Pupil Premium

Bolton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School, in common with all other local schools, receives its funding from the Government via Lancashire Local Authority.

One element of this funding is called the PUPIL PREMIUM. 

Pupil Premium is the additional funding given to schools for pupils from disadvantage backgrounds to provide them with the best start in their education. The amount of this additional funding varies from school to school and is dependent on 3 factors: the number of children in school who are in care of the Local Authority (or recently adopted from care); the number of pupils who have an entitlement to a Free School Meal (this does not include those on the Infant School Meal programme) and the number of pupils who have a parent serving in the armed forces. 

Our strategy is to ensure that all children make good or better progress – including those whose family circumstances generate Pupil Premium income for the school. Nationally, there is an “attainment gap” when children from differing socio-economic backgrounds are compared – our goal is to do what we can here at BLS to bridge that gap where it exists.

The main barriers to educational achievement faced by some children at this school are around access to enriching activities, familial stress and, in a very few cases, attendance and lateness.

The progress of children from different ‘groups’ is carefully tracked, provision is made for a flexible arrangement of support and class teachers identify/review the specific needs of children.

The impact of Pupil Premium funding is reviewed at the end of each academic year.

It is worth noting that Pupil Premium Funding is notified to school prior to the time Governors agree the school budget, usually in January or February prior to budgets being agreed from the following April. This structure is at odds with the school year which begins in September and ends in August each year. Therefore, progress measures at the end of a school year will be most directly influenced by PPG funding from the previous two years.

The Governors agreed that the funding should be used to enable targeted intervention to support individual learners and groups of children as well as to support their social, emotional and mental health. The funding was used to:

  • Provide excellent pastoral and family support through the employment of our Learning Mentor, including support with bereavement, family breakdown, attendance issues as well as social and emotional support. 
  • Provide time for teachers, and our SENDCo, to support individuals and/or groups of pupils as a core component of our provision mapping.
  • Provide additional hours of Teaching Assistant time to support key pupils with their academic and social and emotional progress.
  • Provide support with technology to overcome barriers that would otherwise reduce pupil engagement with remote learning.

The impact of the provision above has been: 

  • Pupils settle well into the routines of school life. 
  • Pupils who require further support have been identified quickly with support put in place to effectively overcome their barriers to learning. 
  • Pupils continue to make progress, from their starting points, and are able to work within the classroom setting. 
  • Effective intervention planned and in place, as a result of provision mapping involving all staff. 
  • A key area for development identified for forthcoming years where Teaching Assistants have access to quality training and support to enable them to effectively support pupils at the point of learning. 

Inline with government guidance, please see below our most recent Pupil Premium Strategy Overview which provides details on the amount of Pupil Premium funds our school receives and how this is used in school.  

Pupil Premium Strategy Statement Overview 2022 – 2023