Schools no longer have to publish a ‘pupil premium statement’ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/whatmaintained-schools-must-publish-online#pupil-premium

Pupil premium funding is allocated for each financial year, but the information schools publish online should refer to the academic year, as this is how parents understand the school system.

Schools do not know allocations for the end of the academic year (April to July), they should report on the funding up to the end of the financial year and update it when they have all the figures.

The pupil premium is funding that comes into schools for children from low income families who are in receipt of Free School meals (FSM), for children that have been looked after continuously for a period of six months and for the children of service families.

Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit, but will be held accountable for its usage. From September 2012, the school is required to publicise information about its use of pupil premium.

• Schools receive £1,320 for pupils in Reception to Year 6 if they have been registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years:

Schools also received funding of £2300.00 for each pupil identified in the January 2018 school census or the alternative provision census as having left local-authority care as a result of one of the following: 

• adoption
• a special guardianship order
• a child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order)
•  has been in local-authority care for 1 day or more,  recorded;  as both eligible for FSM in the last 6 years and as being looked after, or as having left local-authority care. 

For the pupils who attract the £2,300 rate, the virtual school head of the local authority that looks after the pupil will manage the funding.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings

Addressing the needs of all pupils, including those in receipt of Pupil Premium

This process is the same for all children. Throughout the year, assessments are undertaken including both formative and summative from parents, therapists, advisory services and school staff. The evaluation of this will identify the key targets for the child. It will also identify what additional provision is needed to move the child forward. This can include specific additional targeted staff time and intervention with the use of specific resources.

Individual needs

Identifying individual needs enables us to identify what we fund above the core provision, how we use it, if it has an impact on pupil attainment and progress and more importantly, where we may have gaps and need to review how we use funds to ensure value for money and best.

For the previous academic year, the Government states; schools must include:

• How schools spent the pupil premium allocation 
• The effect of the expenditure on eligible and other pupils 

Evaluation of 2017 – 2018   

At our school we always have our individual children at the centre of any decisions made around spending Pupil Premium. 

We pride ourselves on a personalised learning approach, using the Pupil Premium fund to enable all of our pupils to maximise their learning potential.   We will not disclose too much detail because of our small numbers but can share ways in which we spend our Pupil Premium.   

All monies were allocated and spent.  Pupils who received specific intervention made expected progress with some making better than expected.  Pupils were able to access extracurricular activities including a residential.  They were also able to access emotional well-being activities within school. We purchased new iPads to aid development across the curriculum but particularly with the intention of improving creative writing.  

The Government also requires that schools publish a strategy for the school’s use of the pupil premium. 

• Pupil premium grant allocation amount for 2018-2019 as of 1st April 2018:  £9880
•  A summary of the main barriers to educational achievement faced by eligible pupils at the school:  
•  How the money will be spent to overcome those barriers and the reasons for that approach:  Reading, Writing and Maths intervention.  1 to 1 teaching and small group teaching.  Support with costs such as Educational and Residential visits, PSHE Support, Maintaining LSA classroom support.
• How we measure the effect of the pupil premium: Pupils are closely monitored, Pupil progress discussed as a whole staff and also on a need to know basis.  Teachers report to Headteacher half termly to illustrate how support was provided, progress made.  What has worked/not worked and further intervention as appropriate.    
• The date of the next review of the school’s pupil premium strategy: At the beginning of each academic year and financial year – This is because we can top up funding when and where appropriate reflecting movement of pupils in and out of our school.