Pupil Premium Pledge, Report & Strategy

Aim

The Charles Dickens School (CDS) aims to realise the potential of all its pupils to achieve their very best: this means tackling and overcoming obstacles to achievement and progress caused by material disadvantage; closing attainment and progress gaps; and ensuring full access to the curriculum and wider extra-curricular programme.

Objectives

Targeted support and strategies resulting in every pupil, however financially disadvantaged, being able to:

• improve levels of attainment and progress

• close attainment gaps relative to school averages

• have full access to the curriculum

• access the extra-curricular provision

Background

The Pupil Premium Grant is based on pupils who have been on FSM within the last six years, those pupils within Local Authority care and children of Forces families. At CDS we have a relatively high number of pupils eligible for PP; however, it is important that PP is used effectively. The Pupil Premium Grant is an additional sum of money paid to all schools in order to tackle disadvantage resulting from low income or family circumstance. The amount is calculated on the number of pupils on roll who are currently eligible for free school meals (FSM) or have been eligible within the last six years (Ever 6), and children looked after in local authority care. It allows schools to address inequality and provide for the pupils who need it most. The government allows schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils in this setting. Schools are held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low income families.

Schools have the freedom to spend the Premium, which is additional to the underlying school budget, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for the most vulnerable pupils. At CDS, we encourage parents to register their child as eligible for free school meals so that the Pupil Premium entitlement can be accessed to support these children. Pupil Premium funding is used flexibly to respond to the needs of our pupils, either individually or in groups. As part of our ethos we are committed to helping all of our pupils to fulfil their potential, regardless of circumstances. We therefore extend help and support, where appropriate, to those pupils who are not eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant but where there is known to be financial hardship.