Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England. It is intended to be used to fund interventions for pupils, drive up standards, provide pastoral care, support aspiration, and narrow the gap in attainment between the advantaged and the disadvantaged within each school’s community. Pupil Premium Funding also contributes to pastoral care support for children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces.

 

Please find below our Pupil Premium Statement for 2023 - 2026 which highlights the challenges that we have identified and how we address these through a range of different interventions and support. 

 

Who is eligible for Pupil Premium Funding/Free School Meals?

 

Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. This additional funding is used to provide Pupil Premium Children with access to a range of interventions, support, and pastoral care to help ensure they achieve their very best during their time at school. 

 

It’s provided for pupils who:

• Are registered for free school meals • Have been registered for free school meals at any point in the past 6 years • Are, or have been, in care • Have parents in the armed forces

 

If you believe your child/children is/are eligible for Pupil Premium Funding please visit the below website, alternatively, you can contact Luke Devine (Pupil Premium Lead) who can support you through the registration process. 

 

https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-meals

 

 

Pupil Premium Lead - Mr Luke Devine (Senior Leader) (01254 296400) 

Pupil Premium Governor - Mrs Charlotte Carter (Joint Chair of Governor)

 

 

What is a Catch-Up Premium?

The Government announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up following the school lockdown in March 2020. This included a one-off universal £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020 to 2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time.

 

The universal catch-up premium funding is available for all state-funded mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision.

 

Funding has been allocated on a per pupil basis, providing the equivalent of £80 for each pupil in years reception through to 6. Schools have the flexibility to spend their funding in the best way for their cohort and circumstances.

 

Catch-Up Support Documentation 

In order to support schools with school planning whilst we are in a world pandemic, the Education Endowment Foundation (EFF) has produce two help guidance documents:

• “The EEF guide to supporting school planning – A tiered approach to 2020-21”

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/The_EEF_guide_to_supporting_school_planning_-_A_tiered_approach_to_2020-21.pdf

• “Covid-19 support guide for schools”

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Covid-19_support_guide_for_schools.pdf

These documents suggest schools plan using a tiered approach with respect to school improvement and also with respect to planning how to support children to catch-up.

“Catch-up” in this context refers to the children learning the main aspects of the curriculum them missed when they were in the first lockdown (March-August 2020.)

This, aforementioned, tiered approach describes 3 tiers and the areas of provision within the tiers which schools they suggest should be focussed on to have the greatest impact this year.

(The text below is from the areas within the “The EEF guide to supporting school planning” and those areas detailed in the “Covid-19 support guide for schools.”)

Tier 1

Teaching (High-quality for all, effective diagnostic assessment, supporting remote learning and focussing on professional development.) Teaching and wholes school strategies (Supporting great teaching, Pupil assessment and feedback and Transition support)

Tier 2

Targeted academic support (high quality one to one and small group tuition, teaching assistants and targeted support, academic tutoring, planning for pupils with SEND.)  Targeted approaches (One to one and small group tuition, Intervention programmes and extended school time)

Tier 3 

Wider strategies (supporting pupils social, emotional and behavioural needs, planning carefully for adopting SEL (social and emotional learning) curriculum, supporting parents with pupils of different ages and successfully implementation in challenging times)  Wider strategies (Supporting parent and carers, access to technology and summer support)

It is suggested that school’s focus should also be split ½ on Tier 1 and a ¼ on Tier 2 and a ¼ on Tier 3.

 

CATCH UP PREMIUM for this school

Our school has been allocated a total of £33 000 for this academic year.

The DFE guidance on catch-up premium references the two school planning documents so we as a school have decided to use the tiers to support our decision-making with respect to how we spend our catch-up premium.  The decisions are also guided by the school’s vision and our determination to ensure all our children “catch-up” and we do not allow this pandemic to adversely effect any of our children’s academic or emotional development.

The document below details the additional provision we will be putting in place, which will be funded by our “Catch-up Premium.”