robust system to review and remove barriers to learning. At the earliest opportunity parents and teachers will work collaboratively to move children forward through the next steps of learning. Children will be kept at the centre of discussions and their responsibility as a learner will be encouraged and their voice heard. Parents, children, and teachers will use the pupil passport to accurately reflect and drive forward their ambitions for each child who is needing support and these will be reviewed and passed on every year so each child has their personal learning journey documented through school and every teacher can have a clear understanding of their needs.

The Senior Leadership Team will ensure standards in teaching and expectations for our most vulnerable learners are consistently high and that pupil progress meetings result in an action plan for learners who are at risk of making less than expected progress. Monitoring and evaluation of Quality First Teaching (QFT) will be robust, and support given to ensure delivery of high standards across the school.

As a family school we want to break down barriers that prevent parents from seeking support and guidance and promote a holistic approach to education that values parents as their child’s first teacher, the learning environment, the wellbeing of the family alongside the education we offer at St Andrew’s.