The Pupil Premium Grant is additional funding that is given to schools so that they can support their disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between them and their peers. The Government 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 and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Children are also eligible for the additional funding if they are Looked After Children or belong to a Service family.
The 2023-24 plan and a review of 2022-23
PPG Strategy 23-24 v2& review of 2022-23
The 2022 - 23 plan and a review of 2021-22
PPG Strategy 22-23 & review of 2021-22
See details relating to previous years.
Free school meals page:
https://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/free-school-meals
Children qualify for FREE SCHOOL MEALS– and accordingly pupil premium – if you receive any of the following benefits:
- Universal credit (provided you have a net income of £7400 or less)
- Income support
- Income-based jobseekers’ allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of state pension credit
- Child tax credit, provided that you are not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of £16,190 or less
These benefits have now been rolled into a single benefit, called Universal Credit.
Universal Credit is being rolled out, with an expected completion date of March 2022. All pupils who were eligible for free school meals up to April 2018 will continue to receive free school meals during this period.
Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants who no longer meet the eligibility criteria will still qualify for free school meals until the end of their current stage of education (i.e. primary or secondary).
Children who are or have been in care, and children who have a parent who is or was in the armed forces, are also entitled to pupil premium.
Schools are responsible for recording the children who are eligible for pupil premium in their annual school census - you don't have to do anything yourself, other than making sure you return any paperwork that relates to the benefits you receive or your child's entitlement to free school meals.
If your child qualifies for free school meals, it’s important that you tell school – even if they're in Reception or KS1 and receive universal school meals for infant pupils, or are in KS2 and take a packed lunch – as this enables them to claim pupil premium.
You can find out if you are eligible by going on line and completing application or come into school and see Mrs Savage or Mrs Greenwood.
Primary schools are given a pupil premium for:
- Children in Reception to Year 6 who are, or have ever been, entitled to free school meals based on their family income: £1320 per pupil, per school year
- Children in care: £2300 per pupil, per school year
- Children previously in care who have been adopted, or who have a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order: £2300 per pupil, per school year
- Children recorded as being from service families: £300 per pupil, per school year
Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible.
Common ways in which Jennett's Park has spent their pupil premium fund include:
- Extra one-to-one or small-group support for children within the classroom.
- Employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes.
- Running catch-up sessions before or after school, for example for children who need extra help with maths or literacy.
- Providing extra tuition for able children.
- Providing music lessons for children whose families would be unable to pay for them.
- Funding educational trips and visits.
- Paying for additional help such as speech and language therapy or family therapy.
- Investing in resources that boost children’s learning.
Often, all of the children in a class will reap some benefit from how the school spends its pupil premium: for example, if the money is used to fund an additional teaching assistant who works across the whole class, rather than providing one-to-one support. But research shows that the fund does help to narrow gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers, particularly in English and Maths.
However, we as a school do have to show that we are using their pupil premium fund appropriately. This is measured through Ofsted inspections and annual performance tables showing the progress made by children who are eligible for pupil premium.
support which is available for families who may find themselves in financial difficulties temporarily or longer term. The COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis has led nationally to an increase in the number of households eligible for Universal Credit. This has led to an increase in the number of children successfully applying for Free School Meals Funding. We believe it’s important to provide the necessary support to every family in our school community. As a part of this, we think it’s important to provide clear information so that every family is able to get the financial support they are eligible for.
Universal Infant Free School Meals vs Free School Meals
We understand there is some confusion between these two very similar terms. Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are available to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2. Funding is provided to the school directly, and is used by the school to provide free school meals to infants at UK schools.
Free School Meals (FSM), on the other hand is financial support provided to children of families who fall under certain qualifying criteria highlighted below. While parents may not need to apply for FSM for their child if the child is still young enough to receive UIFSM, it is still important to tell the local authority if your family falls under any of the qualifying criteria. This is vital because if you qualify you will be able to receive free school meal vouchers over the summer and in the event of school closures. Additionally, schools only receive pupil premium funding for every child registered for FSM.
Applying for FSM funding, if you are eligible, can make a huge difference to your own financial situation. It also allows schools to access additional funding which is used in a variety of ways to support students in school such as funding hot meals, resources and possibly school trips. There is no shame in accessing this funding and it can help to improve the outcomes for young people throughout their school lives and beyond. We know that circumstances can change and that whilst you may not have been eligible in the past you now may well be. If after reading the criteria below you think you may be eligible you can complete an application form here https://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/free-school-meals
Family Support | Jennett's Park (bonitas.org.uk)
How much money has Jennett's Park school received?
In addition, they have to publish details online, including how much money they have been allocated, how they intend to spend it, how they spent their previous year’s allocation and how it made a difference to the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
2012 – 2013 the school received £27,289 as Pupil Premium.
2013 - 2014 the school received £52,362 as Pupil Premium. This was for 57 children 3 of whom are from service families
2014 – 2015 the school received £84,549 as Pupil Premium. This was for 67 children, 4 of whom were from service families.
2015 – 2016 the school received £83,040 as Pupil Premium. This was for 62 children, 4 of whom were from service families.
2016 - 2017 the school received £72,480 as Pupil Premium. This was for 54 children, 3 of whom were from service families.
2017 - 2018 the school received £61,295 as Pupil Premium. This was for 47 children, 3 of whom were from service families.
2018 - 2019 the school received £64,680 as Pupil Premium. This was for 48 children, 2 of whom were from service families. Impact seen from 2018-19 funding.
2019-2020 - In September 2019 we received funding for 37 children on roll eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant including 2 are children of service families . We have our Strategy 2019- 20 which explained the allocation, spend of these funds and impact. 19-20 Spending plan and review
2020 - 21 we received funding for 48 children. PP strategy 2020-21 v2 REVIEWED
2021-22 plan Pupil Premium 2021-22