The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers from Reception to Year 11 by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’).
Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after (continuously for more than six months, and children of service personnel). (DFE 2012)
This year (2022-2023) we have been allocated £490,290
We have also been allocated £54,810 in Recovery Premium.
Pupil Premium children are not necessarily under achievers and many of our pupils facing disadvantages narrowly fail to qualify for the supplement. Timberley Academy believes that ALL pupils can benefit from the funding. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact on the ways in which we can spend our pupil premium funding this year. Our Pupil Premium funded activities include the following range of provision:
Free Breakfast
Improved provision for the teaching of phonics
Taking part in the National Tutoring Programme
Staff CPD for the teaching of English and Maths
Speech and Language specialists and support
Booster groups for English and Maths
Pastoral Care Team
Speech and Language Therapists
Outdoor Learning provision including the school farm
Implementing Thrive as whole-school approach to connection-seeking and distressing behaviour
Learning Mentors
Forest School
Intervention programmes
Attendance Lead and support
Specialist Music Teacher
SEND Support for fine motor skills
Measuring impact:
Timberley Academy measures the impact of Pupil Premium spending through:
- Diagnostic assessments - all Pupil Premium children are identified across the school assessment data collection systems and outcomes monitored and compared to non Pupil Premium children.
- Work scrutiny
- Qualitative data - talking to the children and other stakeholders, which collects a different kind of information, equally as important in capturing outcomes for our children.
- Attendance figures - collated and reviewed on a regular basis.
Review and monitoring:
Pupil premium strategy reviews are linked to Pupil Progress meetings and are set at intervals throughout the year. A member of the Trust Board has lead responsibility for Pupil Premium to challenge the effectiveness and appropriateness of different interventions.
Please see out Pupil Premium Strategy Statement for full details of how our Pupil Premium funding is spent.