St Michael’s School - Pupil Premium Grant

The Pupil Premium is an extra grant of money given to schools by central government to support pupils who qualify for Free School Meals (FSM). The definition includes any pupil that has qualified for FSM in the last 6 years, even if they are currently not claiming. Research shows that on average, pupils qualifying for FSM are likely to do less well at school. Whilst this is an average and a generalisation, the initiative behind the grant is to use the pupil premium to support FSM pupils in any relevant or special ways to enable them to attain and achieve as well as their non FSM peers.

The Pupil Premium Grant is also given to pupils who are adopted from care or currently in care and is not linked to household income.

For the purposes of our reporting, we refer to all children in receipt of this additional funding as 'PPG' pupils.

At St. Michael’s we take into account the following factors when deciding how to spend Pupil Premium funding: 

• Research findings that demonstrate the relative effectiveness of different interventions e.g. The Sutton Trust Report, EEF Guide

• How to adapt high quality whole class teaching to meet the needs of all pupils, and especially any vulnerable groups and those eligible for Pupil Premium funding 

• Careful identification of the right provision for Pupil Premium pupils - what is effective support for one pupil might not be so effective for another 

• Awareness of how to enhance provision if the pupil also has special education needs or disabilities (SEN/D) 

• The ongoing training of teachers and teaching assistants so that the needs of all pupils, especially those eligible for the Pupil Premium, are met 

• Engagement with parents so that school and home can work together in partnership to best help the child

Review

Our pupil premium strategy is continually reviewed throughout the year in collaboration with class teachers, teaching assistants and SENCo. We are constantly evaluating the success of our work with individual pupils and groups during each academic year and adapting our provision to be most effective. 

Invitation to Parents

Parents who have PPG pupils are welcome to discuss with the Headteacher any further support that might be able to be provided for their children. Parents who think they might qualify for FSM should contact the office staff for a confidential discussion or seek information from the website  https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/at-school/free-school-meals/free-school-meals.aspx 

Impact

The impact of our pupil premium strategy is measured in the following ways:

• Through discussions with class teachers and teaching assistants who are working with the pupils on a daily basis.

• Through pupil voice; informal discussions and surveys.

• Through parent voice; informal discussions and surveys when a pupil has received a specific intervention.

• Through staff feedback following training and within the appraisal process.

• Pupil progress meetings are held with class teachers regularly and data is analysed on an individual basis. Where applicable, these meetings involve the school SENCo.

• The senior leadership team and SENCo look at a variety of data and tracking information related to individual pupils and act accordingly.