Skip to content ↓

Gravenhurst Academy

Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium Strategy

This strategy is reviewed annually in the Autumn term. The next review is due in November 2024

The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.
“It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.”
Source: DFE website.

Pupil Premium Spending

Our pupil premium money has been used to provide a range of additional support for our children, and these interventions, along with quality first teaching, have had a positive impact on children’s attainment, progress, confidence and self-esteem.
Through targeted interventions we are working hard to eliminate barriers to learning and progress.
One of the school’s aims is to ensure that ALL groups of pupils make good progress in order to reach age related expectations as they move through the school.
Targeted support is being provided through one-to-one and small group work. Senior leaders monitor children closely to ensure that progress is maintained or improved, and that children receive the interventions they require.

Information to be published to parents

In place of the current requirements regarding information about pupil premium expenditure, schools are now required to publish their “Pupil Premium Strategy”. This should include:

  •  In the previous academic year:
  •  How the pupil premium allocation was spent
  •  The impact of the expenditure on eligible and other pupils

The current academic year (2023-2024)

  •  The amount of the school’s allocation of pupil premium grant
  •  Details of the main barriers to educational achievement
  •  How the allocation will be spent to address the barriers and why these approaches were taken
  • How the school will measure the impact of the pupil premium
  • The date of the next pupil premium strategy review

How will the school measure the impact of the pupil premium?

To monitor progress and attainment pupils are tracked carefully. At Gravenhurst Academy the usual cycle of data collection, and the monitoring and tracking of the cohort’s attainment, will be used to inform pupil progress and enable to early identification of need, support and appropriate intervention.

Review meetings take place each term which include Senior Leaders, Teachers and Teaching Assistants.

Each term the school reviews the impact of actions taken and plans for how interventions will be specifically allocated over the next phase. When selecting pupils for Pupil Premium Target Groups, the school will look at all the pupils across the school. There are some pupils who are not eligible for
Pupil Premium who will benefit from these groups if their needs are similar, and we believe progress can be made towards individual targets.

The impact of Pupil Premium and aspects of the school are a regular item on all Governor Agendas.
Designated Staff Member in Charge: Mrs Debbie Randall
Nominated Governor for Safeguarding and Vulnerable Pupils: Mrs Louise Kite

Financial Year 2023-2024

In the 2023-24 Financial Year, schools will receive the following funding for each child registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years:

  • £1455 for pupils in reception year to year 4
  • £335 for service pupils who are Ever 6
  • £2530 for each pupil who has left Local Authority care because of one of the following:
  • Adoption
  • A special guardianship order
  • A child arrangements order
  • A residence order

If a pupil has been registered as eligible for free school meals and has also left Local Authority care for any of the reasons above, they will attract the £2530 rate.

Children who have been in Local Authority care for 1 day or more also attract £2530 pupil premium funding. Funding for these pupils doesn’t go to their school; it goes to the virtual school head (VSH) in the Local Authority that looks after the child. VSHs are responsible for managing pupil premium funding for looked after children.

 

Eligibility for Free School Meals Criteria

Parents/guardians in England do not have to pay for school meals if they receive any of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-Based Jobseekers’ Allowance
  • Income related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual net income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £7400
  • Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Pupil Premium is an important payment for schools and an excellent opportunity for eligible parents to get even more support for their children in schools.
For more information about free meals please contact the school.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about Pupil Premium funding and how it is being used to benefit your child, please speak to the Principal or Business Manager.
 

  • If you think your child may be eligible for free school meals, even if you don’t want your child to eat school meals, please call into the office to collect a claim form. Every child who is eligible generates valuable income for the school.