Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium Grant exists to support children from socially disadvantaged families achieving well at school.

In schools, children who are supported by the Pupil Premium Grant include those who have received free school meals (FSM) or those who are in care (Looked After Children LAC).

The UK has a diverse society in many ways.  Much of this this diversity is a real strength for our communities and something we should have tremendous pride in.  However, some of this diversity relates to poverty and the difference in wealth between people.  In education we refer to this diversity as social disadvantage.  The word disadvantage is used because research clearly shows poverty has an impact on children’s success at school.  Children’s life chances suffer because of poverty.

Children from socially disadvantaged families often do not achieve as well at school, as children who are not socially disadvantaged.   This means that these children may not get the opportunities other children get in the future.  Opportunities such as taking A levels at 6^th form, higher level apprenticeships and university are less likely to be available to children who are socially disadvantaged.

This is an unfair situation and one which the Pupil Premium Grant aims to address.

Schools decide how they will spend the Pupil Premium Grant on teaching and behaviour approaches within school.  We have spent considerable time identifying how we spend the grant.  Our decisions are always based upon evidence, including guidance and research from the DFE and the Education Endowment Foundation.

On this page you will find a much more detailed breakdown of how we spend the Pupil Premium Grant at Newtown in our strategy review documents.  However, we have summarised here, some of the ways we spend this money to provide the best opportunities, so that disadvantaged children can achieve well at our school.

We recognise that not all children from low-income families will be socially disadvantaged and that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged will be eligible for pupil premium.

As well as considering barriers to learning we analyse other information about different groups of children in the school, this allows us to identify which children are not achieving well as they could, and where we should use pupil premium money to enhance provision.

How we use the Pupil Premium Grant to make a difference to children:

• Improving day to day, high quality first teaching for all (This is what a teacher does day in day out)
• Developing early reading through the phonics program (Read Write Inc.)
• Resourcing whole class guided reading strategies that enable all learners to engage and progress. (Book Spine and the Inspire, Engage and Challenge Program)
• Implementing Speaking Strategies throughout the school throughout the school, to ensure all children can communicate clearly and rehearse accurately what they will write. (Newtown Top Talkers, Top Writers)
• Developing our school grounds and play equipment to ensure that all children are provided with ample opportunity to develop key social and behaviour skills in a safe, stimulating environment.
• Providing behaviour and social skills interventions (Quest program and Foodies)
• High staff ratios in key year groups within the school to ensure maximum opportunity of effective learning feedback being given to children.
• A culture of high expectations for all children and all staff.
• Increasing parental engagement

PE & Sports Grant