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?

But surely the point is PP kids can often struggle to have confidence and to reach their full potential so surely all PP kids could benefit from all of their PP money being spent on them even the ones aiming for exceeding- extra tutoring,books scrutinised,resources etc.

Op I think you have every right to ask for info on how it is spent but do it politely. Also if your child is achieving expected maybe you could ask what he could do to get exceeding and if there was any PP money to help. Or if he is aiming for exceeding ask how likely it is that he will get it and if PP money could be spent to give him the best chance of doing so. If you are in an 11+ area could the money be spent on tutoring or books? It is worth asking,there may well be valid reasons for no but if all else fails you'll get extra info on how to support your child.

The Mandarin money may have come out of a different budget for kids with English as a second language.

NotsoHorrible - but it's still unfair how the funding is allocated, why don't other parents with children who need extra funding try and get it?

And if they don't get it, then maybe they shouldn't be entitled to it in the first place?

Why should people who go to all the time and effort of getting their child extra funding be happy or satisfied in seeing it being redirected in a way to others and not benefiting their own child?

Really Scarlett None of it benefitted your child?
How was it redirected?

P3onyPenny
Schools who use PP money well use the funds as best they can to meet the needs of PP students whilst understanding that they will have lots of needs.

E.g. I've ran PP highly able workshops with visiting speakers (though no doubt some like the OP would be frothing about how unfair it is that able children had an educational opportunity and their child wasn't there).

The other thing is that PP covers a huge range of factors. E.g. a PP students due to ever 6 FSM might be 12 now and for the last 4 years Mum has a new partner, both are working and earning and they have a home life no different to their peers. A forces child might have had lots of upheaval but quite a bit of structure at home. Another child may be from a family dipping in and out of poverty where their only meal is their free lunch, they miss school when they are on their period and they are at 80% attendance because every time their mum meets a new man she's more interested in him than the kids so the 14 year old has to stay off and play mum. Another might have had 10 years of disrupted schooling, gone into care, is now living with aunty and whilst things are better theu still have a reading age of 6 aged 13. Child X be from a hard working stable family who financially qualify for FSM but their parents spend more time with them than child Z (because Z's parents have lots of money to throw at their child but seem to care more about their latest work travel opportunity so Z gets bumped between wrap around care, family members and friends). Child X probably had better chances than child Z.

No one strategy would be appropriate for those different situations.

@ScarlettPimpernell123 so nothing ever was done to benefit your child?

Why should people who go to all the time and effort of getting their child extra funding be happy or satisfied in seeing it being redirected in a way to others and not benefiting their own child?

Zero effort.

Literally zero effort.

It’s providing a benefit document

Plus in my county, PP funding runs over a year behind. So I'm receiving funding for children who have left the school and nothing for children who have just joined. Do I say NO, you can't have extra support because, although you are eligible for PP funding it hasn't come through yet and won't for another 12 months. Or does all PP funding go into a "pot" to be used for the benefit of all those PP eligible who might need it?

And if they don't get it, then maybe they shouldn't be entitled to it in the first place?

Comfortably off parents doesn’t necessarily mean they support their children.

I trust the teachers to do their job and allocate their time and resources where needed.

Great post maisypops. I wish schools could make their own decisions on whom are the most disadvantaged pupils.

And I say that from perspective of someone who’s children receive pupil premium

That is correct, his funding went on a teaching assistant who spent her time working with small groups of children of which my son was one. However he didn't like her (she was a miserable cow) so refused to participate which meant he was sent back to the main class room and got no benefit from the funding we received FOR HIM.

Which is why the op needs to go and ask how PP would best benefit her child and what her child has received to facilitate that.

Lego workshops would piss me off to be honest. It smacks of putting them all in one group without identifying individual need and spending a fortune on something with limited educational value just to tick a box. Which schools have money to fritter on Lego workshops ,as lovely as they are,when the kids attending them will often be falling behind in reading,writing and maths.

I suspect your child has received other interventions op but you won't know unless you ask.

I wish schools could make their own decisions on whom are the most disadvantaged pupils.
Most do on the side.
E.g. If I'm running an intervention for PP students and I know there's another child who is vulnerable or could do with the support then I'd add them to the group.
It costs no more in terms of money.

