Pupil Premium

The Government believes that Pupil Premium (PP) funding, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the underlying inequalities between children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM), or who have been eligible in the last 6 years, and their peers.

The use of the term ‘Pupil Premium’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. Meridian Trust also includes within its Pupil Premium Charter those pupil identified as Young Carers (YC), either through parental identification of through use of the Multi Dimensional Assessment of Caring Activities (MACA) tool.

For the academic year 2023/2024 the government is also adding a ‘Recovery Premium’  to help schools meet the demands of ensuring all pupils catch up after the Covid pandemic.  The Recovery Premium provides additional funding for state-funded schools in the 2023/2024  period and, through building on the Pupil Premium, this funding will help schools to deliver evidence-based approaches for supporting disadvantaged pupils, but it is not solely to be used on disadvantaged pupils. 

The Recovery Premium is calculated on a per pupil basis and all mainstream schools will get £276 for each eligible pupil in mainstream education. Very much like the pupil premium, schools can:

• spend the Recovery Premium on a wider cohort of pupils than those who attract the funding
• direct Recovery Premium spending where they think the need is greatest

Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months and for those pupils who are the children of either currently serving member of HM forces, or who have retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence.  This ‘Service Premium’ is not classed as Pupil Premium but is allocated to help with pastoral support. 

The Pupil Premium (PP) and Service Premium currently stands at:

• £985 for every secondary age pupil who claims free school meals or who has claimed free school meals in the last 6 years.
• £2,410 for every pupil who are within local authority care.
• £2,410 for every pupil who has left local authority care through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order.
• £320 for every child of either a serving member of HM forces or retired on a pension from the MOD.

The PP funding is used to help fund a range of educational benefits for pupils across the school such as targeted small group interventions, additional pastoral support, or inclusion in school activities such as extra-curricular clubs, school trips and music lessons. 

It is a requirement for the academic year 2023/2024  that the school publishes both how the money was spent in 2022/2023  and how it is going to be spent in the coming year.  

The Pupil Premium Strategy Statement for Stratton Upper School can be found below. A draft version for 23/24 is online for immediate reference, but will be finalized by end of November 2023. 

There are a number of activities outlined in the document above which have been taken from the ‘Meridian Trust Pupil Premium Charter’ .  This Charter closely follows the ‘Meridian Trust Statement of Principals’  and has at its core a set of activities which ensure the academic, cultural and experiences gap between pupils who are disadvantaged and their peers narrows in all its schools.

The Charter focuses on closing the gap in attainment, attendance, parental engagement, CEIAG (Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance) and pupil experiences. 

There is much evidence to suggest that those in receipt of Pupil Premium funding do not always experience a rich set of activities and opportunities which broaden their outlook and perspective.  Therefore, a significant strand of the Charter focuses on giving pupils a set of experiences and memories they will never forget.  We encourage all pupils, but especially those in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding, to Extend the Boundaries of Learning and take part in school trips, visits and to live a broad range of childhood experiences offered in Meridian Trust schools.   

The impact of activities outlined in the Charter and in the strategy document above, are reviewed throughout the academic year both internally by the school, as well as through quality assurance visits coordinated by the Trust. 

Should you need to apply for Free School Meals, please contact Central Bedfordshire Council direct on:
0300 300 8306 This line is open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday.