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 people are more likely to attend things that are presented as “for them”. For example my DDs school ran parent sessions for emotion based school refusal to all
parents. The sessions were populated by parents who openly recognised there was no difficulty with their child attending school, but they were interested in the topic, and was offered for free so they turned up. Parents whose kids did have challenges attending didn’t come.

When the sessions were targeted to the population where EBSA was a known issue those parents did attend, the parents thought the session would be attended by other parents in the same boat.

I'd probably be a bit offended about the inherent assumption that
pupil premium parent = low and or poor education/lack of time management

IIRC pupil premium covers a wide range of children including adopted children so really not a one-size fits all situation and it can sound patronising

I remember also being insulted when invited to something similar when dd was diagnosed with ASD/ADHD which also included talks on subjects like "the importance of giving your child breakfast" - but sadly since it was held at 10am on a Friday we were unable to get away from our jobs as a hospital consultant/University lecturer to attend

Are you also offended by schools getting money for pp children but not for non pp children? I mean, that's not fair, is it?

Yep, That is the issue 🔨

I get where you are coming from.

The bit about how the Pupil Premium is spent. That bit doesn’t bother me. It’s the implication that parents of pupils on Pupils Premium (nice tongue twister there) need the extra guidance and help, and aren’t capable to support their children.

Probably statistically children on PP perform less well than their peers, and it’s a well meaning attempt to address this. However, if you’re a parent less engaged with your kids education (ie, the target audience), would you actually attend such a meeting?

It's incredibly offensive to offer this only to PP students, yes. It completely plays into the horrendous stereotype that all lower income families don't give a shit about their children's education and, I dunno, just sit at home swearing and eating crisps or something.....

I'm a teacher. I would be appalled if any school I worked for suggested this, and would argue against it strenuously.

A learning evening to give tips to ALL interested parents is a great idea, of course. But the suggestion that it is only lower income families who need this, or that they need this more, is disgusting.

What next? Single out the ethnic group who perform least successfully in the school and hold a learning evening just for them?

It's lazy stereotyping and offensive in the extreme. In your position I would write to the head and, if your concerns are not addressed, go to the chair of governors. I would encourage any other parents you know who may have received this offensive letter to do so too.

Because statistically pupil premium children more often come from unengaged uninterested parents. Not all by any stretch, but a lot.

It just fucking sucks to be lumped in with that characteristic when you are not one of those parents.

PP students aren't just FSM children. There are a few categories including forces parent, and LAC (plus others I've forgotten).

Students in recipient of PP do worse in school at a national and local level. Schools have to try and narrow the gap. Some of that is via parental education. If you know all the seminar information, don't go.

So by the measures of this offence, when some support is offered to women, invite men and others so women are not singled out as needing support.
when some support is offered to small businesses, invite big corporations too. Its not just small businesses that struggle to get finance. Otherwise you single small businesses as needing support. That's patronising
Support or parking for persons with disabilities, invite everyone. Let everyone use it so you dont patronise the latter.

Ditto SEND kids, low income persons.

hang on, lets just do away with extra support for those needing it.

Be careful what you wish for because the UK is going that way anyway.
I would love support on how to help my dc study effectively, stay motivated etc. And should I use up funding for kids that need it more. No that would be unfair

@PupilpremiumWTF You are not wrong to be offended. Thats your prerogative. Just dont go.

You don't know that pupil premium doesn't necessarily mean low income right? There's no stigma to it, it can be for those who've been in care or adopted or for those with parents in the armed forces. It really doesn't matter why, your child will be helped by being given this targeted support, surely that is all that's important?

Reminds me of a Ricky Gervais skit!

OP how else would you suggest the school do this?

If you are so offended I imagine you'll be asking for your child to be taken off the PP list, and therefore not receive any of the financial benefits, thus freeing up funding for others.

I was a child who received free school meals and I have been a teacher for 30 years. I think it’s good that school are being transparent about how they use the PP funding. However, all parents would benefit from this kind of study skills information, so it feels stigmatising to only offer it to parents who have PP students. There’s no need to attend - it’s optional.

When do schools target single parent families for support? I have never heard of this. It would also be very offensive.

Thank you for this - I have no skin in the game, but there are stipulations around funding whether people like it or not. If people don't engage, the funding goes away. I work in the charity sector, I see this day in and day out. Transparency around funding is a massive thing now, as is evaluation and impact data.

Free School Meals are not the only criteria. There are other groups eligible for Pupil Premium. I've been retired for some time but, off the top of my head, Looked After children (aka 'in care') and children from Forces families are also included.

Well that’s not offensive at all to PP parents, of which if I was in England I would be one because my kids are care experienced. And I would go to the session because I want to know how the school is using PP to benefit my kids.

I think the issue is with your own tired, offensive stereotypes rather than the schools communication.

Oh, what nonsense. This wasn't a teacher's idea, it's blatantly a marketing initiative by Elevate Education. I bet the teachers would far rather bugger off home.

I agree with you OP, I’d be offended too. I think the idea is well meaning but the suggestion that only people in receipt of PP need guidance is a little offensive. I think there would be better ways the school could have approached this.

It's also not true.

Why are you offended?
I presume the school gets pupil premium for your child This evening is just to explain how they spend it.

But parents of children who are entitled to PP do struggle with the things listed and they are trying to support families.

YOU may not need it, but the majority of people on PP Do need help.

Last night my school hosted a how to study night, for invited kids and parents based on a number of factors.
We even had samples of the new dinners from our catering team to give out. I'll leave the thread now to hang draw and quarter myself for being so evil.

Despite having asked the question, you’re not massively open to the idea that you’re being unreasonable, are you?

I can see why you would be offended but as others have said, it will be the funding requirements that mean it has to be targeted at only pupil premium pupils. The aim will be to help provide support.
It might be worth going and seeing what they say, if it’s not helpful feed that back and maybe give other suggestions of what could help.