Providing an update on the effective uses of the pupil premium, this report will provide school leaders and policy workers with examples of best practice in raising achievement of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The pupil premium: an update
Synopsis
This Ofsted report provides an update on the progress schools have made in using their pupil premium funding to raise achievement for pupils eligible for free school meals. It is based on evidence from 151 inspections; text reviews of 1,600 school inspection reports; and national performance data for 2013.
Inspectors found that the most common uses of the pupil premium funding were to pay for additional teaching staff, booster classes, reading support, raising aspiration programmes and learning mentors. Many schools also used the money to provide after-school, weekend and holiday sessions. Spending was typically focused on English and Maths.
There were encouraging signs from inspections that the concerted efforts of school leaders and teachers was helping to increase educational outcomes for pupils eligible for the pupil premium. Ofsted found that routinely, good and outstanding schools demonstrated unwavering commitment to closing the attainment gap, with interventions targeted forensically, and with robust tracking systems in place in order to establish what was making a difference and what was not.