Pupil Premium Review March 2019
The academy commissioned an external review of Pupil Premium in March 2019. The review was carried out by Steve Ruddy. Steve is an independent consultant and practising Ofsted inspector.
The date of the next external review of the school’s pupil premium strategy – April 2020 (this has been delayed due to Covid 19)
What is Pupil Premium?
The pupil premium is additional funding given to schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged students and close the gap between them and their peers. Pupil Premium funding is available to children who are in the care of the Local Authority, children who are entitled to Free School meals (FSM) have been in receipt of free school meals in the last 6 years (Ever 6) or have parents who serve in the armed forces. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual students within their responsibility. At the Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, our mission is ‘Success For All’ and our Pupil Premium Policy is reviewed every September to ensure we make the best use of our allocation . We find Pupil Premium an essential component to our school funding, which allows us to introduce, analyze and build strategies which ensure our students, have a complete educational experience, attain their full potential and the ‘gap’ between them and their peers is ‘narrowed’. Support may be targeted individually, as part of a group, or through resourcing for a classroom or curriculum area.
What is the ‘Literacy and Numeracy Catch-Up’ Premium?
The literacy and numeracy catch-up premium gives schools additional funding to support year 7 pupils who did not achieve a standardised score of 100 in reading or Maths at the end of key stage 2 (KS2). At the Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, we use this funding for additional in class learning support in English and Maths. We also run a number of intervention programmes for year 7 students bespoke to their individual need.
Why is there a Pupil Premium?
This funding is intended to benefit students on free school meals, children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, looked after children and service children. The government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way of ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the students who need it most.
The Government believes that it is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium Fund is allocated and spent per eligible student, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.
Whilst schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium, they are held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support students from low-income families. From September 2012, the government required schools to publish online information about how they have used, and are using, the Fund. This will ensure that parents, carers and other stakeholders are made fully aware of the attainment of students covered by the premium.
How many pupils at St. Francis of Assisi are eligible for the Pupil Premium?
Currently approximately 63% of students at St. Francis of Assisi are eligible for the Pupil Premium.
How will the impact of the spending of the Pupil Premium be measured?
At St. Francis of Assisi, the cycle of data collection and monitoring of students outcomes across a range of areas including attainment, progress, reading ages, attendance, punctuality and health and well being will be used to enable early identification of need support, in order to provide appropriate interventions.
