The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England.

It is designed to help disadvantaged pupils of all abilities perform better, and close any attainment gaps between them and their peers.

In the 2023 to 2024 financial year, primary schools will receive £1,455 for each pupil registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years.

Schools will receive £2,530 for any pupil that is identified as having left local authority care as a result of:

• a special guardianship order

• a child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order)

• who 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 pupils who attract the £2,530 rate, the virtual school head of the local authority that looks after the pupil will manage the funding.

The Department for Education introduced the Service Pupil Premium (SPP) in April 2011 in recognition of the specific challenges children from service families’ face and as part of the commitment to delivering the armed forces covenant. It is designed to assist the school in providing the additional support that these children may need and is currently worth £335 per service child who meets the eligibility criteria.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the government will, once again, provide an additional 'Recovery Premium' to each school. This money should be used to help support disadvantaged pupils as they recover from the impact of Covid-19.

To find out more about our policy for spending the Pupil Premium click below:

At Applecroft School we are determined, and fully committed, to improving the outcomes for all our children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. As part of this commitment we commission an external review of our Pupil Premium provision and it's impact on pupil progress frequently.

Below are a few comments taken from our most recent report:

'The Pupil Premium policy is very clear. It emphasises that the school's mission statement 'Nurturing potential, inspiring minds, changing lives' underpins the school's strategic and targeted use of the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)'

'The Pupil Premium leads' passion to 'make a difference' for disadvantaged pupils is very evident. Excellent work with 'harder to reach' parents includes agreeing pupils' learning support needs and interventions'

'Key leadership documents are well written.  The school improvement plan stresses the importance of developing the 'whole child' and reflects leaders' high expectations of staff and pupils'

'School leaders and staff know the disadvantaged pupils very well'

'Minutes of meetings of the Full Governing Board show that governors ask challenging questions'

'In the dedicated group intervention room, the Pupil Premium teacher was teaching mathematics to a group of five Year 5 pupils. Relationships were warm. Pupils were highly motivated by the teacher's modelling, skilful questioning, verbal feedback and praise'

'Pupils' work sampled during the review confirmed that disadvantaged pupils with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) are making secure progress over time. Provision for this group is a strength of the school'

'The work seen in pupils' literacy books showed that focused marking / feedback is having a clear impact on improving the quality of their writing'

'The school's highly personalised and innovative individual behaviour plans include clear details of pupils' strengths, their reactions to certain triggers and targeted support in place from school staff and a wide range of external professionals'