Pupil Premium Plus for reception

[Maiyakat]

DD starts reception in September (not quite sure how that happened!) The information I've seen on PPP says you have to inform the school to apply for it in January. How does that work for reception children, who won't have a place allocated until April?

I'm sure I'll be back later asking about how it should be spent - none of the local schools gave me much hope that they know what they're doing with PPP. DD currently has no obvious areas where she needs additional support, so I can see it disappearing into the general pot.

[kierenthecommunity]

gosh, i didn't even know you applied for it tbf. i thought they just got it!

one thing to bear in mind though is you're nailed on to get your first choice scholl unless there are 30+ more LAC applying, so maybe just approach them and ask them what to do?

and i don't quite get how our LB is starting reception this year either. i haven't aged a bit...

[mydutifullaunderette]

It's a bit arse about face to be honest. The school applies, not you, but they can't apply until the January AFTER the child is at school - they apply based on the eligible children formally on the school roll at that point. The money is released to schools in April.

So, a reception child will have been at the school for 9 months before the school gets any funding for them (but in subsequent years the school would receive the money each April and spread it throughout the following 12 months accordingly).

Will await your next set of questions!

[Tamponlady]

My dd is getting pp and she is 3

[tldr]

If none of the schools know anything about adoption, you could suggest they might spend it on training in attachment/trauma/other LAC type issues from people like PAC UK or Louise Bomber.

[Maiyakat]

Arse about face sounds a good description! I guess they release the money in April as it's the new financial year? Oh well, gives me a while to figure school out before getting into battles over how it's spent!

Tamponlady DD gets PP too at nursery, but it's a lot less (£300) and I have no idea what they do with it (it certainly doesn't reduce my bill!)

[Devora]

You don't need areas where you need additional support, necessarily. dd's PP is used for play therapy, but other adopted children I know have had theirs spent on a range of things including extra-curricular classes.

The most useful outcome of PP for me has been that it incentivised the adoptive parents at our school to get together, and we now meet regularly. At first we wanted to discuss how PP was being used at our school, and whether there were areas where we would in effect ask for the funding to be pooled in order to provide specialist teacher training that would benefit all the LAC children. But it quickly turned into a really useful support group.

[fasparent]

Some schools have pre schools attatched would be able too apply for PP+ at age 3 (£300). applys too all nursery's.
Always best too apply, needs or non, as Devora noted , our schools use money, employ a full time SEN pupil parent support person helps in all manner of of things incuding training for parents and teachers, also employ a full time OT, and other support requirements so all benifit including our children if needed, just supplied a PC and app's too help dd.
also have a parent support group.
Without money they would not be able too do all this.