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Original poster

What would you do ?

26 replies

calypsoblue · 09/09/2014 21:49

I am a single mum receiving job seekers allowance , I am working part time , today I was approached in a nice way by the school secretary and asked if I would mind declaring this so the school could receive funding , I am not proud of receiving job seekers allowance and am doing my best to try and find work, but my dh school is in quite an affluent area and hardly any one is in receipt of benefits , I would be horrified for my dh it was discovered and she was teased and made to feel inferior .I have always paid for everything I.e schools meals ,outings to specifically avoid this ,but now if I refuse the school won't receive the funding and it looks like I am not looking at he best interests of the school , so really in between a rock and a hard place , does anyone know if the school are actually informed of the people that are receiving benefits,

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Original poster
calypsoblue · 09/09/2014 21:50

Sorry by dh mean daughter Blush

OP posts:
youbethemummylion · 09/09/2014 21:52

I would do it. It wont go any further than the school office and they will receive about £3000 per year which they have to spend improving learning opportunities fo those children whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits i.e the ones who under the old system would have had free school meals.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 09/09/2014 21:53

There is no reason why anyone would find out is there?

Asleeponasunbeam · 09/09/2014 21:53

Please do let them know. The school gets a lot of money for a child in receipt of 'pupil premium' am sit has to be used to benefit your child (and others). A few people will know, but not the specific benefits or anything, and it will be confidential to those who need to know. Children would be completely unaware. Also the school continues to receive the funding even when you're no longer on benefits, so it would be difficult to know who was on them really.

Lally112 · 09/09/2014 22:02

kids on benefits here get free school dinners, that's how people find out, is that what you mean OP? there was a woman here (a bit snotty but we wont go into that) who managed to hide the fact she was getting benefits by giving her son a packed lunch every day. could you maybe do that if it was a problem?

Hooliesmoolies · 09/09/2014 22:14

It benefits the school so I would do it. I don't think anyone would find out because I can't think how your dd would be differentiated by the school.

PickledPorcupine · 09/09/2014 22:14

Please do this. The relevant staff know who our 'pupil premium' children are but only because they are tracked more than the others. By that I mean we make double sure that they are not at any disadvantage based on their background and are making the same (if not more) progress than their peers.

It's a lot of money for the school. Each school should be declaring how they spend it. Quite a lot put it on their website but you can ask to see how they do (it's open information but will obviously not name any names!) and hopefully you'll see what a difference it's making.

Some of the things we use ours for are:
Extra TAs and teachers
Better trips
Experiences for the children (e.g. Ice skating)
Resources for classrooms
Books

EndOfPrimary · 09/09/2014 22:17

The school will get £1300 which they have to spend to help your DD!

The class teacher will know but the children shouldn't.

itsatiggerday · 09/09/2014 22:25

Do declare it, the only people who should know are also people who should be maintaining sufficient professionalism that it would never be an issue for you or your daughter but as previous posters have said, it is a huge gain for the school. Also our school catchment would have a similar tag on the surface but I know from experience in a separate voluntary capacity that the area is more diverse than it seems so I bet you're not nearly as conspicuous as you feel.

17leftfeet · 09/09/2014 22:46

Please do it

Dd gets fully funded music lessons through pupil premium

No one knows I don't pay -why would they?

Dd only had free school meals for 6 weeks but the benefit to the school continues

Also schools are very discrete -unless there is a cash register for school meals the children won't notice

DeWee · 09/09/2014 22:50

I have not a clue who is on pupil premium and who isn't of my dc's forms, and never have.
The children wouldn't even know about school dinners as it's all pay online.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 09/09/2014 22:57

do declare it - my kids have no idea if people have free meals or if their parents pay for them and I don't believe there is any way they would find out unless the child told them.

I know pupil premium money here means that the children who qualify for it get free after school activity sessions amongst other things that benefit them. Really it is a good thing and I only know 1 child out of the 120 in my children's years and that is only because her mum told me, as I say my kids wouldn't have a clue.

MyFirstName · 09/09/2014 23:00

Again, please do it. It will directly benefit your child (the money has to be shown to benefit them) but this will not be done by waving a flag over their head.

I am a school governor. I am a fairly active parent volunteer. I know how many children in the school receive the pupil premium but I have no idea who they are, what year they are on or "why" they receive the premium. The only people that know are those that need to know to ensure those children on pupil premium are given extra support if necessary (eg if the pupil premium if eligible due to a family break up, low income/family finances possible impacted on the child's progress).

As PP have said, if you apply and the school gets the premium, then the premium continues for (if I recall correctly) 6 years - even if 4 months after it being granted you win the lottery.

