To feel offended by this email from the school?

[PupilpremiumWTF]

I think I'll just post the email without any elaboration for now, and see what people think, this is copied and pasted directly, with identifying info changed:

Dear Mrs X,

It’s great to be able to invite you to a special evening for parents of our Pupil Premium students in Years 7, 8 and 9 on Thursday 20th November 2025.

We’ll be starting with a light buffet tea from 5:00 pm, giving you the chance to chat informally with staff and other parents before the evenings presentations begin.

At 5:30 pm, I’ll give a short overview of how we use Pupil Premium funding here at school to support students’ learning and wellbeing, and to help every child make the best possible progress.

From 6.00 pm to 7:00 pm, we will to be joined by Elevate Education, who will deliver a practical, engaging seminar designed to help parents support learning at home.

Topics covered will include:

- Time Management – helping your child to plan effectively and avoid last-minute stress.

• - Study Support – understanding what effective study looks like and how to make it stick.
• - Motivation – discovering what really drives student motivation and how to nurture it.
• - Parent E-book Access – every parent attending will receive a free e-book full of strategies and guidance.

This is a brilliant opportunity to pick up some useful ideas and find out more about how we’re supporting your child’s progress in school.

I really hope you’ll be able to join us for what promises to be an enjoyable and informative evening.

Please let us know if you can attend by completing the form on EduLink.

Kind regards,

Mr Y
Senior Assistant Headteacher

You might not need this assistance, but statistically, those pupils attractive pupil premium do need such assistance.

No one has mentioned that some people like going to the school, seeing the staff, making connections, working with the school for the good of the child. Itsboften a really positive and well-thought of thing (apart from on MN)

It's the insinuation (on here, rather than the email in the OP) that all kids who get FSM are basically fucked because their parents aren't MC.

I know you are offended and probably don't need this support but statistically parents of PP pupils do. They are probably grateful for the sandwiches as well. Schools can't bloody win. How would you like the money spent?

Because it’s the PP finding that is paying for it.

That has literally been disputed over and over on this thread

I’ve done child protection referrals for privately educated children being abused, so please don’t assume PP students are our most vulnerable children.

No, it isn’t. It is recognition that there is an issue ans that kids, who are absolutely capable, are struggling and failing due to circumstances outside of their control. So those kids and their parents are targeted for support. It is absolutely right that these initiatives exist.

You might not like it, but lower income kids do not perform as well as their peers (as a group). There needs to be targeted support.

I must admit my first thought on the buffet was entirely practical (you don't have to.fit in getting everyone home and fed before coming out again) some of our parents have asked for food at our events that they can buy as kids do so many clubs etc it's hard to fit it all in

Dramatic · Today 22:35
How ridiculous that you got so offended by the school checking on it's most vulnerable children.

Posts like this are what I'm referring to. My kids weren't fucking vulnerable because they were entitled to FSM!

If this email had been sent out to parents of high achieving kids, to offer further enrichment and talk to parents about all the things available then mumsnet would have loved it. This thread would be full of people saying how great it is that the school is really getting involved with pushing the highest achieving kids.

People just don’t like it because it’s support for statistically disadvantaged kids.

Anecdotally, as a PP student, I achieved the highest academic grades in my school, so there are always statistical anomalies.

You obviously choose to be offended. Don't go if you don't want to.

I totally get it OP. It suggests that if you need PP then you don't know how to parent. It should have been open to all parents as otherwise comes off as patronising and offensive.

Well, thankfully we don’t plan policy around anomalies because so many kids would be left behind.

As a statistical group they are vulnerable to under performing. That Is just fact. The government literally fund us to close that gap.

So what’s the point of pupil premium then? If not to close an attainment gap. Should it be abolished?

Except for the fact that evidence suggests that a majority of PP students do need help with the home environment...

Elevate Education?

Hmmmm, think we live fairly close to each other OP. It's an 11 plus tutoring company that is branching out.

Of course, but an outlier

Maybe you could go along op - something might stick or help

What an awful thing to say.

I'm speechless.

Think I’d be minded to email Mr Y back asking if there’s going to be beans on toast at the buffet as anything else might be too fancy for your poor, peasant palate.
I would find the letter immensely patronising, and quite insulting.

It could be that they are not permitted to spend the Pupil Premium money on the light buffet tea.

I think there are quite strict rules about how it is spent - and rightly so, because this extra funding is supposed to support a cohort who statistically underperform. Not every child will but they can’t know who will and who won’t. One side of my family was so so poor and valued education above all else as a way out of poverty. Or at least if not out of poverty a way to encounter opportunity. The other side was so so poor and also didn’t see the point in a lot of the initiatives and thought further study was a waste of time when you could be earning even if it was a low paid job with no propspects.

You might be doing everything you can for your child but not all parents will be like you, and statistically more of the cba parents will be parents of pupil premium children.