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

Any event where I get fed, without having to meal prep / cook / wash up is very welcome 😂

YABU.

This is staff volunteering their time to communicate with parents who may be in difficult circumstances.

You're being a snob. Presumably if your DC attract a pupil premium, there's something going on re income, or disability, or other areas of eligibility. This is something to enrich and help those DC and their families, who may be labouring under all sorts of disadvantage.

If you think you don't need this, then refuse the pupil premium for your own DC.

I honestly think this is one of the most depressing threads I have read recently due to all the people, the OP particularly, who are offended by a school trying to offer support & help to it's families.

If it doesn't apply to you just don't go!

It's not a personal attack on you OP & probably somewhere amongst your school cohort of families there is someone who is really grateful they have been invited to this.

You do realise that the teachers are the people delivering the event and the event will take place in the school hall?

How do you imagine that teachers will simultaneously deliver this event and teach their classes in the school hall (that's probably going to be used for lunch and PE lessons) during this daytime event that you suggest

Not to mention that would also involve PP parents taking time off from their low paid jobs to attend this day time event.

Exactly the same at DC school and other local schools.

The engaged parents usually grab any opportunity to prepare or work with their kids better and don't feel offended by this.
And as others have said, the parents who need the talk most won't go.
The point here is that OP does not need the talk and won't go because she is offended. If they opened it to everyone, she would go (I think?), despite not actually needing to.
At least this way, they might be reaching the right parents.
And of course there will be other opportunities for all parents, there won't be many schools who don't do general talks (as well).

It's how it can be interpreted as 'your child is on FSM and here's a course to improve your parenting' therefore implying that your kid is on FSM as you're a lesser parent than parents of children not on FSM who don't need this course. I'm sure it wasn't meant this way but it could feel judgemental and discriminatory and getting all the parents of children on FSM together isn't really appropriate either. The invite could've been worded in a much better way too.

Surely it is a specific attempt to encourage parents of pp children to attend a session which might be useful to them and give an opportunity to engage with staff, many of whom would not bother if it was open to all. You would largely get the same cohort who attend school events otherwise. There may be some not qualifying for/claiming pp who could benefit and some who do who won’t as much. Pp is not only based around means-tested school meals.

You're poor and therefore need help 🧐

@RandomMess schools don’t have spare funding to always offer things like this to everyone, and as others have said open it up to everyone and the target parents very rarely attend.

And PP funding is based on a number of eligibility criteria, academic attainment or attentive parents are not included in that criteria, so PP funding had to be seen to be spent on these children if they fulfil other eligibility criteria

Or, a lot of families receiving FSM, or with a parent in the armed services, or where children are ex LAC are struggling. We are offering this support, and if you don't need it you are free to decline it.

Okay... Statistics please?

People are on benefits for a range of reasons, such as having a disabled family member who needs care.

I don't think parenting support or guidance is a bad thing. But singling out a whole group of people based on their income and making a link to their parenting capacity is offensive.

I also see this point of view. I think this way of doing it can be clunky and risk offending people. But I do think there should be targeted support offered. Although, maybe it would be better if schools knew the families of the children at the school and offered this to them individually?

It's been said several times on here already. By the end of secondary pp children are an average of 19 months behind their peers.

One of the greatest barriers to learning is to assume there is nothing left to learn.

I do understand the prefence to remain anonymous, but if the funding is targeted and everyone else in attendence is also is in receipt of FSM's then you may find solidarity and support with other parents with similar financial constraints, who still all want the very best for their child.

If those sessions are in any way similar to the primary & secondary school talks we have been invited to (similar topics) - they were excellent. Yes, some stuff is a no brainer, but personally I have always struggled with time management and I also found different learning techniques really interesting and helpful with my kids. Also the stuff on positive self talk, mental health etc was fantastic and made a difference in my own life, never mind the kids. Really wish it had been around in our youth.

@CusionFort have you seen any statistics I have posted, showing results of standard test/exams for PP students and non PP students. There is a stark difference.

But I don't think it is a statement on their parenting ability - surely it's something that all parents & carers would benefit from but the school don't have funding to offer it to all.

They have funding for PP so are offering it up those families. It's an extra, a benefit, in short, it's a good thing, not a damning statement towards the people who are being offered it.

Schools, like all public institutions, are so aware of inclusivity and equality these days, the idea they of all places would be doing this to single out or shame families is ridiculous.

Based on whose opinion of their parenting?

Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not an assumption. It’s an offer for those that want it. It’s an invitation. You don’t have to go. They are not assuming anything.

It sounds like you’re just looking for something to be offended about.

That's clearly not what I've said.

I've asked if an overall population level disparity in academic achievement between the children of the financially successful and Pupil Premium children is to be expected. I also asked if we should be more concerned about geographic areas with achievement below the average.

For example (using completely made up numbers):

UK average GCSE results = 50%
UK average GCSE results for PP = 40%
UK average GCSE results for rich= 60%

Area A GCSE results = 80%
Area A GCSE results for PP = 70%
Area A GCSE results for rich = 90%

Area B GCSE results = 30%
Area B GCSE results for PP = 20%
Area B GCSE results for rich = 40%

The difference between the Pupil Premium and 'rich' children may exist everywhere, but differences between geographic regions might be huge.

I, personally, don't think it is possible to eradicate the difference in achievement between PP and non-PP at a population level, because genetics will play a part - i.e. intelligent people are more likely to have intelligent children and intelligent people earn more money. There will always be exceptions, and nurture will play a massive part, but I think that's just reality. There was a boy on Channel 4's Child Genius programme who's dad was a nuclear physicist. It showed.

I'm not saying we give up on PP kids, but I think we should also be looking at nationwide trends to focus funding in failing regions. I think that might provide the best outcome by improving the entire school systems in those regions.

A quick google search shows pupils in receipt of pupil premium do not perform as well as their peers in school. Obviously a generalisation, but figures suggest it’s true to some extent. So the school are trying to do whatever they can to support parents, which will benefit the pupils. Sounds like you’re embarrassed of being thought of being a bad parent. Just don’t go if no don’t want to. I think it’s good the school is at least trying to help.

Good lord. Can people who haven't a clue what PP is or how it works maybe stop shoving their oar in?

I doubt they can afford to offer it to everyone. The PP group of students is the group most likely to need it, statistically. If your child doesn't, great! More for the rest who do need it!

So basically you don't want to be identified as being pupil premium?

Elevate Education also does a lot of seminars in private schools and is probably very expensive to arrange . It came to my sons school and he did mention it in passing and the boys found the name amusing . The seminars seems to be delivered by young and inspiring people and even though you may know most of what they are going to say hopefully it would still be helpful and encouraging .

They've written pupil premium because this category comes under an umbrella of disadvantaged and that would sound worse in the letter, but is the description that's typically accurate and used in schools. Pupils who also have SEND are doubly disadvantaged.

Quite telling that the OP either doesn't really understand the pupil premium or is happy to stereotype it while not including her family. And can't read the email and understand that it's not aimed at solving her potential time management issues, but to inform her about interventions in place and equip her to support her children to have all the skills they'll need.