Romsey Road, Wellow
Romsey, Hants
SO51 6BG
Executive Headteacher : Mrs Jo Cottrell
Head of School: Mrs Bethan Larcombe
Tel: 01794 322201 Fax: 01794 323819 Email:
Dear Parents,
You may already be aware that the government introduced an initiative where schools are given extra funding to spend on the education of young people who are or have been eligible for free school meals within the past six years. The name given to this is Pupil Premium.You are receiving this letter because Joshua and Emily are identified as being eligible for Pupil Premium.
What is Pupil Premium?
Your child is eligible for Pupil Premium because:
· They have received Free School Meals at some point in the last 6 years
· They have been adopted from care
· They are children of Service Personnel
This means that the school receives additional funding for your child.
Why has Pupil Premium been introduced?
Statistics tell us that nationally, students who have been eligible for free school meals do not perform as well as students who are not eligible.You may have heard talk about a ‘gap’ in the achievement of Pupil Premium children and those who are not. Of course, this may not be the case for your child. At Wellow, this gap is smaller than at other similar schools as a result of our policies and actions implemented long before Pupil Premium was announced. However, achievement for some pupils is typically lower than the remainder of the cohort and we strive to close this gap.
What does this mean for me and my child?
We recognise that all pupils have different needs and will respond differently to interventions and support. We also realise that there is a range of strategies that could be employed to accelerate progress or address a pupil’s individual needs. The following list is an indication of the support that may be given, although this is by no means definitive, nor will every eligible child require each identified aspect:
(1) Achievement and Standards work including additional tuition, class-based or intervention work to accelerate the progress of targeted groups or individuals
(2) Learning Support/Resources to enable pupils to fully access learning and accelerate progress where there are specific barriers other than identified special educational needs
(3) Pastoral work to raise self-esteem, overcome emotional barriers or support children to make appropriate choices in order to maximise learning opportunities
(4) Enrichment to provide opportunities for pupils to develop talents in sport and music (for example) to improve self-confidence and motivation for school
What if my child is meeting or exceeding expectations?
We would still like to offer your child extra support and will ensure that they are involved in activities which will help them to achieve their very best across the curriculum.
What can Pupil Premium be used for?
Ø 1:1 or small group teaching/LSA support for reading, phonics, maths, handwriting etc.
Ø Purchase of additional learning resources
Ø Support from the school’s Emotional Learning Support Assistant if there are emotional/social barriers to learning
Ø Payment for music lessons or after-school sports clubs
Ø Additional class-based LSA hours to support learning and respond to individual needs more readily
Ø Support for behaviour and to improve attitudes to learning
Ø Financial support for school visits and residential experiences
Ø
The money has to be spent on improving attainment outcomes, i.e. things which will help your child achieve better results. These also include staff training, and any other interventions or expenses to maximize pupil achievement.
It is appropriate that decisions about spend are made by the school as we are held accountable for the impact that spending has on each child. We are also required to publish on the school website, details of the Pupil Premium Grant the school receives, how it is spent and the impact of that on pupil progress.
Will children know who is eligible for Pupil Premium?
Please be assured that we make every effort to treat this matter with the appropriate discretion. We do not discuss Pupil Premium with pupils.
Where can I find out more?
The school is charged with allocating this money to maximise pupil achievement. We have further information on how this money has been spent on the school website on the drop down titled ‘School Information’ and the link ‘Pupil Premium’.
Yours sincerely,
Bethan Larcombe
Head of School