What is Pupil Premium funding?

Pupil Premium funding is based on the number of students who have been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years (FSM ever 6). In the current academic year there are 184 students at Kings College registered for Pupil Premium Funding making up 34.4% of the population. The government allocates this additional money to schools to help raise attainment of ‘FSM ever 6’ students and close the gap in attainment between different groups of students.

 

Why is Pupil Premium funding needed?

Nationally, students who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in their school career have attained consistently lower educational outcomes than those who have never been eligible. In 2009-10 GCSE statistics showed that around a third of students who have been on Free School Meals in the previous six years achieved five or more A* – C grades, compared to more than two thirds of their fellow students.

 

How is Pupil Premium used?

Kings College is committed to raising the achievement of disadvantaged students so that it at least matches that of other students with the same starting point. The Pupil Premium team oversee a number of projects within the following three areas:

 

Literacy and numeracy

Use a range of strategies to support classroom teaching, including 1-1 maths tuition, reading schemes, aspiration activities and holiday workshops (Easter holidays and May half term).

  • Effective feedback
  • Meta-cognition and self-regulation strategies
  • Homework clubs and after school department support sessions

 

Student engagement and achievement

Monitor academic attainment and progress, provide tailored programmes which maintain positive attitudes to learning, railroad transition support, youth work services, 1-1 mentoring, smaller class sizes, preparation for post-16 education and careers guidance.

 

Attendance

To reduce the attendance gap between PP and non-PP students. Using research conducted by the Sutton Trust, the school has also utilised the following highly effective strategies:

  • EWO services
  • Full time attendance officer

The school also allocates part of the funding to provide financial support for students. These include:

  • Free revision guides
  • Assistance with school visits
  • Purchase of uniform, where attendance is being adversely affected
  • Provision of ingredients for Food Technology
  • Assistance with transport costs

The school monitors the progress of the Pupil Premium students throughout the academic year and should further strategies and needs be identified will respond to these on an individual/group basis.

 

What impact is the Pupil Premium having?

Over the past three years…

there has been a 14% rise in pupil premium students achieving A*-B grades at the end of Key Stage 4
there has been a 17% rise in pupils achieving 5A*-C grades including English and Maths at grades C or above
the number of Pupil Premium students making above average progress in English and Maths has significantly increased