Introduced in April 2011, the pupil premium is allocated to children who are looked after by the local authority, those who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years (also known as Ever 6 FSM) and for children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces. The level of premium for 2018-19 is £1320 per primary pupil, with £1900 for those with special guardianship or adopted from care. The purpose of the funding is to help schools to close the gap between the progress of children who are disadvantaged or vulnerable, and their peers.
It is for schools to decide how the pupil premium allocated to their school is spent. Schools are accountable for their use of the additional funding to support pupils from low-income or vulnerable families and the impact this has on educational attainment.
Emotional barriers to learning - where a pupil struggles with situations beyond their control and needs support to manage their feelings, and therefore needs pastoral support.
Financial barriers to learning - where a pupil is unable to access all the opportunities that are offered due to financial constraints and therefore needs financial support.
Academic barriers to learning - where a pupil has lower attainment than their peers and therefore needs additional support to close the gap.
Pupil Premium Strategy for Academic Year 2017.18.