You may be aware that the government introduced ‘The Pupil Premium Grant’ in April 2011 and schools are allocated additional funding into their school budget.

The premium provides funding specifically for children from lower income families or service families who have registered. The purpose of the grant into schools is to raise achievement and improve outcomes for these children. Now that all children in EYFS/KS1 are entitled to free school meals, it is important that families register for pupil premium funding as schools are not automatically informed of entitlement.

We will be able to use the grant in a number of ways, whilst ensuring it is carefully targeted for those eligible children in order to help them achieve their potential both academically and socially. The main ways in which the money can be spent are:

• To fund or part-fund the provision of Teaching Assistant support for individuals, small groups and classes to help children to achieve their academic potential.
• To fund the provision of specific resources to support and improve achievement.
• To fund the provision of Teaching Assistant support for non-academic interventions to help increase self-esteem, develop social skills, improve relationships, confidence etc.
• To subsidise school uniform, music lessons, extra-curricular activities, trips, visitors and performers to school.

The Department of Education website is a good source of additional information: