Pupil Premium

Introduction

Shelton Infant School is committed to providing the best possible education for every individual pupil. We have high aspirations and expectations for all of our pupils and we believe that no child should be left behind. This includes making appropriate provision for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups including those who may be socially disadvantaged. We believe that it is not background that is important but educational provision and a child’s dedication and commitment to learning that leads to high achievement and attainment. Consequently, we are determined to ensure that all of our pupils are given every opportunity to realise their potential.

What is the Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium funding is a government initiative that targets additional support at pupils from deprived backgrounds. This is because research has shown that such pupils underachieve compared to other pupils. The money is provided to ensure that schools are able to support these pupils in achieving their full potential. The government have used pupils who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) as an indicator of deprivation and they allocate a fixed amount of money per pupil to schools each financial year based upon the number of pupils who have been registered for FSM at any point during the previous six years. An amount of money is also allocated to children who are ‘looked after’ (LAC) and service children. The government does not dictate how this money should be spent but schools are expected to employ strategies that they are confident will ‘diminish the difference’ in attainment between those pupils which are considered to be deprived and those who are not. Schools are accountable for this allocation of resources and must demonstrate that pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium funding achieve well compared to other pupils

How much pupil premium funding does Shelton Infant School receive?

We measure the impact of our pupil premium spending by analysing the progress and attainment of eligible pupils and we measure their performance against groups of other pupils nationally.

 ‘Disadvantaged pupils’ is a term used for pupils in receipt of the pupil premium.

Please click here to see our Pupil Premium Statement for 2023-26.

Key Principles

By following these key principles we believe that we can maximise the impact of our Pupil Premium spending:

High expectations

Maintaining a culture where staff believe in all children and no excuses are made for underperformance. We will strive to overcome barriers to learning for pupils and give every individual the best possible chance of success.

High Profile

Diminishing differences in attainment will receive the highest priority in school. We adopt a whole school approach with all staff involved in identifying pupils in need and the barriers to their learning.

Early Intervention

We recognise that high quality early years provision with a strong emphasis upon developing early reading and number skills is crucial to all pupils, but particularly those who have experienced disadvantage in early life.

Inclusive Provision

We acknowledge that pupil premium pupils are not always socially disadvantaged and at risk of underachievement. Likewise, there are many pupils that we would consider to be vulnerable that are not in receipt of pupil premium funding and do not receive this additional funding.

High Quality Teaching and Learning
We recognise that the biggest factor in high standards of pupil attainment is high quality teaching and learning. We will continue to ensure that all pupils receive good teaching. We will ensure consistent application of key elements of teaching and learning such as planning, marking and assessment and carry out moderation activities to reinforce this. We give high priority to our appraisal systems for teachers and teaching assistants and ensure that high quality professional development is available to all staff.

Emphasis on Basic Skills

We will concentrate our spending on achieving the highest possible standards in English and Mathematics. This may be in the form of direct teaching and intervention or may be indirect through improving attendance, behaviour or access to resources and support. We place the highest importance on providing a broad, creative and ambitious  curriculum.

Identifying barriers to Learning

We recognise that pupils can experience many barriers to their learning and that these barriers can be of a long term or a short term nature. We believe that it is vital that these barriers are identified and addressed in order for pupils to achieve their maximum potential.

Analysis has shown that typical barriers may be:

• attendance and punctuality issues
• lack of support at home
• weak language and communication skills
• behaviour and emotional difficulties
• low confidence and self-esteem

Provision

We recognise that all of our pupils are individuals with varying needs and as such we employ a wide range of strategies aimed at ensuring that they achieve the highest standards of attainment. Provision is flexible and changed according to need.

Our provision includes:

• Small group interventions and 1:1 teaching.
• Support with speech and language.
• Extra phonics teaching
• High quality feedback from staff
• Activities to support aspiration of pupils