What is Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium grant provides additional funding on top of the main funding a school receives. It is targeted at pupils from low-income families to ensure that they benefit from the same opportunities as their peers. It is funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Pupil Premium funding is allocated to pupils in the following circumstances:
Pupils who have been in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the past 6 years
Looked After Children (Any pupils who have been in care for the past six months or who have been adopted from care under the Adoption and Children Act 2002).
Children whose parent/s are currently serving in the armed forces or are in receipt of a AFCS or WPS pension from the MoD may be entitled to SPP (Service Pupil Premium)
The assessment of who is entitled to Pupil Premium is not carried out by the school and the information is collated by Somerset County Council. If you think you may be eligible to apply for Free School Meals for your child you can apply to the County Council. Please contact the school office if you would like any further information or support.
How do we spend our Pupil Premium allocation?
Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across three areas, teaching, targeted academic support and wider approaches, with a particular focus on teaching. This is our approach at Bishop Henderson School.
Ways in which we regularly spend our pupil premium funding include:
employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes
extra one to one and small group support for children within the classroom
targeted academic support to enable pupils to make accelerated progress
booster sessions during and/or after school, for example for children who need extra help with maths or literacy
providing tuition for able children
running the school breakfast club
running the after school club and sports facilities
paying for additional help such as speech and language therapy and family therapy
funding swimming lessons
funding music lessons
funding educational visits and residentials
investing in resources that boost children's learning such as laptops, tablets.
Please read the information below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding.