Pupil Premium Grant at Our Lady of Lourdes

Attainment gaps between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their classmates from more affluent backgrounds can be a problem at all stages of education from Nursery to University. According to research the highest early achievers from disadvantaged backgrounds can be overtaken by their lower ability peers from better off households by the age of seven.

This is because disadvantage can create some Barriers to Learning that children from affluent backgrounds are not always exposed to. These barriers can affect higher and lower attaining Pupil Premium eligible pupils and the grant is used to address these inequalities and create a level playing field for all pupils in a school.

There are many barriers to learning for pupils who have not had the same life experiences as other children because of low income. These barriers can include:

• Poor Language skills
• Short term memory problems
• Poor Attendance
• Concentration difficulties
• Anger Management
• Issues with Parenting Skills
• Difficulties with handwriting and motor skills
• Lack of Motivation to learn
• Non Completion of Homework
• Emotional Difficulties
• Poor Behaviour
• Safeguarding Concerns
• Learning Difficulties
• Lack of Metacognition
• Lack of Stimulus
• Physical Disabilities
• No Access to Sporting Equipment or Opportunities

But there are many other factors that can affect pupil learning and wellbeing.

What is the Pupil Premium Grant?

The Government introduced the Pupil Premium Grant to support two key policies

• raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities to reach their potential
• supporting children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces

The DfE will allocate Pupil Premium Grant to schools and local authorities (who must allocate for each FTE pupil on the October school census as of 2021) the following amounts:

• £1,345 per pupil for each Ever 6 FSM full time equivalent (FTE) pupil aged 4 and over in year groups reception to year 6, except where the pupil is allocated the LAC or post-LAC premium
• £935 per pupil for each Ever 6 FSM FTE in year groups 7 to 11, except where the pupil is allocated the LAC or post-LAC Premium
• £2345 per pupil for each post-LAC in year groups reception to year 11
• £310 for each pupil aged 4 and over in year groups reception to year 11 who is either Ever 6 service child FTE or in receipt of pensions under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

Which pupils are entitled to Pupil Premium?

• Pupils who are currently registered for Free School Meals
• Pupils who have been registered for Free School Meals at any point during the last six years
• Pupils in the care of a Local Authority
• Pupils who have been adopted but have been looked after for one day or more, or were adopted from care on or after 30th December 2005 and left care under
• A Special Guardianship Order on or after 30th December 2005
• A Residence Order on or after 14th October 1991
• Pupils whose parents are serving with the UK Armed Forces

The grant may be spent in the following ways:

• for the purposes of the school i.e. for the educational benefit of pupils registered at that school
• for the benefit of pupils registered at other maintained schools or academies
• on community facilities eg services whose provision furthers any charitable purpose for the benefit of pupils at the school or their families, or people who live or work in the locality in which the school is situated

The grant does not have to be completely spent by schools in the financial year, so some or all of it may be carried forward to future financial years.

At Our Lady of Lourdes we believe that our role is to provide a quality first education to ALL pupils no matter their background but we recognise that for children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant (and also those children who have Special Educational Needs at the same time) they will need more support than the core curriculum offers. We do not generalise about pupils based on them being eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant – we focus on the individual learner and set highly aspirational targets for all so that every child meets their progress and attainment potential.

Schools determine how the Pupil Premium Grant is spent and at Our Lady of Lourdes it is primarily spent on securing excellence in teaching for all pupils. In addition to this we use the money to access external support agencies, provide resources and to subsidise activities that would ordinarily not be available without great cost to the parent. Schools will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families. The Government has introduced measures in the performance tables that will demonstrate the achievement of those disadvantaged pupils eligible for Pupil Premium.

Free School Meals

Pupils who are eligible Free School Meals are also eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant. It is important that if you think you might be eligible for free school meals you claim them. Since the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals, some parents think that because their child already receives a free meal it is not necessary for them to apply. This means that the school loses valuable income that may help your child and others at our school.

Our Lady of Lourdes does not automatically receive the Pupil Premium Grant, we only receive it if a child becomes eligible and only you can tell us this information. Please complete the checking tool below to see if you might be eligible – if you are the school will be automatically notified and the grant will come into the school budget from the next payment point.