Pupil Premium is additional government funding provided to schools to support pupils who may be disadvantaged, ensuring they have equitable access to opportunities and can achieve their full potential. Schools are expected to use this funding strategically, informed by evidence, to address barriers to learning and to demonstrate clear impact on progress, attainment and wider outcomes. At St Mary’s, our approach reflects our core values of Confidently Me, Belonging Together, Challenged to Contribute, as we strive to ensure that every child feels valued, included and empowered to succeed. We place a strong emphasis on high expectations, inclusion and personal development, recognising the importance of dignity, support and aspiration in enabling all pupils to flourish. Our practice is carefully reviewed and evaluated, with a clear focus on impact and accountability. 

Our strategy includes:

• 1:1 academic support delivered by our Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), providing personalised interventions to address individual learning needs and accelerate progress.
• A Key Adult approach, ensuring each pupil has a trusted member of staff who supports their teaching, learning, wellbeing, and personal development.
• An allocated wellbeing team member for every family, providing a consistent point of contact and helping to strengthen the home-school partnership.
• Early access to clubs and extra-curricular activities, enabling pupils to participate fully in school life, develop new skills, and build confidence.
• Close monitoring by the Assessment and Inclusion Lead, ensuring progress is tracked carefully and support is adapted where necessary.
• Regular Pupil Premium review meetings with Year Leaders, where pupil progress, attainment, attendance, and provision are discussed to ensure effective support is in place.
• Access to The Hub before the start of the school day, providing a calm, supportive environment that promotes punctuality, readiness to learn, and good attendance.
• Careful attendance monitoring by our Attendance Lead, with timely intervention and support offered to pupils and families where needed.

Through these measures, we aim to remove barriers to learning, promote positive wellbeing, and ensure that all Pupil Premium pupils are equipped to succeed both in school and beyond.

As we begin the new academic year, we have further refined our Pupil Premium Strategy to provide an even sharper focus on the needs of individual disadvantaged pupils. Through careful analysis of attainment, progress and wider barriers to learning, we have identified specific children who will benefit from targeted intervention programmes delivered by our skilled Higher Level Teaching Assistants. These interventions will provide additional support in key areas of learning and development, ensuring that pupils receive timely and personalised assistance to help them thrive. This approach reflects our unwavering commitment to inclusive practice, where every child is known, valued and supported to achieve their full potential. The Pupil Premium Strategy remains an integral part of our wider School Development Plan, reinforcing our ambition to secure the very best outcomes for all learners. We look forward to sharing our School Development Plan with the whole school community by the beginning of October.

If you know that your child is in receipt of Pupil Premium funding and would like to discuss the additional provision and support they are receiving, please contact Mrs Nguyen. A member of the Inclusion Team or Senior Leadership Team will be happy to arrange a meeting or telephone call to discuss your child's individual needs, the support in place and how we can continue to work together to help them succeed. If you believe that your child may be eligible for Pupil Premium funding but are not currently registered, please let the school know so that we can provide guidance and support.

Further information about eligibility and the Pupil Premium programme can also be found on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium/pupil-premium.

By ensuring that all eligible families are identified, we can continue to secure valuable additional funding to enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for our pupils.

The government asks all schools to publish details of the impact of their work with vulnerable children. You can read ours below: