Pupil premium funding never spent on my child.

[curlykaren]

My son has just gone into year 5 primary. Throughout his primary years he has attracted pupil premium funding to the school as my income as a single parent is low. I've found out that this year the school are holding mandarin language classes for children of mandarin/bilingual households. I am really good friends with one of the Mum's who has a son in these extra language classes. Her financial and family situation is vastly different to mine, her son doesn't attract pupil premium funding to the school. Over the years my son has had 6 Lego therapy sessions, one book and two trips (to free venues-museums). AIBU to be really fucking pissed off that my son doesn't benefit, in any meaningful way, from this funding when meanwhile the school are offering these extra language classes? If your child attracts the pupil premium funding to their school please share with me what the school offer to enhance their education? AIBU in asking the school how they are funding these classes?

PP helps the school combat the statistical disadvantage that comes with students from low income families. Some of those students won't need any extra support, but the class as a whole may due to the impact of disadvantaged students.

Your son may not need any special provision. Alternatively he may already be benefitting from extra staffing, staff training, and/or resources funded by PP.

You won't know unless you ask.

PP funding is not ringfenced to individual kids - LAC PP is

@Gran22
Do you know if adopted children attract PP+ or is it just PP? I know LAC get PP+ but am unsure re those who are no longer in care.

PP can be spent on many things. TA's are often the case, offering support in class, emotional support, interventions etc to close the gap.

Schools have to publish on their website what they are spending it on. Also, even if the trip was free entry, the cost of coaches alone can be £400+. Check their website and see what their funding is being spent on.

adopted children don't get PP+ - as they are no longer LAC but the VS do offer support if needed

Schools should be transparent about how they are spending the PP income. Same as with the Service Pupil Premium income, which is notorious for just ending up "in the pot" and not directly benefiting the service children involved. To be fair to the child who needs Mandarin classes though, there used to be proper funding for EAL children and there just isn't any more. I'm a primary teacher and I see this first-hand. Nowadays, a child who is speaking Manadrin, Polish or Hungarian at home will get diddly squat in terms of extra English support beyond that which the class teacher is trying their damndest to provide, along with everything else. It's extraordinarily depressing, it really is. And don't get me started on SEN budgets and CAMHS...........

My school provide 1:1 interventions to all PP children once a week. However, staff may be sent to cover elsewhere so these are cancelled more often than not.

ghosty Adopted children do get PP+. Their educational needs don't disappear in a flash because they are adopted - and the government (I think we have to thank the coalition Lib Dems?) recognise this.

gran22 because that's identifying! Why should random people be able to look up how a child's PP is spent on them?

The school should be looking at your son’s progress and using money to ensure that any gaps are filled. So if he’s behind in Maths that there is support either with materials or teacher time or LSA time for example.

The PP funding is there to ensure disadvantaged students are not falling behind their peers.

Which areas is your son falling behind? Ask for how his funding can help those areas.

curlykaren - so, is your child miserable at school and failing academically, then? Does he need more lego therapy than the child of the better off family? Does anyone at the school have to pay for lego therapy? Or do you think people who are better off than you should not be entitled to a state education? Would your child's education be better if the school did not get extra funding? Tbh, I'm not getting what you ate so pissed off about, as you have failed to say what you think your child needs and is not getting and instead have focused on what you think other people's children are getting when you know bugger all about other people's children's needs.

DD's school of just over 300 children is very transparent on where PP money goes - in 2016/17 it was in excess of £200,000.

It goes on everything from extra teachers (over £115k) including a SALT, to school crossing patrols and theatre trips for all children. They have a full breakdown to the penny on their website. We are NEVER asked for a donation for ANY school trips or extra curricular activities, except residential stays.

Breakfast club is subsidised and therapy sessions are available for children requiring additional support even if they are not SEN - DD doesn't qualify for PP but she has had real issues with separation anxiety which the school have been marvellous in dealing with.

Adopted children do get enhanced LAC payment if they were adopted from local authority care, not if adopted from abroad.
Children also still get enhanced LAC PP if they left care to go on a residential order or special guardianship order, but not if they return home to a parent.

Teen sorry - you are correct - they get PP - I was thinking with my job hat on - the VS don't manage that funding - we do the PP+ for LAC

it's not ringfenced though - but LAC PP is

Phil Glad you said that, I was beginning to doubt myself.

Main areas we've come across (both Primary & Secondary)

• English & Maths intervention
• ELSA / Pastoral / Social skills support
• Subsidising trips / clubs / extra curricular e.g. music lessons

The mandarin classes are irrelevant surely? Unless you only want kids in receipt of pp to benefit from any enriching activities?

