Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium funding was introduced by the Government in April 2011 as a means of addressing ‘underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.’

The funding, received each year from the DfE, may be spent by schools how they wish, but schools need to demonstrate that the performance of those pupils for whom the grant was allocated is improving. 

The school Pupil Premium allocation is targeted to support a wide variety of effective intervention strategies. Compton Dundon school is committed to all students making at least expected progress or better, whether they are Pupil Premium or not. Clearly, the school uses the funding to ‘narrow the gap’. However, as educationalists there is a moral issue here. How does the school spend the money on those entitled to it without creating stigmas, or making the pupils feel disadvantaged more?

To tackle this the school carefully allocates funding to a mixture of short and long term targets as well as to individuals and co-funded groups to dilute any associated/potential stigma.

In order to maximise pupil achievement, research about the success of any intended intervention will take place, prior to implementation, to ensure the best possible use of the funding, as carefully targeted interventions will help to ensure maximum benefit.

Pupil progress will be tracked throughout the intervention in addition to being evaluated at the end. This will allow any subtle changes to be made during the course of the intervention to ensure the best possible outcomes for each pupil.