The money makes a difference to schools. And to the children who get the funding.

BackforGood · 09/09/2014 23:02

Please do. Only the office will know. Not sure why you think ny of the dc would know or be bothered if they did

nonameslefttouse · 09/09/2014 23:05

Our school sent letters out last year requesting that even if you sent your child a pack up please claim fsm so the school could claim the premium. I have not got a clue which children at our school are fsm or pupil premium but then again it's nothing to do with me, however I would claim because it really does help the school.

noramum · 10/09/2014 07:56

You can see on official reports how many children are getting PP but that's all. We live in an affluent area and have PP children and the money is a godsend for the school.

Please declare it, as other say it shouldngo further than the office, the head and your DD's teacher. If you want you could speak to the head and ask how they deal with it and how they keep it discreet.

WooWooOwl · 10/09/2014 08:23

I'd definitely declare it. It's a ridiculous system and I can see why you'd rather be kept out of it, but schools with low numbers of PP children really are losing out and they desperately need all the money they can get.

There is absolutely no reason why it can't be kept confidential. Teachers will know which children are eligible for pupil premium, but they are professionals and it won't matter a jot to them.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 10/09/2014 08:35

Yes please claim. Our HT is alway sending out letters.

If you live, outside London, in a county that's perceived as 'nice' the per pupil funding is awful.

Ours is absolutely shameful, despite pockets of rural and city deprivation, someone in Westminster decided that we are leafy middle England and our DCs will do OK with peanuts.

Schools really, really do need every extra penny.

Littlefish · 10/09/2014 10:57

Elephants - are you in Worcestershire by any chance?

toadhillflax · 10/09/2014 11:10

Agree with everyone else - do claim it - no kids or parents will ever know, but just out of interest, how did the school secretary know to approach the OP?

ElephantsNeverForgive · 10/09/2014 11:26

No, Gloucestershire, but I know Worcester has some very poor bits and I'm not surprised it gets a bum deal too.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 10/09/2014 11:33

funding at secondary, by county I guess primary follows a similar pattern.

Original poster
calypsoblue · 10/09/2014 12:09

Thanks for your replies and yes I probably will end up claiming it , I was told that the school had received a form informing them that I was receiving benefits , my objection in that pupil premium is supposedly for disadvantaged children and just because I am looking for extra work as I already work part time I don't really want my child being labelled as disadvantaged because I don't think that she is !Part of the reason why I was unemployed was because I had to look after her over the school holidays , I do not really see that as long as my child turns up to school everyday is happy and hard working and has everything paid for by me that it is really any business of the school whether or not I am working or receiving benefits
please find below a definition from govt website of pupil premium

The pupil premium gives schools extra funding to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils from reception to year 11.

We introduced a fund of £625 million in April 2011 to give schools £400 per year for:

every child currently registered as eligible for free school meals
children who have been looked after for 6 months or longer
From April 2012, pupil premium funding was also extended to:

all children eligible for free school meals at any point in the past 6 years
In the 2014 to 2015 financial year, funding for the pupil premium increased to £2.5 billion. Schools are receiving:

£1,300 per pupil of primary-school age
£935 per pupil of secondary-school age
£1,900 per pupil for looked-after children who:
have been looked after for 1 day or more
are adopted
leave care under a Special Guardianship Order or a Residence Order
School accountability for the pupil premium
The pupil premium is paid to schools as they are best placed to assess what additional provision their pupils need.

Ofsted inspections report on how schools’ use of the funding affects the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils.

We also hold schools to account through performance tables, which include data on:

the attainment of the pupils who attract the funding
the progress made by these pupils
the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers
We reward schools whose use of the pupil premium has significantly improved the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils with Pupil Premium Awards. or any activity , lunches e.t.c and see the fact that I am in part time work and seeking more work as my business and nothing to do with the school,

OP posts:
RaspberryLemonPavlova · 10/09/2014 14:41

It is simply a measure that is used to allocate funding that schools have to use to narrow the gap. It is impossible to look at each child's circumstances individually, so an over-arching principle is needed.

Please register, it makes such a difference.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 10/09/2014 15:44

Everyone agrees using FSM is a crude measure.

I know our school would love it widened to the group who just don't get FSMs, who's parents work in manual jobs, having had a rough time at school themselves and aren't as well placed to help their DCs as some people who temporally fall on hard times.

Rural poverty isn't as obvious as that in cities, but it can be just as damaging to DCs prospects and aspirations. Especially when you go to school with large numbers of DCs who's parents commute to professional jobs, run two new cars and do every extra curricular activity going.