Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is allocated to a school to support the education of children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) and children in Local Authority care. It was introduced in April 2011 for children in Reception to Year 11. The government extended eligibility for the Pupil Premium in 2012-13 to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.
National Aims:
- Address inequalities
- Tackle disadvantage
- Reach those pupils who need it most
- Reduce the attainment gap and enable more pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to get to top Universities
How is our funding being spent:
We prioritise individualised support tailored to each student's needs and strengths, based on thorough assessments rather than preconceived assumptions. This approach ensures that we equip students with the necessary skills and experiences to thrive in adulthood. We equip students with uniform, if necessary, support families to go on trips or tours and provide equipment to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The school invests in staff development as we recognise the importance of quality teaching in improving students' life chances. We are a school who aim to support students accessing university especially those who may be the first in their family to do so. As a result we take part in the scholar's program run by the Brilliant Club which gives disadvantaged students access to Russel Group university tuition and visits.
Statement of Intent:
At Sir William Ramsay School, our values and vision guide everything we do, including how we utilise pupil premium funding to support our students. We believe in creating a community where every voice counts and where talent and creativity are nurtured to fruition. With a commitment to fostering respect, ambition, reliability and resilience, we ensure that our students are prepared not only academically but also as responsible members of society. Our focus is on leveraging pupil premium funding to support positive outcomes for our disadvantaged students. While socioeconomic disadvantage presents varying challenges, we observe differences in academic achievement, progression to higher education, employability, and social opportunities among disadvantaged students compared to their peers.
Central to our approach is delivering high-quality teaching tailored to address the specific needs of disadvantaged students, alongside targeted support informed by comprehensive diagnostic assessments. We prioritise providing access to a rich and diverse curriculum for all students and aim to build cultural capital through subsidised trips and visits to educational settings.
We aim to improve outcomes for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students alike through initiatives like enhancing teaching quality. Additionally, we offer support to develop independent life and social skills for disadvantaged students, ensuring access to high-quality career guidance and further education opportunities for such as the scholars program.
Free School Meals Application Form
Who can I talk to about Pupil Premium?
All members of staff have a clear focus on Pupil Premium. In the first instance, please speak to your child’s Student Support Officer, Head of Year, Form Tutor or Mr. Wolfenden, the Pupil Premium Champion.
Pupil Premium Objectives
- To ensure Pupil Premium students make progress at least in line with or greater than national measures of expected progress.
- To further reduce the Pupil Premium gap throughout the school.
- Improve the attendance of Pupil Premium students.
- To raise the aspirations of Pupil Premium students.
Pupil Premium Students Currently in the School - 2024-25
|
Year 7 |
Year 8 |
Year 9 |
Year 10 |
Year 11 |
Total |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Number of PP students |
61 |
62 |
48 |
53 |
543 |
278 |
|
% of the year group |
35% |
33% |
26% |
27% |
29% |
30% |
Amount of funding for the current academic year: £202,460.00 
Pupil Premium Reviews
Monitoring Progress During
Sir William Ramsay rigorously monitors the progress of all students on a half termly basis. This data is analysed to ensure that all groups, including disadvantaged students, are making the expected levels of progress and interventions are put in place when needed. Analysis is carried out for all year groups and subjects. This document will be updated throughout the year to demonstrate the impact out use of Pupil Premium funding has on the progress of disadvantaged students.
Pupil Premium reviews take place yearly and involve; learning walks, student interviews, book scrutiny, external validation, Governing Body visits and an analysis of ASP validated results analysis.
Date of next review: January 2025
How do we know Pupil Premium funding meets students’ needs?
The impact of key provisions funded by the Pupil Premium is evaluated by analysing the engagement and achievement of the students receiving the provision. Regular evaluations by participants and providers enables tracking of the provision to review its effectiveness.
How are we measuring the impact of Pupil Premium?
Rationale for Planned Expenditure
Our approach of looking at the needs of individuals and putting in interventions seems to work well and we will continue to spend our Pupil Premium using the principles outlined in this document. This will allow us to ensure it is targeted at increasing attendance, raising aspirations and most importantly, ensure that our disadvantaged students achieve as highly as other non-disadvantaged students.
The impact of key provisions funded by the Pupil Premium is evaluated by analysing the engagement and achievement of the students receiving the provision. Regular evaluations by participants and providers enables tracking of the provision to review its effectiveness.
