The pupil premium grant is funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. In the financial year 2023-24, pupil premium spending will increase to almost £2.9 billion.

We want to use the wealth of evidence of ‘what works’, evaluated by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), to use this funding effectively in our school. We use this evidence to support us when making decisions about the use of this funding.

Pupil eligibility

The following groups are eligible for pupil premium:

· pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years, including eligible children of families who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

· children looked after by local authorities, referred to as looked-after children

· children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, referred to as previously looked-after children

“It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.” Source - DfE website

Funding rates for financial year 2023-24

This table shows how the pupil premium grant is allocated to schools and local authorities in financial year 2023-24, based on per pupil rates.

Pupil eligibility criteria Amount of funding for each primary-aged pupil per year Amount of funding for each secondary-aged pupil per year Funding is paid to

Pupils who are eligible for free

school meals, or have been

eligible in the past 6 years £1,455 £1,035 School

Pupils previously looked after

by a local authority or other

state care £2,530 £2,530 School

Children who are looked after

by the local authority £2,530 £2,530 Local authority

Service pupil premium

Service pupil premium is additional funding for schools with pupils who have parents serving in the armed forces. It has been combined into pupil premium payments to make it easier for schools to manage their spending.

Pupils in state-funded schools in England attract the service pupil premium grant, at the rate of £335 per eligible pupil in financial year 2023-24, if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

· one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces, including pupils with a parent who is on full commitment as part of the full-time reserve service - this includes pupils with a parent who is in the armed forces of another nation and is stationed in England

· registered as a ‘service child’ on any school census in the past 6 years

· one of their parents died while serving in the armed forces and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme

This funding is primarily to enable schools to offer pastoral support and help mitigate the negative impact of family mobility or parental deployment. It can also be used to help improve the academic progress of eligible pupils if the school deems this to be a priority.

Pupil Premium at Ripley Junior School

At Ripley Junior School, we have high aspirations and ambitions for our children and we believe that every child should receive as many opportunities as possible to help them reach their potential. We strongly believe that it is not about where you come from but your passion and thirst for knowledge, and your dedication and commitment to learning that make the difference between success and failure.

We are determined to ensure that our children are given every chance to realise their full potential. Pupil premium funding, along with allocations made from the school’s own budget will help ensure this money is spent to maximum effect.

Information to be Published to Parents

In place of the current requirements regarding information about pupil premium expenditure, schools are also required to publish their Pupil Premium Strategy by the end of December each year. Please click on the link to view the Pupil Premium Statement for RJS.

The information that is included in the statement should be as follows:

1. The current academic year:

· the amount of the school's allocation of pupil premium grant

· details of the main barriers to educational achievement

· how the allocation will be spent to address the barriers and why these approaches were taken

· how the school will measure the impact of the pupil premium

· the date of the next pupil premium strategy review.

2. In the previous academic year:

· how the pupil premium allocation was spent

· the impact of the expenditure on eligible and other pupils

· This document was reviewed in December 2022

Pupil Premium Spending

Our pupil premium money has been used to provide a range of additional support for our children and these interventions, along with quality first teaching have started to have a positive impact on children’s attainment and self-belief.

Through targeted interventions we are working hard to eliminate barriers to learning and progress. One of our schools aims is to ensure that ALL groups of pupils make good progress in order to reach age related expectations as they move through the school.

Targeted support is being provided through one-to-one and small group tuition in Years 3/4 and 5/6. These interventions support children in knowing where they are and what they need to do to improve their work.

Increasing an understanding of why attending school regularly has also been a focus at the school. A range of learning opportunities have been provided to help parents to work with school to help ensure better attendance for their children, and in turn, securing better outcomes during their time with us.

How will the school measure the impact of the pupil premium?

To monitor progress on attainment, new measures have been included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. At Ripley Junior School, the usual cycle of data collection and the monitoring and tracking of the cohort’s attainment, will be used to inform pupil progress and enable the early identification of need, support and appropriate intervention. Review meetings will take place at each data

milestone and will include a member of Senior Management, teachers, TAs and Learning Mentors, where appropriate.

At each milestone, the school will review the impact of actions taken and will plan for how the funding will be specifically allocated over the next phase. When selecting pupils for Pupil Premium target groups, the school will look at all pupils across the school. There are some pupils who are not eligible for PP who will benefit from these groups if their needs are similar and we believe progress can be made towards individual targets.

Pupil Premium Funding and the impact of this is a standing item on governors’ meeting agendas.

Designated staff member in charge: Jennifer Clarke (Headteacher)

Learning Mentors for Pupil Premium pupils: Mrs Thawley and Miss Burton

Nominated governor: Martin Donaldson

Eligibility for free school meals

A parent may wish to check their child's eligibility for Pupil Premium or continued free school meals (from Key Stage 2) and Derbyshire County Council has an online system for this.

You will need to enter your name, address, national insurance number or asylum support service number. In addition, you will need to provide your child's name, date of birth and identify the school they are attending.

Eligibility Criteria

Parents/guardians in England do not have to pay for school meals if they receive any of the following:

· Income Support

· Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance

· Income related Employment and Support Allowance

· Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

· Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190

· Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

· Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Pupil Premium is an important payment for schools and a really good opportunity for eligible parents to get even more support for their children in schools.

For more information about free meals in Derbyshire, please contact Derbyshire County Council on 01629 536481.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about Pupil Premium funding and how it is being used to benefit your child, please speak to the headteacher.

If you think your child may possibly be eligible for free school meals, even if you don't want your child to eat school meals, please call into the office to collect a claim form. Every child who is eligible generates valuable income for the school.

Period Poverty

You may be aware of recent projects introduced by the Government aimed at removing or reducing ‘Period Poverty’. The school has applied for, and has received, supplies of sanitary products in sufficient quantities to allow us to support the pupils at RJS. Therefore, a range of free supplies are available from us for any pupil in need. Requests will be handled carefully and sensitively.

Please do not hesitate to contact school with any queries that you may have.