The Pupil Premium was introduced in 2011 and is an allocation of additional funding provided to schools to support specific groups of children who are vulnerable to possible underachievement, such as children in receipt of free school meals and Looked After children.

All schools are required to report on the amount of funding received and how this is being used, including the impact.  As a Non Maintained Special School, Local Authorities do not have to pass on  Looked After Pupil Premium onto the school and are currently allowed to consider this part of the fees, however, a small number of Local Authorities do pass on Looked After Pupil Premium. Since 2015 guidance has been updated to require Local Authorities to pass on Free School Meals Pupil Premium. The vast majority of funding is received. 

Our aim is not to disadvantage any Pupil Premium student and identify, within our core budget, financial resource, that will enrich their time with us and promote their academic, social and emotional well-being. We enhance our Pupil Premium allocation accordingly within our Pupil Premium Spending which is also approved by The Governing Body. At The William Henry Smith School we have high expectations for all our pupils and our vision is that we:

• Provide a high quality, effective and inclusive provision for challenging and vulnerable young people
• Provide the appropriate opportunities and learning solutions for all students through an appropriate curriculum offer
• Respect and value each other and work cooperatively
• Develop an understanding of our strengths and areas for improvement and increase self-respect and self-discipline
• Foster an appreciation and understanding of the core values of truth, hard work, compassion and consideration
• Enable students to accept greater personal responsibility for their own actions.
• Provide students with the opportunity to access nationally recognised accreditations.

We use our Pupil Premium Funding to support our vision and values to enable our students to achieve well to the best of their ability from their individual starting points to ensure they are ready for the next stage on their educational journey.  We ensure Pupil Premium students are well cared for, are not identifiable and that systems are in place to support their pastoral needs.

We often use Pupil Premium Monies to fund projects in school which are designed to diminish the difference between those pupils eligible for the payments and those who are not. This is not exhaustive and PP will be used flexibly to meet the needs of individual children and young people.