What is Pupil Premium?

The pupil premium is a government initiative that targets extra money at pupils from deprived backgrounds. Research shows that pupils from deprived backgrounds underachieve compared to their non-deprived peers. The premium is provided to enable these pupils to be supported to reach their potential. The Government has used pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM), looked after children and service children as indicators of deprivation, and has provided a fixed amount of money for schools per pupil based on the number of pupils registered for FSM over a rolling six year period. This fixed amount of money is expected to increase every year for the course of this current Parliament.

Colman Federation have a higher percentage of FSM children than the national average. We use most of our Pupil Premium funding to target underachievement for our Pupil Premium children and also for other vulnerable groups such as children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). In both schools, we use Pupil Premium funding to support children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and provide enrichment beyond the curriculum as well as raising aspirations.