Pupil Premium and Catch-up Funding

What is Pupil Premium Grant? (PPG)     High Down Schools

The Government considers the Pupil Premium to be a key element of their education policy. Introduced in April 2011, the Pupil Premium provides additional funding to schools to target specific groups of children who are vulnerable to underachievement.  These include pupils from low income families; children in care (or ceased to be in care due to adoption) and the children of armed service personnel.

Why was PPG introduced?

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 wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The Department for Education urges schools and local authorities to encourage parents to register their child as eligible for FSM so that each school receives their maximum Pupil Premium entitlement.

Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However they will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families. New measures have been included in the performance tables that capture the achievement of those deprived pupils covered by the Pupil Premium.

School statement Summary on Pupil Premium

High Down Schools is firmly committed to targeting PPG expenditure to support the raising of attainment for the most vulnerable pupils.

Free School Meals are available to any full-time pupil who is still at school and eligible. You can get Free School Meals for your child if you or your partner gets either:

Income Support

Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income of £16,190 or less, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after their employment ceases, or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week, their children are entitled to free school lunches. Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also eligible to receive Free School Meals.

How can parents contribute to the success of the Pupil Premium Scheme?

If your child is eligible for free school meals, it is worth registering them even if they’re not going to have the school lunch. It will have a direct impact on the funding and will maximize the support we can provide.

Catch-Up funding

The government announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up lost time after school closure. This is especially important for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds. This funding includes:

• a one-off universal £650 million catch up premium for the 2020 to 2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time
• a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to provide additional, targeted support for those children and young people who need the most help, which includes:
  • a schools programme for 5 to 16-year-olds – for more information, see the National Tutoring Programme FAQs
  • a 16 to 19 tuition fund
  • an oral language intervention programme for reception-aged children

Please see the document below detailing how High Down Schools are using this valuable funding.