Can anyone from Ofsted or who has just had an inspection answer this question?

[Sprog19]

I'm in charge of pupil premium at school and have to write a report each year for the website on the impact of the previous year's funding and our plans for the following year. Have always done this at the beginning of the financial year as that's when we get the new list of eligible pupils and the adjusted amount of money. I've just read a document which suggests schools should report on the academic year, not the financial year.

Anyone know how important this is to Ofsted? We are due an inspection and I don't want to do something that's going to get us marked down.
The fact that I'm thinking about this at 6.40 am on a BH Monday is another matter!!
Thanks to anyone who can help.

I would think that if you have a good, up to date report which shows you make great use of PP, you will be ok whichever period you use. Don't quote me on that though!!

That's what I think - I need a tame Ofsted inspector to confirm! Am really proud of what I've done with PP at school and don't want to mess it up on a technicality!

My suggestion would be to search the schools that won a PP award for their work. They will have a good example of a PP report on their website and ideas for expenditure too. Maybe then look at these schools recent O reports.

Page 3 of this website compliance checklist says it's academic year not financial.

It's important if your PP aren't making the same progress as non-PP students.

If they are making the same progress or better then how you get there is not that important.

I think I read last week that you report academic year but that you should be able to account for spending at the end of the financial year. From DfE on websites
*Pupil premium
You must publish a strategy for the school’s use of the pupil premium. You no longer have to publish a ‘pupil premium statement’.

For the current academic year, you must include:
blah blah blah
until this bit

Pupil premium funding is allocated for each financial year, but the information you publish online should refer to the academic year, as this is how parents understand the school system.

As you won’t know allocations for the end of the academic year (April to July), you should report on the funding up to the end of the financial year and update it when you have all the figures.

DfE
Hope that helps.

They're making same progress or better. Good idea about looking at the schools that have won PP awards. Hassled, that's the document I was looking at.

Sorry Maidupmum, xposted. I've read that before but we decided that parents would understand the financial year impact report just as well. That was before we were due O though!