Purpose

The pupil premium grant provides funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.

The service pupil premium (SPP) provides support for children and young people of service families. It is combined into pupil premium payments to make it easier for schools to manage their spending. Pupils that the SPP intends to support are not necessarily from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

Funding Criteria

Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals (FSM), or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It can be used:

• to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer
• for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, the Department for Education (DfE) is delivering an expansion to FSM eligibility to include all pupils from households in receipt of Universal Credit. There will then be 2 categories of FSM:

• Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing £7,400 income threshold
• Expanded FSM, which will apply to meals only, covering pupils who do not qualify for Targeted FSM, but who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit

Following the expansion of FSM, only pupils eligible for Targeted FSM will be part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort. This means that pupils who become eligible for FSM for the first time through the new Expanded FSM category will not attract pupil premium funding.

We will ensure that the additional funding benefits the pupils who need it most and that is makes a significant impact on their education and social well-being.

The school will use PPG funding to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible for funding and others.

How we use the funding at Harvington CE First School:

To fund the Home School Link member of staff

We fund 50% of the cost of school trips

Extra support with resources for learning

We have a strategy review each term and progress is carefully monitored with details recorded in the PPG statement as well as in assessment reviews led by the PPG lead teacher.

We focus on early intervention and support for all socially disadvantaged pupils, including our most able pupils.

Please read the information in the PDF documents below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding in more detail.

If you think you may meet the criteria for free school meals then please follow this link:

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/schools-education-and-learning/free-school-meals/apply-free-school-meals