Statutory Information

The Pupil Premium is extra funding of up to £955 to support your child’s education, provided by the government. A premium has also been introduced for looked-after children and eligible pupils who have been adopted from care or leaving care under a special guardianship or residence order. The premium for such students is £1,900 and is administered to Walsall LEA and the Virtual Headteacher. At SFA we use the extra funding to ‘level up’ by providing all pupils with fair and equal opportunities so that they achieve well in all areas of school life. The funding is allocated to our school to provide support in 3 key areas;

• Teaching and learning to support the academic progress of pupils
• Targeted academic support to provide bespoke support for pupils
• Wider strategies to support pupils including attendance

Gospel values are at the centre of our community. Our Mission Statement reflects our commitment to living and developing our faith community. Our aim is to provide an excellent Catholic education to develop and fulfil the potential of all pupils in our care, and faith development of our pupils.

At St Francis, we are passionate about the educational and personal development of children. Pupil Premium funds are used to help pupils in a lot of ways including academic and non-academic areas. Funds are allocated in many different ways, including:

• Non- teaching support staff to help with the progress and support of Pupil Premium pupils. This is also supported in Emmaus, via the Educational Welfare Officer, Pastoral Leads and PP Learning Support Coaches who care for Pupil Premium pupils in our school. They also help with excellent attendance at school, as attendance is strongly linked with academic progress.
• Funding to help academic progress. This includes smaller class sizes, extra staffing, academic mentoring, intervention opportunities, and educational equipment. Mentors and Learning Support Assistants help with pupil progress alongside the first-class teaching in school.
• Funding to help with the delivery of literacy and numeracy skills of Pupil Premium pupils in our school. It is also used to help with the provision of home learning for pupils as effective homework is strongly linked to academic progress.
• Funding with Uniform, transport to and from school and stationery, where needed, so that the individual needs of our pupils are met.
• Funding for school educational visits and retreats. This will make sure that pupils have access to opportunities to help their educational and personal development
• Funding to provide advice for Pupil Premium pupils so that they can make good choices about their futures. This includes university visits and Careers advice in school. This also helps pupils to aspire to fulfil their potential to use their God-given gifts and talents.
• Funding of enrichment opportunities for Pupil Premium pupils. This includes sporting and theatrical events, art experiences and musical opportunities.
• Funding of training and support for teachers so that they can provide outstanding teaching and learning for your child.

Please note that Pupil Premium Funding is best used on providing best quality teaching and learning. This may also benefit other groups of pupils. (Pupil Premium Myths EEF Guidance, 2019).