Pupil Premium
What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is additional government funding provided to schools to help reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. The funding is designed to ensure that all children, regardless of background, have access to the same high‑quality educational opportunities.
Schools receive Pupil Premium funding for pupils who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Pupils currently eligible for Free School Meals (FSM)
- Pupils who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the past six years (known as Ever 6)
- Children who are looked after by the Local Authority
- Children who have previously been looked after or adopted from care
The current allocation for eligible primary-aged pupils is £1,320 per year.
Free School Meal Eligibility
Your child may be entitled to Free School Meals if you 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
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (without Working Tax Credit) and an annual income below £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying)
- Universal Credit, with a household income of less than £7,400 per year (after tax, excluding benefits)
If you think you may be eligible, please collect a form from the School Office or apply online via the London Borough of Bexley:
https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/free-school-meals/how-apply
Even if your child prefers packed lunches, registering for FSM ensures the school receives vital Pupil Premium funding to support their education.
Barriers to Learning at Gravel Hill
Through ongoing assessment, monitoring and discussion with pupils and families, we have identified the following key barriers faced by some of our disadvantaged pupils:
- Low attendance, reducing access to high-quality teaching
- Lower attainment in phonics and early reading compared with non-disadvantaged peers
- Lower attainment in writing compared with non-disadvantaged peers
- Additional needs, including SEND or EAL, which affect a high proportion of our disadvantaged cohort
- Social and emotional challenges, often linked to socio-economic pressures and the rising cost of living
How Our Pupil Premium Strategy Addresses These Barriers
Our three-year Pupil Premium Strategy follows the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) tiered model, focusing on:
1. High-Quality Teaching
We prioritise improving teaching and learning across the school, as strong classroom practice has the greatest impact on disadvantaged pupils. This includes:
- High-quality professional development for staff
- A consistent approach to teaching early reading and phonics
- Evidence-informed curriculum development
2. Targeted Academic Support
Where pupils need additional help, we provide structured interventions based on assessed need. These include:
- Phonics and early reading support
- Small-group and 1:1 tuition
3. Wider Strategies
We recognise that pupils’ wellbeing, attendance and home circumstances significantly affect learning. Funding supports:
- A specialist pastoral team
- Attendance monitoring and intervention
- Social and emotional support programmes
- Family engagement and early help
Key Principles of Our Strategy
Our approach to Pupil Premium is guided by the following principles:
- A strong, inclusive ethos that reflects the school’s aims and values
- Evidence-informed decision making, using research and internal data
- A focus on improving teaching, the most effective way to reduce disadvantage
- High-quality pastoral care to meet the wider needs of pupils and families
- A robust cycle of evaluation, ensuring interventions are monitored, reviewed and adapted
- Needs-led support, based on accurate assessment and identification of barriers
- Funding that benefits all, ensuring improvements support both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils
Further information about the use of our Pupil Premium spending can be found using the links below.
