PUPIL PREMIUM
SUPPORTING PUPIL PREMIUM STUDENTS
The Pupil Premium Statement 2025 – 2028 can be found here
The pupil premium grant is funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:
- Pupils in year groups reception to year 11 recorded as ‘ever 6 free school meals (FSM)’
- Eligible pupils in year groups reception to year 11 with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
- Looked after children (LAC), defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority (LA)
- Children who have ceased to be looked after by an LA in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, or a child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order)
The pupil premium is a grant given by the government to schools in England to decrease the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged children, whether by income or by family upheaval. For each pupil who is eligible for free school meals, their school receives £1,455 (if a primary school) or £1,035 (if a secondary school).
Closing the gap
The reason disadvantaged students have historically made less progress than other students are complex. There are a number of barriers all students can face while progressing through their education. It is more likely a disadvantaged student will face multiple barriers that will compound students chances of achieving success, so it is important for the school to deliver a strategy that focuses on removing as many of these hurdles as possible.
| Challenge reference | Detail of challenge |
| A | Academic attainment and progress
Overall attainment and progress of disadvantaged students is lower than that of their peers. This trend is apparent across English, Maths, Ebacc and Open aspects of Attainment 8 as evidenced by outcomes at GCSE. |
| B | Learning needs
A significant proportion of our disadvantaged students have a diagnosed learning need. These students typically have the weakest progress of all students. Aspirations and self-belief of disadvantaged students are generally lower than that of their peers, it is clear from discussions with these students that they need additional support in realising their own potential and developing metacognitive strategies to manage their own learning more effectively. |
| C | Attendance
Our attendance data in recent years indicates that disadvantaged students are more likely to be persistently absent. We recognise that regular absence is undoubtedly impacting on their progress. |
| D | Wellbeing and mental health
Our assessments, observations and discussions with pupils and families have identified social and emotional issues for many pupils, such as anxiety, depression (diagnosed by medical professionals) and low self-esteem. This is partly driven by concern about catching up lost learning and exams/future prospects, and the lack of enrichment opportunities due to the pandemic. These challenges particularly affect disadvantaged pupils, including their attainment. |
| E | Access to resources
Although most students have access to digital devices, it is out pupil premium students who are most likely to lack access to learning digitally. Similarly, it is disadvantaged students who are more less likely to have access to study materials. |
| F | Access to life experiences
It is generally our disadvantaged students who have less Cultural Capital compared to their peers. This can make learning in context more challenging and limits some aspects of the personal and social development too. |
Our Statement of Intent for Disadvantaged Pupils
At Bottisham Village College our ethos of ‘Inspiring, Caring and Enriching’ focuses on the holistic development of all our students. We deploy a range of strategies to provide a high-quality curriculum for all students that exposes them to the rich cultural heritage of ages past whilst providing them with the skills and knowledge that they need to thrive in a modern, dynamic global society. Within each area we consider how we prioritise Pupil Premium students.
At Bottisham Village College, in recent years, the proportion of students with Pupil Premium has increased as we have grown in size and our student demographic has changed. Research indicates that disadvantaged students achieve better outcomes when they receive excellent teaching and have opportunities for personal and social development. It is, therefore, appropriate to ensure most of their needs are increasingly met through high-quality universal provision with a relentless focus to ensure our curriculum, teaching and learning are excellent and meet the needs of all learners. Our model to achieve success with these students is therefore as follows:
- High-Quality Curriculum, Teaching and Learning – Improve the progress of disadvantaged students by ensuring high-quality teaching and learning.
- Use of assessments to identify and target support – Effectively use data based on high-quality assessments to identify disadvantaged students that are not making the required progress and target these students for interventions.
- High levels of school attendance and parental engagement – Improve engagement with disadvantaged parents in the community and support parents facilitating learning at home.
- Access to high-quality Enrichment aimed to raise aspirations – Ensure all disadvantaged students have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities to support progress and enrich their education and raise aspirations.
Remove resourcing barriers – Ensure all disadvantaged students have the resources they need to support their learning both inside and outside of school. This includes ensuring there is digital equity.