Pupil premium funding?

[cornishcreamtea]

It is my understanding that this funding is exclusively for the use of the child and to be used to support them in areas of need. However it seems to work differently in different schools.
One of the children I look after has had her after school clubs and gymnastics club ( completely separate from school) paid for out of this funding whereas the school that my other placement attends say the funding has gone into providing computer programmes or socialisation sessions that all the children can benefit from.
I am not afraid of advocating on the childrens behalf but would really like to be in full possession of the facts.

Can anybody help me with this?

I am not sure what the legal position is. Most schools use it to fund things like higher level TAs working on literacy for all children.

In our school it is also used for trips, especially residential trips, so children with pp get offered the trip at a vastly reduced price.

In my sons (secondary) school, they will contact parents part way through the year and ask if there is anything that their child would benefit from, and they have been know to subsidize music lessons, transport and uniform.
One secondary we looked at basically told us that once we arrived, if we contacted the finance office, and asked for help with the cost of the bus, they would do that.

I think the usual position is that it is up to the school, but I heard on here that people had challenged it, because a bright child receiving pp doesn't need any literacy support, but would benefit from something else. Apparently this has lead to some of the funding being targeted at the specific child.

Schools have to be able to show what the pupil progress has been used for and to be able to measure it's impact. My understanding was (I'm a school governor) that's not necessarily allocated to an individual child but can be used to target a specific group. For example, part of the pupil premium in our school is used to buy in support from a charity providing counsellors. Although it is targetted to the need of specifics group it is available to everyone who needs it but it can be evidenced as helping those children who need it.

Our school also uses part of the PPF to buy in speech and language support as it was unfortunately recognised that a large percentage of parents with children needing this intervention or support just weren't taking their children to appointments in the community. The school took the decision that the support should be made available during the schoo day instead.

I must admit I have never heard of the PPF to be allocated to a specific child, especially for activities outside of school. In fact, this funding used to be known as "the playground funding" as schools were using it to maintain buildings or patch up the playground. Schools now have to prove to OFSTED where that funding has been used and provide measurable impact.

Your local LEA should be able to give you more information on the guidelines.

Sorry I couldn't be much help but I hope you manage to get answers.

Pupil premium plus for lac is different from pupil premium. It has to be linked to the PEP which is a legal requirement like the lac review. The virtual school manage the budget. It has to be linked to the lac's attainment, but doesn't necessarily need to be academic.

The pupil premium connected to our long term foster child was always discussed at the LAC review (the head of year always attended) this was used for one to one tuition and then to buy all her college stuff for hairdressing college. We bought the stuff, gave the school the receipts and they refunded them. She didn't need any extra support in school, such as counselling etc.

Thanks all. I feel much better informed now. Things never stay the same and just when I seem to get a grip on things they change!

Your LA will have a Virtual Head who will have an interest in how PP is spent by the school in the interest of Looked after children, would ask too speak too the LA Head if you have any concerns or need advice.