What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium was introduced by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2011, as additional funding for pupils who receive Free School Meals (FSM), are service children or are Looked After Children (CLA). The Pupil Premium is additional funding to help schools diminish the attainment difference between pupils from disadvantaged families and their peers. If a pupil has been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point over the past 6 years, or has been looked after for one day or more (Child Looked After), the school receives an amount per head within their budget. A provision is also made for pupils who have a parent in the armed services. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
Schools receive £1455 for each primary aged child registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and £2530 for each looked after child at their school or children who have been previously looked after.
Rationale
St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School is determined that all pupils are given the best possible chance to achieve their full potential through the highest standards of Quality First Teaching, focussed support, curriculum enrichment and pastoral care. We believe the additional provision delivered through the Pupil Premium funding should be available to all pupils within school who we know to be disadvantaged and vulnerable, irrespective of whether they are eligible for the funding.
At St Aidan’s, we use a tiered approach underpinned by diagnostic assessment and inceptive support. We make sensible decisions to ensure that provision best meets individual need. Pupil Premium funding is allocated annually following rigorous assessment, data analysis and careful consideration of current and emerging need.
Strategy
At St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School, our Pupil Premium strategy is guided by the latest Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) five-step implementation model (2025). Our approach ensures that decisions about spending are research-informed, carefully targeted, and focused on sustainable impact.
We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their full potential, regardless of background or circumstance. Disadvantage is not a fixed label, and we work to identify and address the specific academic, social, and emotional barriers that may affect individual pupils.
Our mission ‘Learning and Growing Together; Inspired by the Love of Jesus.’ underpins all aspects of our work. Through high-quality teaching, targeted support and wider strategies that nurture wellbeing and aspiration, we aim to close attainment gaps and ensure that all pupils thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.