What is The Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the Department for Education to enhance the education of the most socio-economically deprived students. Allocation of funding is made according to the number of students entitled to free school meals currently or at any time within the last six years (known as Ever 6 FSM) and children in care (also known as LAC) who attend the school in Years 7-11.

There is also additional Pupil Premium funding (known as the Service Premium) for any student who has or has had within the last five years a parent in the Armed Forces (known as Ever 6 service child).

More information on the Pupil Premium can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium/pupil-premium

Key staff with specific responsibilities for leading improvements in outcomes for disadvantaged learners are:

Mr Kris Chick – Assistant Headteacher (Pupil Premium Lead)

Mrs Nichola Offer – Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum)

Ms Sophie Harris – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (Children in Care)

Funding and use of The Pupil Premium

Current number of eligible Pupil Premium students 2023-24

Year 7 – 67
Year 8 – 63
Year 9 – 44
Year 10 – 49
Year 11 – 66

This represents 17.8% of the total number of students at Plymstock School.

Total Pupil Premium funding (including Recovery Premium funding) for 2023/24 — £289,645 approx.

At Plymstock School, we have identified several common barriers to learning for disadvantaged students that are addressed through our Pupil Premium Strategy.

The key learning barriers are:

a. Attainment and progress has historically been lower for disadvantaged students
b. More frequent behaviour incidents than other cohorts within school
c. Attendance amongst disadvantaged students lower than their peers
d. Lower levels of literacy amongst disadvantaged students
e. Lack of aspiration amongst disadvantaged students
f. Issues with emotional wellbeing and safeguarding concerns

How Plymstock School uses the Pupil Premium

Our Pupil Premium strategy is focused on the following 3 areas:

1. High quality teaching – Evidence indicates that high quality teaching is the most powerful way for schools to improve pupil attainment, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged students.
2. Targeted academic support – Intensive support, either one to one or as part of a small group to support pupil learning, provided in addition to, and explicitly linked with, normal lessons. Targeted interventions can support pupil progress and can be employed to help boost language development, literacy, or numeracy, as well as other subject areas.
3. Wider strategies – Strategies to support students’ social, emotional and behavioural needs, such as extra-curricular activities, breakfast provision, and financial support for uniform, equipment and travel, etc.

Plymstock School’s Pupil Premium Strategy for the current academic year can be viewed in the links below.

Plymstock School’s Pupil Premium Policy

Applying for Free School Meals