Pupil Premium and Recovery Funding

Pupil premium is a designated amount of money that the government allocates to each school, based upon a number of factors which are linked to the perceived deprivation of certain pupils within a school. This money is intended to be spent directly or indirectly on those pupils who are considered vulnerable because they are not meeting national expectations in terms of attainment.

We believe that every child has the right to achieve, succeed and thrive. We have high aspirations and ambitions for all of our children. We are driven by our belief that children should have the opportunity to learn, make progress and fulfil their potential. As a school community, we work together collaboratively to assess carefully and monitor each child and to tailor learning opportunities to enable every child’s success. Our key focus is to narrow the gap between pupil groups to ensure that every child is able to make at least good progress.

Nationally and historically, children who are entitled to free school meals have achieved less well than their peers. At Watling Park, we aim to close the gap for all groups of pupils and we carefully monitor any trends in attainment for specific individuals or groups to ensure we can maximise the impact of our interventions and support.

We use a range of intervention strategies to provide children with the additional support and challenge that they need in order to accelerate progress and, for some children, to eliminate barriers to learning so they are equipped with the tools, skills and experience they need to reach age related expectations and as they move through the school.

If you think you could be entitled to free school meals because of your income level, contact the office, as we might be able to help discreetly, and in confidence, or you can apply directly for free school meals. Even if you do not wish for your child to receive free meals, registering them would mean that the school could claim pupil premium funding which can benefit your child in other ways.

Pupil Premium and Recovery Premium funding for 2023/24

54% of children at Watling Park School are eligible for free school meals or are entitled to the Pupil Premium Grant – this has risen by 6% over the last three years.

We have planned our spending carefully for the academic year 2023/24 to ensure that it will be spent to maximum effect. We have a link advisor who takes responsibility for Pupil Premium. We have taken the following into consideration when allocating expenditure:

  • Ensuring that spending is directly linked to closing gaps in attainment
  • Making use of our attainment and progress data to allocate effective interventions, including the allocation of additional adults
  • Ensuring that we effectively evaluate the impact of challenge and support where necessary
  • Ensuring that support is allocated that enables wellbeing and self-esteem that, in turn, facilitates effective learning and progress
  • Ensuring that children who are identified as more able and who have entitlement to pupil premium funding are challenged and supported

Here is our Action Plan for the 2023/24 School Pupil Premium Strategy. This includes the recovery premium fund spending and the impact for 2022/23 pupil premium spending.