Pupil Premium advice/guidance

Supporting looked after children to aspire to university

11 January 2021

An incredibly small minority of children in care end up going to university. Virtual school headteacher Darren Martindale discusses a programme in the Midlands which set out to raise aspirations among our most vulnerable students

Looked after and fragile: How schools can support children in care

6 January 2021

The barriers faced by children in care, or looked after children, are manifold and well-documented, perhaps more so now than ever before. How can we help these students to face and overcome these challenges? Virtual school headteacher Darren Martindale advises

Supporting the education of white working class boys

5 January 2021

Data suggests that white working class boys are among the lowest attainers in our schools. Matt Bromley considers why this is and what schools might be able to do about it

Pupil Premium: The persistent problem of poverty

26 October 2020

Covid-19 is expected to exacerbate the already stark child poverty crisis facing millions of young people in our country. Sean Harris looks at how schools might poverty-proof their work

A question of time? Priorities and considerations for the ‘catch-up’ funding

21 October 2020

The Covid catch-up funding should not be used simply to create more ‘time’ for schooling, but should be used to make the most of the time we have and to get students to a place where they can re-engage with their learning. Jon Gibson and Ben Slater explain

Spending the £650m Covid 'catch-up' funding: Some things to consider

5 October 2020

The government’s £650m so-called catch-up premium amounts to £80 per-pupil. Matt Bromley looks at how the funding is being delivered, how we might spend it, and Ofsted’s role in the coming months

Recovering from Covid: Supporting the learning of disadvantaged pupils

14 September 2020

After the Covid-19 lockdown, we are facing a growing attainment gap between rich and poor. Bethany Eadie asks how we might spend our Pupil Premium budgets this year and what evidence-based measures we can take to begin closing the gap again

Pupil Premium: Levelling the playing field with high expectations

26 February 2020

How can we ensure that our disadvantaged students make good progress and achieve success? Amy Benziane discusses approaches centred on high expectations and aspiration

Observing vulnerable students during lessons

22 January 2020

For teachers with challenging or vulnerable students in their lessons, observations can become all the more stressful. Daniel Sobel looks at how we must observe the pupils in question and not the teachers...

A case study of effective Pupil Premium practice

9 October 2019

Oriel High School has achieved some notable success with its Pupil Premium strategy. Helen Everitt and Ryan Sallows reflect on some of the key tenets of the school’s work

Pupil Premium: An intervention epidemic?

12 June 2019

Is a lack of diagnosis leading to guess work in a world of solutions looking for problems? Phil Naylor urges schools to ensure that the evidence backs up their interventions

The specific challenges of previously looked after children

10 April 2019

Previously looked after children can present particular challenges and schools are required to have a ‘designated teacher’ in place. Darren Martindale offers us best practice advice

SEND, Pupil Premium & parents

21 November 2018

The overlaps between Pupil Premium and SEND are clear and present in all schools. SENCO Garry Freeman looks at the crucial first step to all tailored provision – identifying needs – and also discusses working with parents and carers

Spending the Pupil Premium Plus effectively

20 June 2018

The Pupil Premium Plus grant for looked after and other vulnerable pupils is £2,300 per-student, but many schools are still uncertain as to how it can be best utilised. Virtual school headteacher Darren Martindale advises

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Pupil Premium: A 10-step spending plan

21 March 2018

All schools should be regularly reviewing their Pupil Premium practice to ensure their spending is evidence-based and improving outcomes. John Dabell looks at the wealth of research and guidance out there to help, including some of Sir John Dunford’s best advice

Pupil Premium: Create a strategy, grow a culture

21 March 2018

Ahead of his address at SecEd’s National Pupil Premium and Ofsted Conference, Stephen Rollett offers five steps for ensuring your Pupil Premium spending narrows the gap

Pupil Premium: Using CPD to narrow the gaps

21 March 2018

The evidence is clear – the quality of teachers and teaching is one of the most important factors in raising outcomes, and disadvantaged pupils are disproportionally affected by the quality of teaching. Maria Cunningham looks at the role of CPD in narrowing the gaps

Pupil Premium: Low-cost strategies

21 March 2018

Some schools are using the Pupil Premium to plug holes in their general funding. John Dabell warns against this approach and offers 25 low-cost ways to spend the Pupil Premium and make maximum impact

Pupil Premium: Closing the vocabulary gap

21 March 2018

The educational gaps between rich and poor start early and widen throughout a pupil’s education. Matt Bromley argues that Pupil Premium spending must focus on cultural capital, especially the importance of vocabulary

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Pupil Premium: General and targeted interventions

21 March 2018

There is a wealth of research showing what can work with the Pupil Premium. Steve Burnage offers us five general approaches and eight targeted interventions

Focusing on Pupil Premium Plus

21 March 2018

Pupil Premium Plus is a specific stream of Pupil Premium funding, but are schools spending it as intended and what impact is it having? Julie Johnson looks at the specific needs of looked after pupils, which often include attachment problems

Pupil Premium: Raising university aspirations

21 March 2018

Raising the university aspirations of high potential Pupil Premium students is a specific challenge for some schools. Holly Henderson discusses her approach to raising students’ goals and aspirations

Tackling the common problems presented by challenging students

22 November 2017

Daniel Sobel reflects on the challenges often presented by our more difficult students, and how as a whole-school team we might be able to overcome these problems before it is too late

Schools that succeed with disadvantaged pupils

26 April 2017

On his retirement, former head of Harrow Barnaby Lenon went on a tour of schools in England that achieve outstanding results, in many cases with disadvantaged pupils. He has written a book about the lessons he learned...

Some principles of effective Pupil Premium teaching

18 January 2017

We’re all focused on hard and fast interventions for Pupil Premium students, but what difference can we make in our general approach as teachers? Pupil Premium lead teacher Caroline Sherwood discusses some key tenets of effective support for disadvantaged students