From what you’ve said your school website does list how the money is spent. The money doesn’t belong to your son, it belongs to the school and the money may be spent on things which benefit the whole school community including your son to help bridge the gap.

What does your son struggle with? In what way do you think his social economic status is hindering him? Maybe if you think specifically you can go into the school and ask if they are able to help with those aspects? And indeed ask their advice how you might be able to help at home?

Ghosty thank you. I've seen the Virtual school mentioned. A previously LAC child, later adopted - there must be many - I don't want to 'out' the children, but can't fathom how it's apportioned. Do the schools these children attend receive it, or do the children somehow benefit directly?

Pupil Premium funding is for the school to allocate . How it is spent is published on the website in a report annually.

It is not parent directed (eg. a parent cannot expect to be able to direct how it get spent). If a parent wants to be involved in this side of things they need to go through the correct channels such as through the parent governors or become a governor themselves.

This has become more difficult for lots of schools because some schools do share specific information regarding specific uses of the money. This enables (misinformed) comparison and ultimately people feeling like they are being lied to/misinformed/not being given what they should.

These negative feelings come about because people think they are entitled to something that they are not.

I think this is really important so I will repeat it - it is money that comes in and the school directs how it is spent in order to raise attainment.

It is not for shoes/supplies/trips/clubs although that may come into it if the individual school sees fit.

Governor here and just wanted to echo a lot of posters. There must be a record published of what PP is being used on and whilst it might seem generic, there will be oodles of data and stats behind the simple 'remedial classes' line.

Our governing board receives a detailed report on PP spending at the end of the financial year and a lot of discussion is undertaken at the start of the next to ensure we're genuinely addressing a need. Children who qualify are also tracked throughout the year as a specific cohort in the schools data (attainment, progress, attendance) and so changes are flagged quite quickly and programmes and interventions are brought on to help balance them closer to their peers.

Again, as a number of posters have said, the funding can be used for staff. Our school is considered very deprived - higher than UK average EASL which gives very specific challenges, inner city and the poverty that can bring, university town so lots of overseas students who bring their children for a term or two, school of sanctuary so take a lot of refugee children who have seen & experienced significant trauma. Some (by no means all) of our PP funds a Family Liason Officer who is able to spend 1:1 time with families and children to bring a more holistic view. It's not just about why their test scores aren't as high - it's about doing what we can to get the children into school in the first place so they can access the learning.

PP is very rarely (and certainly never in our school) used to bolster already achieving children.. it is used to help those falling behind due to their circumstances, not their intelligence. It may be that despite your low income, your son is thriving and with the support from you, he is eager to learn and can focus on his studies, putting him ahead of some of his disadvantaged peers. If you don't feel he is doing as well as he could, go and speak with the school. I can guarantee they will have a ton of data and info behind those more generic terms to help put your mind at ease and you could raise your concerns.

My ds gets pp. Each year his school issue me with a voucher for £150 that can be spent on uniform, school trips, or extra curricular clubs eg football or music.

My dd receives pp but because her father is in the military. In her last school the school used the money to buy a set of reading books for her as they couldn't cater to her needs. They also funded all her school trips and paid for her to join the drama lessons provided by an out of school company. She has subsidized fees for a language club and had been offered music instrument lessons but unfortunately we had to move from the area. She is now in a forces school so different set up.

I'm no wiser. Plenty of info re PP and how it can be used to pay for extra TAS, coaching for under achievers etc. However, PP PLUS is specifically awarded in LAS according to the number of Looked after Children (LAC) and previously LAC who have been adopted and are in nursery or school. That money seems to be held by a Virtual School Head? and unlike PP, not the school attended by the pupils who attract it.

Some of these replies! Wow, so bitchy and condescending. To those of you who answered my enquiry and told me how your child benefits from the pupil premium funding they attract to the school, thank you. I've heard of many examples along these same lines such as forest school, art therapy uniform grants etc. My son receives none of these or indeed anything else that had been listed. I've actually since remembered that the trips he took were funded on a trial basis by the PTA so he's only actually had the Lego therapy and a book in 5 years. I understand that the pupil premium funding goes into a pot but it is absolutely not only for remedial activities. If this pot has the funds to enrich a pupils education I would expect, as a pupil attracting the extra funding, my son to benefit in some way. It seems some PP expect me to believe that being bilingual is in some way detrimental, that of course is bullshit, it's hugely advantageous to be able to speak a second or third language. I'd love to be able to provide my son with small group second language classes but I can't afford it! Providing bilingual children with language classes to extend their knowledge in a language other than English WIDENS the attainment gap, pupil premium funding is meant to narrow it.