Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)
It is important that all students, regardless of background or ability, have the opportunity to achieve well, make at least good progress in their academic studies and personal development.
Research shows that students who are considered ‘disadvantaged’ because of their socio-economic circumstances are at risk of doing less well in school than their peers who have more positive soci- economic circumstances. The government uses eligibility for free school meals as a socio-economic measure and provides additional funding for schools to use to support students who may be at risk of underachievement due to disadvantage.
Schools receive a payment known as ‘Pupil Premium Grant’ (PPG), for each child who is either currently registered for Free School Meals (FSM) or has received FSM in one or more of the previous six years. Pupil Premium Grant is also received for students who have been in continuous care for six months or more and for children whose parents/carers are in the armed services.
From September 2017, 35% of students at St Mary’s High School are eligible for the Pupil Premium. The amount payable to schools for each child eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant is £935 per student for each academic year. The headline allocation of funding that St Mary’s received as Pupil Premium Grant during the academic year 2017/18 was £309,291. This provision from the government must be used by schools to close the gap in attainment between students who receive FSMs and those that are non‐FSM.
It is the role of schools to decide how to use the Pupil Premium Grant allocation, as the Government has stated that schools are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual students. As a school we regularly monitor and track the progress of students as well as actively seek student voice which influences the decisions that the school makes for use of this funding.
