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

Because it is literally a demographic that is funded , and schools need to show how they use the funding

But not every child is PP though so it wouldn't be relevant to invite all parents/carers.

It's not singling families out, it's offering support which you can choose to accept or not.

Sounds like something in the letter “triggered” you. A trigger is an emotional memory. Was there some time in your past where you felt “less than”? May be someone (a teacher perhaps) insinuating something negative about you? It may be this feeling that is resurfacing and needs re-processing.

Well no, what usually happens is engaged parents turn up, on the basis that they’ll take advantage of any information that might help their kids and the people it’s intended for don’t attend.

In which case you wouldn't go, but others may want to/may find it really useful and supportive

But isn’t that exactly what PP is for? Schools get additional money to spend on a disadvantaged group to help close the gap between that group and the rest of the pupils.

As with a lot of educational matters there has to be a group approach rather than individual to some degree.

It’s like saying I find it offensive that the Reception teacher is teaching my child as part of the class group to read words they already know just because some of the other children don’t know them.

Usual disingenuous MN “I can’t see the problem” nonsense.

I can see why you’re offended and to be honest the parents unable to do this kind of thing are unlikely to bother attending.

So they may as well have opened the talk up to everyone.

I’d go for the buffet then leave

Pupil premium exists in order to lessen the attainment gap between financially disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This is an event put on to support the parents of these pupils. If you feel like you don’t need the support then you are not obliged to attend.

Maybe the OP would find that out, if she decided to attend.

Why do you think those people will attend even if it’s not open to everyone?

You have massively misunderstood PP funding

I'd still ask. But I don't like patronising stuff like that.

Those parents who who don't care or who it's aimed at won't attend. Whether there is free grub or not.

It isn't help for you, it's an outline of the extra support they are giving your child. I think it sounds very well thought out and a great way to engage, personally I would welcome it. PP children are statistically disadvantaged by something like 19 months by the end of secondary.

Just giving my credentials beforei givemy opinion: my DC don't get PP, but I was the only child in my class with Free School Dinners, which was my generation's version.

Yeah, I would be offended by this too, for the same reasons you are, OP.

but according to a PP the parents who aren't arsed will be tempted along by the lure of a couple of sandwiches and a jug of squash.

They should probably replace the "light tea" with a packet of B&H and a few cans of stella because that will really tempt us all in.

It's law someone always has to take offence at something, even when there's nothing to.be offenders about.

What are pupil premium students. Thats what I would want to know for a start.

Did you not read the OP?

Most of the event is giving parental advice.

The fact that this is being offered to only PP parents is what has offended the OP.

It's the assumption that quote unquote poor people are shit parents, just by virtue of being poor.

That's the issue.

You are making massive generalisations about pp parents ironically. It's very few parents who really don't care/attend

Unfortunately not. The chances are that all the families that are not in receipt of PP would turn up and PP would remain at a disadvantage.

It's a bit like the HAF schemes. I took my children to one provider that said anyone could go and they did some really lovely activities and provided lunch. But they lost their funding as they were not reaching the target groups and the majority of those attending did not tick any of the boxes for the funding criteria.

Yes you might not like the way you have been selected but need to change your attitude towards it and see if as a positive that they want to share how the money is spent (as so many schools keep quiet and spend more generally).

I agree with a PP - box-ticking for Ofsted.

Kids that are entitled to benefit-related free school dinners

(And y'know... have old sofas in their front gardens, wear burberry and can't effectively time manage)

So just don't go - sorted.

PP kids statistically performer poorer than the kids who aren’t on it. The school is trying to target those parents for that reason.
It might offend you but you are, statistically, part of a group of parents whose children struggle and whose home life isn’t as supportive as maybe some others.

It’s the same thing when they target support to single parent families. Kids from single parent homes do worse than kids from a two parent home, statistically. So they target those kids and those parents with extra support and help.

It doesn’t mean that every person in that group needs the help, but they offer it because you are more likely to.

Stop looking for something to be offended by and realise that the school are trying to reach out to the demographics who need the support.