Student Premium typically refers to the Pupil Premium, a significant funding initiative aimed at improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged students in schools throughout England. It is a crucial resource designed to address the attainment gap between these pupils and their peers.
Understanding Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is government funding allocated to schools based on the number of eligible pupils they have. Its primary purpose is to provide additional financial support to schools to help them raise the attainment of their most vulnerable students and overcome barriers to learning.
Key aspects of the Pupil Premium include:
- Funding Mechanism: It is supplementary funding that schools receive on top of their general budget.
- Core Objective: To improve educational outcomes and life chances for disadvantaged pupils. This includes enhancing their academic performance and broader development.
- Target Group: The funding is specifically for pupils who are, or have been, eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), as well as looked-after children (LAC) and those who have been adopted from care or left care under a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order.
Who Benefits from Pupil Premium?
The funding is designed to support specific groups of pupils who are at risk of underachieving compared to their non-disadvantaged peers. Eligibility for Pupil Premium is primarily determined by:
- Ever 6 Free School Meals (FSM): Pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.
- Looked-After Children (LAC): Children who have been looked after continuously for more than one day by a local authority.
- Post-Looked-After Children (Post-LAC): Children who ceased to be looked after because they were adopted from care, or left care under a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order.
Schools also receive a smaller amount of funding for pupils of service families, known as the Service Premium, which aims to support children whose parents serve in the armed forces.
How Schools Utilize Pupil Premium Funding
Schools have the flexibility to decide how best to spend their Pupil Premium allocation, as they are best placed to assess the specific needs of their disadvantaged pupils. Effective use of this funding often involves a strategic approach focused on evidence-based interventions. Common uses include:
- Targeted Academic Support:
- One-to-one or small group tutoring.
- Additional teaching assistant support in classrooms.
- Specific intervention programmes for literacy, numeracy, or other subjects.
- Enrichment and Pastoral Care:
- Funding for educational trips, extracurricular activities, or residential visits to broaden experiences.
- Pastoral support, counselling, or mentoring to address social and emotional barriers to learning.
- Providing essential resources such as revision guides, uniforms, or equipment.
- Quality First Teaching:
- Investing in high-quality professional development for teachers to enhance their instructional skills, particularly in meeting the needs of disadvantaged learners.
- Employing specialist staff to provide intensive support where needed.
- Early Intervention:
- Identifying and addressing learning gaps early, often in primary school, to prevent them from widening as pupils progress.
Schools are held accountable for how they use their Pupil Premium funding and are required to publish an annual statement online, detailing their allocation, spending plans, and the impact of the funding on pupil attainment. This transparency ensures that the money directly contributes to improving education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England.
