Pupil Premium

Pupil premium funding

The Government provides academies and schools with additional funding to help reduce inequalities and gaps in attainment between those students who are on free school meals (FSM) and their peers. This funding is called the Pupil Premium.

Details of how we plan to allocate our pupil premium and the impact it has previously made can be found in the documents at the bottom of this page.

Every academy and school can select how they choose to use their Pupil Premium allocation, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for students. Every school needs to be held accountable for how this money is spent, which is why we make details of how it is used available on our website.

The purpose of Pupil Premium

Provide appropriate nurture support to enable pupils to access learning within and beyond the classroom.

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals and allocated to a school as a proportion of any children who have been receiving FSM in the previous 6 years.

The Pupil Premium funding that is received by Cloudside Academy is used in a variety of ways in order to improve pupil attainment and to help overcome any barriers to learning. This extra money is specifically targeted for the most disadvantaged children.

We value all children equally whatever their background, and aim to provide a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, culture, religion or ability.

Our Pupil Premium Intent

At Cloudside Academy, we are completely committed to enhancing pupil achievement and wellbeing irrespective of their personal circumstances. We want all of our children to do well and to thrive in their learning. We pride ourselves on providing an environment where every child can thrive and succeed.

Our main goal for our pupil premium strategy is to ensure that Pupil Premium children’s achievements are in line with their non-pupil premium peers. High-quality teaching is at the heart of our approach, with a focus on areas in which disadvantaged pupils require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school.

We adopt a strategic and targeted approach to provide opportunities to address academic, pastoral and cultural gaps. Our curriculum is designed to provide a wide range of experiences inside and outside of school. We provide the highest quality education to become active, socially responsible citizens of the future. We recognise that disadvantaged children can face a wide range of barriers which may impact their learning.

The approaches we have adopted complement each other to help pupils excel. To ensure they are effective we will:

· ensure disadvantaged pupils are challenged in the work that they’re set

· act early to intervene at the point need is identified

· adopt a whole school approach in which all staff take responsibility for disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes and raise expectations of what they can achieve

This year our main priorities focus on the following areas:

  • Improve oral language skills and communication skills to increase children’s progress in reading for pupils eligible for PP
  • Improve personal, social and emotional skills and the mental health for pupils eligible for PP
  • Improve academic attainment for PP children, in particular our SEND PP cohort, through strategic, well-designed interventions
  • Increase attendance rates for children eligible for PP
  • Increase accessibility of out of school experiences for pupils eligible for PP
  • Increase the support for pupils who have limited experiences beyond their home life and immediate community.
  • Provide teachers with high quality CPD to ensure that pupils access effective quality first teaching

FREE SCHOOL MEALS

Could your child be eligible for Free School Meals?

In these difficult financial times, we want to make sure you are getting all the help that you are due.

A lot of people do not claim Free School Meals even though they are entitled. That is why Derbyshire County Council has launched Quids in campaign, to encourage people to check if they are eligible. You do not need to worry about other children knowing your child gets Free School Meals. Only the school and catering staff will know.

You could save £400 a year for each child and your children could benefit from a good hot meal at lunchtime. The school will benefit too – they will get the Pupil Premium of £900 a year from the government for each child on Free School Meals.

If you get any of these benefits, you could be eligible:

  • Income Support
  • Income based Job Seekers Allowance or an Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Child Tax Credit (with an annual income of less than £16,190)

You will not be eligible if you are claiming Working Tax Credit.

To apply, go to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals and fill in the form.

PUPIL PREMIUM STRATEGY

Pupil Premium Strategy 2023/2024

Pupil Premium Strategy 2022/2023

Pupil Premium Policy

Pupil Premium Strategy 2021/2022

For articles and advice for children and young people click here