Supporting the Attainment of Disadvantaged Pupils: A Suite of Resources
Publicly-funded schools in England get extra funding from the government to help them improve the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. Evidence shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds generally face extra challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as their peers. The pupil premium grant is designed therefore to allow schools to help disadvantaged pupils by improving their progress and the exam results they achieve.
It’s up to school leaders to decide how to spend the pupil premium grant. Evidence suggests however, that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across the following 3 areas but focusing on teaching quality - investing in learning and development for teachers.
1. Teaching
Schools arrange training and professional development for all staff to improve the impact of teaching and learning for pupils.
2. Academic support
Schools should decide on the main issues stopping their pupils from succeeding at school and use the pupil premium to buy extra help.
3. Wider approaches
This may include non-academic use of the pupil premium such as:
- school breakfast clubs
- music lessons for disadvantaged pupils
- help with the cost of educational trips or visits
- speech and language therapy
This web page is designed to bring together a range of resources to assist schools to:
- Deliver an excellent education, with the highest of expectations for all regardless of background or barriers to learning.
- Use funding appropriately to support improved attainment, raised expectations and readiness for life and learning.
- Deliver high-quality teaching.
- Use appropriate interventions for vulnerable groups that are robustly tracked and monitored, with the support of outside agencies.
- Direct the Pupil Premium Grant to ensure disadvantaged pupils access excellent teaching and learning every day that focuses on gaps in learning.
