The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to schools so that they can support their disadvantaged students and close the attainment gap between them and their peers. The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with students who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’).
The government believes that the Pupil Premium funding, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Research shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds may face additional barriers in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as their peers. At Ormiston Meridian Academy we are determined to demonstrate that there are no barriers to learning and that all young people can be successful in their own way, regardless of their background. We consistently focus on helping our students to become better learners, to increase their resilience and to raise their aspirations.
Ormiston Meridian Academy is committed to ensuring that this funding is directed effectively to support the specific needs of the students and is robustly evaluated to judge the effectiveness and impact of the strategies. Pupil Premium students play a large part in the achievement of our academy. Being able to offer excellent learning and enrichment opportunities has meant that these students, despite sometimes experiencing challenging circumstances, have achieved and progressed.