Pupil Premium is additional funding to main school funding. It was introduced by the Government to address underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Pupil premium is a sum of money per pupil awarded based on the number of pupils on free school meals.
Barriers to Educational Achievement:
All pupils in the school have physical and/or complex learning difficulties and disabilities and complex medical needs. 75% of pupils have mobility needs and are either wheelchair users or require support walking using an adapted walking aid or support from an adult. A majority of pupils are physically unable to move or participate independently in physical activities without full or partial support.
Cognitively, 1/3 of pupils are functioning at very low sensory developmental levels, 1/3 at early communication levels and 1/3 have a more developed ability to communicate and develop cognitively but are physically restricted.
Typically, pupils have difficulty expressing their thoughts, feelings and wishes due to medical conditions, being non-verbal, communicating through behaviours, or tiring easily when speaking or moving due to their physical need or having a low cognitive ability. This also means that they are emotionally vulnerable requiring time and adaptations to their day and communication strategies.
They require interventions such as visual and auditory prompts and devices to support their communication and language skills, full physical and therapeutic development programmes, support to understand how they can raise their self-esteem, change how they feel and impact on their world, understand that there is no right or wrong way to be – just their way and developing emotional intelligence and empathy leading to mental wealth strategies they can use for life as well as achieving challenging individual learning outcomes.
Intention
Please see below how the school has used this funding.