Some will argue that somehow this is the worst thing on earth because they have a belief that their child has a fixed pot and should get stuff. Personally, I see it as schools using money for disadvantaged students to benefit disadvantaged students (including those who may not attract PP. We have some children whose parents don't qualify for PP but earn less than someone on benefits who does qualify. Anyone who suggests that child shouldn't be allowed to have a place in an intervention group because some of the funds were from PP needs a reality check).

NotSo

Don't understand the Zero effort response.

Maybe it differs depending on where you live - our life was making countless phone calls generally chasing people up who couldn't be arsed to return our calls. Many forms to fill out and 'proposal' documents justifying why more funding was needed in our opinion etc.

No one at my school feels guilty for offering Marie support(SAL and occupational therapist) even if she's not diagnosed because the parents refuse she has SEN (they're happy for her to have the interventions though) or little Jimmy who is obviously autistic,needs support NOW but him and the parents are trapped in the long process for diagnosis, or Sarah who despite a 3 pages report detailing her significant needs was discharged, or Robert whose parents were literally told to come back in two year,despite him already being 6 and struggling massively, or Lucy who was not on PP or entitled to anything really last year when she started lego therapy and other things but we could already tell how fucked up things were at home and this year she's a LAC.
What we do feel guilty about is that sometimes there still are kids that fall through the cracks .

I suspect with Sats looming he'll get extra as they'll want their PP cohort to do well. Ask op,none of us can speak for your child's school.

@ScarlettPimpernell123

Very odd. The criteria is utterly clear. There is no question of justification etc. It’s a tick box.

Maisy you've tried, countless other people have tried, but the op seems to be one of those people who won't take a telling from people who actually know what they're talking about and rather than say, 'sorry I misunderstood how pupil premium works' display a massive persecution complex and start lashing out.

Utterly clear
Just a tick box

Very odd. The criteria is utterly clear. There is no question of justification etc. It’s a tick box

Well not in our case. Maybe you should check your facts before making assumptions

Maisypops, yes you have missed something but this thread seems to be irrationally annoying you so please do feel free to go and chat elsewhere.

To answer some of the more constructive points, yes I always ask if my son will be receiving any interventions or extension classes. I'm always told no. When he was in reception/year 1 he hated school, it was enormously stressful as every night and every morning he would cry and beg not to go. I had to go to the extreme of actually touring other local schools before his school put an intervention in place, that was the Lego therapy sessions. Year 2 I asked if they would be continuing the intervention, they didn't. It was repeatedly bought to my attention at parents evening that he was unconfident and reticent to answer questions in class so I persisted in asking if there was something that could be done to make him more confident in class. After several months of asking we were given a book.
That was the last time he had any direct benefit from the fund.

To the PP asking about if he benefits from the TA, I've been very clearly asking for examples of direct benefit, there have been many examples provided over the course of the thread.
To the PP asking if he wants to learn mandarin? We looked into about a year ago as several secondary schools in this area have it as a language option. It was unaffordable to me.
To the PP asking if he is failing in some way? In one area of the curriculum he is exceeding but I have paid £65 per month in extracurricular classes in this subject for about a year now. In another area of national curriculum he is not meeting expectations for his age but I've reached the absolute limit of what I'm able to afford in terms of out of school activities.

goady goady goady

Re the LAC criteria. Is that if the child has ever been a LAC or just whilst they were school age?

I think you are being ridiculous OP! Info on where PP is being spent will be available if you ask. Clearly the shool has identified a need for the mandarin, and are offering it. Good for them.

You will not be the only household eligible for PP, likely the school receives a lot of extra income from this which is used towards extra teachers, books etc... it's not about perks, clubs and trips which you think your son should be entitled to for free

(Also, sometimes pupils eligible for PP come from households on benefits or with low incomes already receiving financial support from the state. So working parents are helping support these families by paying taxes. Their taxes also support the additional pupil premium funding the government gives schools. I'd just be grateful OP that other families at the school are indirectly helping you, rather than feeling entitled

@ScarlettPimpernell123

I can’t think who you would be sending in these proposals and justification docs to!