At Holy Cross, we believe every child deserves the very best education, regardless of their background or circumstances. The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the government to help schools improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, including:
- Pupils who are, or have been within the last 6 years, eligible for Free School Meals (FSM / Ever 6 FSM)
- Children who are currently looked after by the Local Authority or who have previously been in care
- Children from families with parents serving in the armed forces (Service Premium / Ever 5)
Why is Pupil Premium important?
Nationally, disadvantaged pupils may face additional barriers to learning. The funding helps to ensure that every child at Holy Cross has:
✔ Equal access to high-quality teaching
✔ The right support at the right time
✔ Opportunities to develop confidence, resilience and independence
✔ A broad and rich curriculum experience
Our aim is that disadvantage is never a barrier to success, and that all pupils leave Holy Cross achieving strong outcomes, ready for the next stage of their education and life beyond school.
How we use the funding
We use a tiered approach, based on recommended evidence-based strategies, which includes:
- High-quality teaching for all - Developing staff expertise in teaching, assessment and curriculum – especially in reading, writing and maths.
- Targeted academic support - Small-group and one-to-one interventions to close gaps quickly where they appear.
- Wider strategies to remove barriers - Support for attendance, wellbeing, confidence and access to enrichment and cultural capital opportunities.
We regularly review our strategy to ensure support is personalised, effective and has a clear impact on progress and outcomes.
Schools must demonstrate that Pupil Premium funding is spent effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children. These documents can be found below.
Check if your child may be eligible
If you think your child may be eligible for Free School Meals or Service Premium, you can apply via the Council website.
Applying is simple and may unlock valuable support for your child’s education.