The Pupil Premium was introduced in 2011 and was designed to ensure that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the children who need it most. The premium is available for children eligible for free school meals, those who have had free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children and children of parents in the Services. Schools are free to spend the extra funding as they see fit, but the government requires schools to publish information about how they use it.

The Government has stated that it “believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who most need it.” DfE website

At Icknield Primary School we strive to provide an environment where all children and all school members can be happy, healthy and safe and achieve their full social and intellectual potential. We do this by:

• Providing a caring and supportive environment
• Creating stimulating and exciting opportunities for learning
• Developing positive relationships based on respect of self and others
• Working in partnership with parents and carers.

When making decisions about pupil premium funding it is important to consider the context of the school and the subsequent challenges faced. Common barriers for Icknield children in receipt of FSM can be less support at home, weak language and communication difficulties, lack of confidence, more frequent behaviour difficulties and attendance and punctuality issues. The funding allow us to address these issues.

We aim to meet the needs of children and families whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and to minimise gaps in the progress children are making. The school works effectively in partnership with the parents and carers of potentially vulnerable children to help break down barriers to learning and progress that children occasionally encounter.

We support children where necessary to overcome academic or emotional barriers that could prevent optimum progress. We want to enable all children to participate in the full range of activities offered within and beyond the school to ensure they have the very best learning experience and make outstanding progress. We believe that the first step in achieving this is through the provision of high quality first teaching and then if appropriate the provision of proven interventions which are planned, measured and monitored by the SENCo.

How the Pupil Premium allocation is spent:

• Funding in order to allow opportunities for children to attend early morning and after school clubs, after clubs and participate in school trips and visits
• Teaching Assistant hours to provide targeted support in phonics
• Teaching Assistant hours to provide targeted support with English skills
• Funding to pay for external counselling support for children
• Fund a pastoral support TA to support vulnerable children and work in partnership with school and outside agencies to achieve positive outcomes for children
• To provide a safe place for children to be and person to talk to when they need ‘time out’ of classrooms
• To create a safe place for when children need a quiet place to have reflection time
• Teaching Assistant time to support children with emotional needs
• Fund structured conversations for the parents of vulnerable children
• Ensure that all children have access to clubs, trips, wrap around care and appropriate clothing when required
• Ensure all children have a mid-morning snack if they require one
• Ensure all children have milk, mid-morning
• Access emotional support from outside agencies
• Continue to support children through a range of interventions
• Teaching assistant to teach phonics intervention groups in KS2
• Invite children to booster groups, which include food and drink.

Monitoring the impact of Pupil Premium allocation

The Headteacher who has responsibility for Inclusion monitors the progress of all vulnerable groups and those in receipt of Pupil Premium funding half-termly. The progress of vulnerable groups is compared to children not receiving pupil premium and TA interventions allocated accordingly. The HT reports to the Standards Committee of the governing body, on a termly basis. Full details of the pupil premium data is held in school. See attached document for the impact of Pupil Premium spending.

For details of how we intend to spend the pupil premium between 2020 and 2023, please see the Pupil Premium Action Plan.

Link to free school meals online application form for parents.

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals