Pupil premium - not benefiting my child

[TTCer2018]

Hi, I wondered how others have got on with how their pupil premium is used at the school?

My child get it due to being adopted. Whilst my child's learning I fine at the moment, I do feel he could benefit for it being used to help him progress in confidence/socially. He goes to two after school clubs run by the school which we pay for. I have emailed to suggest they consider using his pupils premium for this (it would only be a very small amount of it, but quite a big help to us too)

They've replied to say to phone then tomorrow so they "can explain how we as a school use it", which I known is going to mean they just tell me they put all the premiums into a pot to pay for teaching assistants.

I don't actually mind some of it going towards this as I'm happy to help the school, but I don't think it's right none of it directly benefits him.

It's so frustrating that reading online, it seems schools have to show the money benefits the children, but it doesn't have to be directly? They can just swallow it up into staffing funds, when it was originally started to help children at a disadvantage to move forward

Has anyone had luck with getting the school to change this attitude? And also can I withdraw consent for them to claim it? I don't want to do that but if I am able to, I might like to remind them that I could.

Thanks in advance for any advice

There should be something on their website showing how pupil premium is spent (obviously not relating to a particular child)

Funds for previously looked after children are different. Has the school claimed this? In some LAs it comes automatically (virtual school manage) and in others the school has to claim.

Children who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order are eligible for £2,300 of funding.

but I don't think it's right none of it directly benefits him

But it does. If his class has a TA, then he is benefitting.

Schools have had funding cut left right and centre. They may have no other way to pay for that TAs salary.

Staffing funds does directly help him though. If you can’t use pupil premium money to go into the staffing pot then that means less staff. Which means higher ratios, less support, less personalised learning and less progress.

This is norfolks guidance- your LA will have similar

www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/article/ncc182825.pdf

To say again that LAC PP is NOT the same as PP funding.

Is there any ongoing social services engagement?

and this is Leeds

www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/PP+%20Policy%20Statement%20September%202018.pdf

Why not chat to them tomorrow rather than jumping to conclusions on what they'll say?

I really think you have misunderstood

It is extra to schools to help them plan to be able to provide additional help etc if they have specific pupils who may have higher needs.
It’s more generic than named money for them to spend on him alone
If it were to pay for clubs etc then it would be given to you as a benefit

I really think you have misunderstood

I think that you have misunderstood. The OPs child receives PP because they were previously in care. This is a different funding and each LA usually has tight conditions and it is much more tightly linked to the child.

No you have misunderstood this isn’t regular pp.

Op- you need to find your LA virtual schools guidance, like the 2 that I have posted above and take that with you. If you cant find it on line then ask the school for the LA guidance.

Dogsmellssobadbob - you’re incorrect. My child receives PP and the school is very forthcoming with exactly what it can be spent on to benefit him solely. My child’s PP has so far been used to cover a school trip, music lessons (individual) and breakfast club.
Of course it should benefit the child directly to some degree, the school wouldn’t have the money at all if the child wasn’t entitled to it.

This gives some good case studies of how pupil premium is being used in schools.

After school club is your choice and an extra activity run by the school.
School funding is dire. If a child has an allocated TA the school has to pay the first £6k of the salary. There is just not enough funding.
But having said that pupil premium money should be spent on interventions, for instance our school has used it to fund mental health training for Teachers for interventions, or specific education interventions.
It might be your school does this and it isn't explained but looks like TA hours?

oops link would help

www.pupilpremiumawards.co.uk/ppawards2017/en/page/2017-springfield-primary

But having said that pupil premium money should be spent on interventions, for instance our school has used it to fund mental health training for Teachers for interventions, or specific education interventions.

Basic pupil premium funding can be spent in anyway that addresses the disadvantaged gap (it’s designed to help disadvantaged pupils of all abilities perform better, and close the gap between them and their peers.). The focus of the funding is promoting social mobility through education. It certainly does not have to be spent on interventions.

I've had many battles about Pupil premium for my adopted children.

It is not supposed to be used in the same way as the usual PP but it has taken years for my school to understand this.

When my DS was struggling emotionally they said they were only permitted to spend it on academic support ( which he didn't need).

When my DD needed help because she was really behind they told me they are only lowed to spend it on emotional support!

They completely made it up as they went along and basically did everything in their power to avoid using the funds for the benefit of my DC.

In both cases I ended up contacting the local Post Adoption Team who intervened on my behalf.

They made the school provide counselling for my son and they got a local authority Ed Psych to asses my DD and she discovered huge issues with my DD that had been missed ( or covered up!) by the school.

The Senior schools I've visited for my DD seem much more willing to tailor the spending to the needs of the individual child and my son's grammar school were fantastic at providing counselling and support for my son when he was really struggling.

I hope you get the help you need.

The post LAC premium is, as others have said, different to Pupil Premium in that it does need to be clearly linked to the individual child.

In the case of "standard" pupil premium, it is not an entitlement of the child. It is a payment to the school, to be spent on narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children.

You'd really make the school stop claiming it because you cant dictate how it's spent?

Schools have to state on the website how their PP funding is used. Ofsted will definitely pass comment if they don't think it's being used effectively so if it isn't mentioned in a recent report you can be fairly confident school is using it properly. Ours get a stationery pack, a set of revision guides, a certain amount per year they can cash in against trips either in part of whole cost in order to make them more affordable, uniform voucher, that sort of thing. The rest is put towards salaries of learning mentors and one to one literacy/numeracy tutors that PP kids had first (but not exclusive) access to.

However as OP child is previously LAC they do indeed get funding from a different pot. I've seen it used on ICT equipment for the student in the past, for example. It may not cover clubs if they are childcare-related but if they are sport, music etc they may do. Although I've never known kids have to pay for extra-curricular clubs run voluntarily by school staff.

Pre adoption order when the money was coming from the council and had to be requested PP+ was used to pay for the class TA to run small nurturing groups that my AD was always part of. Post order and now goes direct to school the designated teacher never returns my calls! It’s census day this Thurs so I’ve reminded school that they need to add her to the claim but got some confused comments back so going to call again.
Her learning is ok but PP+ is meant to be about reaching your full potential rather than just hitting targets. Not sure if the staff just don’t understand or are too stretched to be able to use it as intended. Probably a bit of both. I had great plans for how they could spend it and have explained to class teacher to try to get them to push for it too.
Do you know how many children at the school would qualify for it? And is it the designated teacher calling you back?

You might find this link useful:

www.gov.uk/guidance/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings

Haven’t RTFT, so forgive me

If your child is LAC or ex LAC, they are entitled to Pupil Premium Plus

More info here...

www.pac-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PAC-UK-Education-Service-Pupil-Premium-Plus-Flyer.pdf

Frustratingly, it’s not ring fenced for your child.

But you should make contact with the Senco at your school and if you don’t get anywhere, the virtual head.

You may be better asking for this to be moved to the adoption topic I cannot for the life of me remember the name but there is a user on there with loads of experience in this (tethersend?)

LAC funding is ring fenced and is for the individual child. PP does have to benefit the children that it is intended for so they need to explain how your child benefits.