Pupil Premium Information
What is the pupil premium?
Pupil Premium is an additional sum of funding granted to schools, with the aim of narrowing the gap in educational attainment between those eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and their peers.
Your child is eligible if he or she:
- Has qualified for free school meals at any point in the last six years
- Has been looked after under local authority care for more than one day, been adopted from care or has left care
- Has a parent in the regular armed forces.
Am I eligible to apply for Free School Meals?
Parents and carers should follow the link below if you believe you may be eligible for Free School Meals – it can help your weekly finances as well as the school's ability to fund additional provision for your child.
The Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) per pupil for 25-26 is as follows:
|
Disadvantaged Pupils |
Pupil Premium per pupil |
|
Pupils in year groups Reception to Year 6 recorded as Ever 6 free school meals |
£1,515 |
|
Looked-after children (LAC) defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority |
£2,630 |
The Government believes that mainstream schools are best positioned to themselves decide how this money should be allocated. Schools are therefore free to decide on the strategies and interventions which can improve the progress and attainment of pupils from these more disadvantaged backgrounds.
A tiered approach to spending
Schools should use their Pupil Premium to address challenges their disadvantaged pupils face. Activities to develop high quality teaching, targeted academic support and wider strategies should guide your exploration of the evidence.
High quality teaching should be a top priority for Pupil Premium spending. Making sure an effective teacher is in front of every class, and that every teacher is supported to keep improving, is key.
Targeted academic support can have a strong positive impact on learning, and is an important part of any Pupil Premium strategy.
Wider barriers to learning are important to consider as part of your Pupil Premium strategy. While many challenges may be common between schools, the specific features of the community your school serves will affect which approaches you prioritise in this category.
At Blackthorns, our decision making around how we spend the Pupil Premium funding, and an evaluation of the success of these strategies, is documented in our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement.
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2025-26