Pupil Premium 

What is Pupil Premium?

• Pupil Premium funding is additional funding provided by the government to schools to support eligible children and their families.
• 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.
• Schools received £1,345 per primary aged pupil in 2020/21.
• Schools received £302.10 for each eligible child who takes up full entitlement to state funded nursery education. 
• Schools are free to choose how to spend pupil premium in the way that they think will best support those children, in a number of ways: academically, pastorally and in providing financial assistance.

 Who is eligible?

• Children are eligible if they have registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years.
• The introduction of free school meals for all reception and KS1 children may mean that it is more difficult to identify those children who are still eligible for pupil premium. London Borough of Merton has launched an initiative to collect information on all families at the school, so that they are able to identify eligible families themselves, including those whose circumstances may change over time.

 Why should I apply?

• Your child will have access to a range of benefits: free after school clubs, free school trips, support in academic learning and free school meals, and in 2020-21 free access to a computer for home use.
• Application, eligibility and benefits for Pupil Premium are handled discreetly, confidentially and flexibly. For example: if you choose not to access Free School Meals, you may still wish your child to receive other benefits.
• Each child eligible for Pupil Premium would bring in £1345 per year for six years following the successful application. With this additional funding comes additional expectations and accountability. We are rigorous in tracking the impact of this funding on our Pupil Premium children to ensure excellent outcomes.

How can I apply?

• London Borough of Merton is encouraging all families to register for the Pupil Premium scheme, even if they do not currently meet the eligibility criteria. Please see the Merton Council website for further information.
• The online form is available here and a paper copy can be downloaded here.
• If you are unable to complete an online form, please see the School Office and we will provide you with a paper form.
• London Borough of Merton will check your eligibility via the Department for Education's website. The website will only show whether or not you are eligible for the scheme - it does not give Merton any other information about you or your child.
• If you are eligible, following this application, please contact the school office or Miss Davis. They will able to discuss the support available for your child.

How does St Mary’s use Pupil Premium funding?

• Our key objective in spending Pupil Premium funding is to support the academic achievement of those eligible children, and to close the attainment gap between these children and their peers. Nationally, there is a trend that children who are eligible for Pupil Premium tend to have lower levels of attainment.
• Our general approach is therefore to enhance our children’s learning and to assist financially when required. We provide frequent, targeted support to Pupil Premium children who are not meeting expected age-related expectations in English and Maths and to those who have below average grades on joining the school.  Those Pupil Premium children who are on track or are exceeding expectations are given support to ensure that they continue or improve on this trajectory.
• We use these funds to support our children's wellbeing and mental health through links with the NHS and providing Nurture and ELSA sessions.
• We run school trips and residential trips in Year 4 and Year 6. Pupil Premium funding is used to remove the financial burden on eligible families
• We use the principles above to inform our budget setting when we consider how to spend pupil premium in any financial year - in particular, we will review the success of any strategies used in the past and look to build on that.