Pupil Premium

How Buntingford First School Uses the Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium Strategy - November 2024

Pupil Premium Strategy - November 2023

Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve high attainment across all subject areas. The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils to achieve that goal, including progress for those who are already high attainers.

The challenges our children may face are varied and there is no “one size fits all”. Common barriers to learning for disadvantaged children, can be less support at home, weak language and communication skills, lack of confidence, more frequent behaviour difficulties and attendance and punctuality issues. There may also be complex family situations that prevent children from flourishing. We will respond to common challenges and individual needs, rooted in robust diagnostic assessment, not assumptions about the impact of disadvantage.

When making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged. We also recognise that not all pupils who are socially disadvantaged are registered or qualify for free school meals. We reserve the right to allocate the Pupil Premium funding to support any pupil or groups of pupils the school has legitimately identified as being socially disadvantaged.

 Our ultimate objectives are:

• To eradicate the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
• For all disadvantaged pupils in school to make or exceed nationally expected progress rates.
• To support our children’s health and wellbeing to enable them to access learning at an appropriate level.

 How we aim to do this:

High-quality teaching for all is at the heart of our approach, with a focus on areas in which disadvantaged pupils require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school. Implicit in the intended outcomes detailed below, is the intention that non-disadvantaged pupils’ attainment will be sustained and improved alongside progress for their disadvantaged peers.

We carefully evaluate the needs of our disadvantaged children through regular pupil progress meetings, assessment for learning and monitoring by the senior leadership team in order to feel confident that we understand what their barriers to learning are.  We then plan good quality provision to ensure the children have these barriers removed.  We will continue to design and develop our curriculum to reflect the needs and aspirations of our school and make assessments linked to the curriculum to ensure that we are diminishing the difference for disadvantaged children.  We also believe that learning starts with a child’s state of mind or mental health and in order for children to reach their full potential they need to have academic resilience.  We have a comprehensive PSHE package as well as a Forest School.  Forest School is an inspirational process, which offers learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland.  It aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners. We are able to offer therapeutic support suits the need of the individual child.  PP children are offered a significant discount on any trips, visitors, workshops and clubs that school offers.  

 

Eligibility for Free School Meals

Children in year 3 and older: if you believe your child may be eligible for free school meals, please contact Hertfordshire County Council to apply or check their eligibility. You can find more information and the online application form here.

Children in reception, year 1 and year 2: all receive a universal infant free school meals.  Pupil Premium funding is also available for children in these year groups.  To find out if you are eligible for this funding, you need to register for Universal Infant Free School Meals (reception, year 1 and 2) on the Hertfordshire County Council website here.