Pupil Premium

What is the pupil premium?

Introduced in 2011, the Pupil Premium is a sum of money given to schools each year
by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children. This is based
on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school
than their peers. Often, children and young people who are eligible for the Pupil
Premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of
confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The PPG is intended to
directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to diminish the difference
between them and their classmates, although a by-product of this may be that other
members of the school community may also benefit from the investments made with
the Pupil Premium funding. At Honywood School, we have historically invested the
majority of our funding into continually improving the quality of teaching and learning
that these youngsters experience, along with improving pastoral care; developing
engagement in their studies and in wider school life and offering support as they work
to overcome any barriers towards learning they may be impacted by.

Can you influence how the pupil premium is used?

Schools are allowed to spend their Pupil Premium funding in whatever ways they see
fit, with recognition that teachers and educational leaders are the most qualified at
identifying the bespoke needs of their learners. However, the Government advises that
schools carefully plan their spending and ensure that the funding is not simply
absorbed into the mainstream school budget. They are encouraged to ensure that
spending is carefully targeted to increase the achievements of their disadvantaged
pupils. Research has continued to show that if spent in the correct ways, PPG funding
can help to increase the academic ability of disadvantaged children; particularly in
core subjects such as Maths and English.

For information on Pupil Premium expenditure at Honywood School, please click the
link below.

How to register your child's eligibility for Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium is targeted at students who:-

• Are currently entitled to free school meals or have been entitled to free school meals at any time in the previous 6 years
• Are looked after by the Local Authority
• Have been adopted from care or have left care
• Are the children of service personnel.

Free School Meals

All children who currently qualify for free school meals based on their family
circumstances are entitled to pupil premium. This applies if you receive any of the
following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

In addition, pupils who have qualified for free school meals on the above grounds in the past, but are no longer eligible, continue to receive pupil premium for the next six years.

If your child qualifies for free school meals or has at any point in the past six years, it is important that you tell the school – even if they take a packed lunch – as this enables the school to claim pupil premium.

If you do not qualify for most benefits (also known as having ‘no recourse to public funds’), your child may still be eligible for free school meals. Ask their school or local authority whether they’re eligible.

If you would like further information or support then please contact Mr Williams at jwilliams@honywoodschool.com

Our task is to educate their (our students) whole being so they can face the future. We may not see the future, but they will and our job is to help them make something of it.’

Sir Ken Robinson