Pupil premium - when do schools need to apply by?

[Iceflower]

Just glanced through the DFE website for pupil premium, but can't find out when schools need to apply by. Can anyone help?

I've got a feeling it's September, in which case I'm too late to tell school we qualify! It's worth £600 between 2012-13

Why do you need this information and why would you need to tell the school?

Just found out that 17 January 2013 is census day

Hi Star,

For each child that qualifies for free school meals (FSM) and is on the school's register for FSM on census day, the school receives £600 per child. The school can use the money how they wish, but they must demonstrate how it has been used to benefit the child, eg music lessons, free school trips, etc.

For children with sen, this money can be used to buy equipment that the school budget wouldn't normally cover. For instance, £600 would buy ds an IPad .

This was all Nick Clegg's brainchild!

As long as the school know your ds is entitled to free school meals then they can apply for the money. You will not have any input into what it is spent on though..........

Locally, some parents have been able to influence how the money is spent. It all depends on the relationship you have with the school.

I only realised this was possible when the Inclusion Officer who used to visit annoy us when dd was not attending school told me! She told me she was instrumental in getting private piano lessons from the Pupil Premium for an AS boy who spent all his time out of class. He had shown an interest and apparently went from 0 to Grade 8 in just over a year

In 2012-13 the Pupil Premium will be increasing to £900pa.

iceflower don't remember parents having any influence on how the pupil premium was spent when I was teaching (but I was only the SENCo not the Head).

HereBenson you may well be right, but I will keep referring to the County Inclusion Officer when talking to the HT .

Can you confirm that the money needs to be spent on the FSM child? We employ an LSA in YR using that money but some of the FSM children are in other years so are obviously not benefitting.

no it does not have to be spent on a particular child, its supposed to be spent on raising attainment of disadvantaged children but for many schools it is just being used to continue schemes / staffing levels they had already which otherwise would be cut due to cuts elsewhere see Guardian article

Thanks.