The purpose of the Pupil Premium funding is to narrow the gap in attainment between children from low income families and their peers as well as to increase the range of opportunities available to them and improve their life chances.
When applying to a Merton school you will be encouraged to complete an application for free school meals. We receive a grant of around £1300 from the government for each child eligible for free school meals and so it is important for parents to complete the application on behalf of the school.
Please follow this link to the online Free School Meals/Pupil Premium checking service to see if you are eligible.
How must this funding be used?
Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. There is no requirement for this money to be spent on individual students simply because they fall into this category. However, it is expected that the funding will be used to support, as necessary, students in this group so that this group has every opportunity to make the same progress as their peers.
It is important to note that it should not be assumed that all Pupil Premium students need some or all of this support. There are a number of this group of students in this school and elsewhere who are making excellent progress already, and who will need minimal support as a result.
How will the school measure success?
The school tracks the progress of all students, including students in this particular group. Success will be evidence that shows that students in this group are making better progress than their national peers and also progressing at a similar rate to those not eligible for pupil premium from the same starting points.
Monitoring use of funds
The school reports annually to the governors on how Pupil Premium has been used. In addition, the school reports the comparative progress of different groups to governors, with those receiving pupil premium specifically highlighted.
This money is used in a variety of ways to support learning within the school.
Our pupil premium for the last academic year (2022 – 2023) was £60,576.
We used the Pupil Premium Grant in the following way:
Quality of teaching for all
- Developing the English skills of EAL children particularly in the Early Years and Phase 1.
- Whole school training on children with anxiety and our classroom environments.
Targeted support
- Providing interventions for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Providing 1 to 1 support and an ‘expert coach’ to follow up on learning.
Other approaches
- Booster classes, 1:1 tuition, targeted reading support [Project X]
- Use of trained staff to deliver nurture and 1 to 1 emotional literacy [ELSA] support and counselling.
- Use of outside agencies to develop children’s self-esteem and confidence.
- Enrichment activities such as residential trips, theatre visits, book clubs, homework club, etc.
The impact of the spending is highlighted in the strategy.