AIBU to think the school should pay?

[HampshireSun]

My child is on the Pupil Premium Register (school gets paid £1,320 each year for every child on PPR) to support my child because “children of low income families are more likely to require extra support”. My child has been on the register since I returned to education to retrain to become a Nurse so I therefore had no income. My child does not require extra learning resources and the school does not use this money towards school meals (so my child is given a packed lunch everyday). The school said this money goes towards my child’s school trips so I don’t have to pay for them. The school has taken the class on 1 trip each year which requires a coach and also walks the class to local places (library, local museum - nothing too expensive).
So, my child’s class is due to go on a school residential trip Monday to Friday in a few months and the school are not offering money towards it... AIBU to wonder what the school spends this £1,320 on because this is way more than is necessary for my child’s school trips and there would definitely be more than enough left over for the residential trip? So why are they not offering to pay (or at least some money towards it)?

The PP money isn't a pot for your own child. It is provided by the government to raise attainment in the group of children who qualify for PP. So the money is pooled for the good of all PP children.

There will be something on the school website that shows you generally how PP money is spent (it is a requirement to have the info available).

Quite often this will be in the form of giving English & Maths intervention (which people might not even realise their children are receiving). Then subsidising school trips, or music lessons. Or providing additional pastoral support.

If you are struggling to cover the cost of the residential, have you approached them to ask whether they can help cover some of the cost? They might not do it as standard, but you could always ask.

(I don't understand why you aren't getting FSM though).

It wont be used for discretionary school trips, but ask the school govenors for the pupil premium policy.

As the above poster said, it will be used for in classroom support too. If your school is anything like ours they dont have the funding for printing or gluesticks!

They do need to explain/justify where the money is spent so you have every right to query. It probably would subside a trip for a PP child at my school. However, we've spent a lot on 1 to 1 intervention tutors and subsidised revision guides and text books. Have they explained to you where the no st has been allocated?

My understanding. Might not be completely right though.

PP isn't meant to be consumed into the 'normal school offer' though.
So they e.g. can't just fund a TA to be in the classroom and the TA goes anywhere needed.

They can however fund a TA to do English and Maths support out of the classroom, and as long as some/most of the children getting the intervention are PP kids, others can piggyback onto it too.

So e.g. 3 PP kids need some spelling support, but it can easily be given to 6 at a time. Then 3 non-PP kids can be given the support too.
But they shouldn't use PP money to fund a session with 6 non-PP kids.

Thank you all for the advice. I will definitely check the school PP policy.
Maybe I’m just being selfish but my child doesn’t not require any extra educational support so I feel it should be offered in others ways, including free schools meals for my child.

Does not* (silly me)

My child does not require extra learning resources

Is it possible that you feel he doesn’t need this because he is keeping up with his peers whereas in fact he is only keeping up because he has been provided with extra support that this money has funded?

A bit off topic, but free school meals isn't funded by the Pupil Premium, it's in addition to it. Your son will be entitled to a free lunch, make sure he gets it.

Regarding the residential trip, the school may be able to help fund this from a different allocation of funds. Ask them if they can.

I don't understand / have knowledge on FSM. But I thought the thresholds for finance for PP and FSM were the same? How can you qualify for income related PP but not for FSM?

can you afford to pay for the trip?

Have you applied for FSM? They're different things.

He is a clever child - at the age of 8 he was assessed to have the maths ability of a 12 yr old. He’s never had an extra support.

Just go and sort out his free lunches, and ask about help with paying for the trip.

He's not going to suffer for having extra help, no matter how clever he is. Make the most of it.

FSM is a separate pot to PP isn’t it? You have to apply separately.

@sirzy I could pay for it if by sacrificing other things (i.e. not buying my child new trainers for running club). But they also need a long list of items for the trip which is another big expense.

@Shatners I did ask about the PP funding the trip and was told no. I wasn’t told there was another fund and didn’t ask the question directly. I could.

No, I said ask if they can help using other money.

So yes, tell them you can't afford the trip and they will help.

He's not going to suffer for having extra help, no matter how clever he is. Make the most of it.
@Shatners I would never turn down extra help but I know he’s never been offered it.

How can your child be pupil premium if you’ve never had free school meals?

Would your PTA or local Rotary help with the trip costs?

@Zog, not all children in PP will need intervention though. I’ve taught in schools where you’ll get the odd PP child who comes from a family we’re the parents are educated but have fallen in hard times and are struggling financially. That child is top set and flourishing academically. That child often gets zero benefit from the PP that the school receive for them.

So you have two children, similar household income. The one whose parents can’t or won’t spend evenings reading to them or sitting at dinner chatting gets all the money thrown at them by way of intervention whereas the one who isn’t struggling academically misses out.

So, if in the unlikely scenario, a school only had PP children from the latter category then they’d still need to show ofsted that they were using the PP money for the benefit of those children. So how would a school in that scenario use the money? Ask the school that. Also, ask what measurable benefit is you child seeing from the PP. Remember, it must be something of benefit to the PP children over and above the other children.

“So how would a school in that scenario use the money? Ask the school that. Also, ask what measurable benefit is you child seeing from the PP. Remember, it must be something of benefit to the PP children over and above the other children.”
@Drive Thank you. I will ask these questions

I recommend you Google government advice on charging for school activities. I believe a residential happening Monday to Friday would be deemed as happening in school hours, so they can probably only charge actual cost of board and lodgings (although can ask for voluntary contributions for the rest).

noble
We've had a few students who were PP due to being forces children in a set number of years.

OP
It's worth asking school what support is available, but the idea of trips covered by PP and every child having their personal pot doesn't work.

E.g. child a might be pupil premium eligible but have more social and emotional barriers to learning than child b who is PP due to ever 6 FSM, but mum's got a new partner now and they have a lovely affluent middle class lifestyle.

The pot of money has to be tracked and impact shown when the school account for pupil premium progress.

My dd's are on the G +T register and both went on a residential trip a few years ago. School secretary suggested school funds pay for 1 dc.