The pupil premium grant is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England. It’s a school-level grant that gives schools extra resources to help them meet challenges, including those arising from deprivation. It’s allocated for schools to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers across the country. The funding is not attached to the individual student but rather is intended for the school to address attainment gaps etc. As a result the funding is lagged i.e. not given to the school until the following year.

Our PP strategies draw from some key guidance including:

• Children Act 1989
• Equality Act 2010
• DfE (2018) ‘Promoting the education of looked-after children and previously looked-after children’
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2019) ‘The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium’
• ESFA (2020) ‘Pupil premium: conditions of grant 2020 to 2021’
• Ministry of Defence (2020) ‘The Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know’

We use a tiered approach to reducing the attainment gap. The strands of that approach are:

• Effective Teaching e.g. the prioritisation of vocabulary instruction and scaffolding in all lessons
• Targeted Support e.g. lesson visits and close support in developing effective routines for learning and organisation, by a designated member of staff
• Wider Strategies e.g. Bedrock Literacy Programme

If you have any questions about the Pupil Premium then please feel free to contact Mr Duffy ([email protected])

Could your son be eligible for pupil premium?

If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you register them for this, we’ll receive extra funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school.

What is pupil premium funding?

Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. 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

  At Birkdale High School we get extra funding for every eligible pupil who is registered for free school meals. This extra money could make a real difference to the quality of education we offer.

  For example, we’ve previously used pupil premium funding for:

  • • • Educational provision/resources
      • Academic interventions
      • Wellbeing and self-esteem building interventions

  Is my child eligible for free school meals?

  As a Sefton resident, you are eligible for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

  • • • Income Support
      • Income based Jobseekers Allowance
      • Income related Employment and Support Allowance
      • Child Tax Credit ONLY (not entitled/receiving Working Tax Credit) and have an income of less that £16190.00
      • Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
      • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
      • Universal Credit and have a net household income of less than £7400 per annum
      • Support under part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act

  Does my child have to eat the free school meals?

  No. Pupils who are registered for free school meals don’t have to eat them. If you’re eligible but you want your child to have packed lunches, you should still register because the school will receive the funding which can support your child in other ways.
  

  How do I register?

  Here is the link to Sefton’s application site for free school meals

  https://www.sefton.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

   

  More information

  For more information about how pupil premium is spent in our school, please see the annual reports  tab on our website. (This contains details of how the pupil premium has been spent in the past academic year and how it will be spent this year)

  If you have any questions or specific concerns, please contact me at ([email protected])

  Thank you,

  Mr. P Duffy