In 2011, the Coalition Government introduced the Pupil Premium. This is money given to schools in addition to their general budget in order to help raise the achievement of pupils who receive free school meals and to narrow the academic attainment gap that exists nationally between pupils of different income groups. The Government has decided that eligibility for the Pupil Premium in 2012-13 will be extended to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years.
It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are considered to be best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils under their responsibility. However, they are held accountable for how they use the additional funding to support pupils from lower-income families. New measures are being included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. From September 2012, we have been required to publish online information about how we have used the Premium. This will ensure that parents and others are made fully aware of the impact the funding has on the achievement of pupils covered by the Premium.
At Hornchurch High School we have used this money in a variety of ways. For example, it has funded an extensive 1 to 1 tuition programme that has enabled pupils to access personal tutors to support their learning. This has usually been spent on additional tuition for maths and English for all abilities. We have also spent additional funds on raising attendance initiatives, behaviour strategies and SEN support. Also, we have created links with partner universities to encourage our more academic Year 9 and 10 pupils to consider aiming for university and to find out about funding options so that more are not put off considering the huge benefits of going to university. In several cases, we used the funding to pay for college courses, part time work experience and other off site opportunities, for example construction, stable management and hair dressing.
There are many ways that we can judge the impact of what we do. Of course, when it comes to the 1 to 1 tuition, we use pupils’ results and exam grades to judge the effect of the tuition. We do this by considering how pupils have achieved when compared to their target grades and/or levels. Teacher feedback and pupil feedback is also sought to see whether the extra input has had an impact on motivation, participation and class work. All Year 11 pupils interviewed reported finding the sessions useful and attendance at them was high. The vast majority of pupils who attended the university sessions said that they found the visits useful and that they would now consider going to university more carefully. Parents who attended all said that it had been useful for them and their child and wanted them to continue next year.
A more detailed outline of how we spent the Pupil Premium money last year is outlined below along with the plan for spending this year.
If you have any questions about the Pupil Premium, or you need information about applying for free school meals, please contact the school via our contact form
For more detailed information regarding Pupil Premium at the school please download the following files.
https://www.havering.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Free-School-Meals.aspx