Pupil Premium must not be a missed opportunity
OfSTED is reporting that schools feel that the Pupil Premium, which aims to target additional funding to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, is having little impact.
According to the BBC "A snapshot survey of 117 schools in poor areas suggests the extra £600 per poor pupil a year made little or no difference to support for them."
The Pupil Premium is a flagship Government policy that began in April 2011 for pupils in England from disadvantaged families. The scheme works by giving extra money to schools for each pupil who receives a free school meal or is in care. Schools are free to spend the money as they see fit but it had been hoped that instead of the money being consumed into the main school budget, it would be used to offer additional support for those who needed it.
YoungMinds is warning that the Pupil Premium is in danger of becoming a missed opportunity to support the thousands of children and young people struggling at school to cope.
Lucie Russell, Director of Campaigns at YoungMinds says:"When the Pupil Premium was introduced we had high hopes that schools would allocate these resources to supporting the hundreds of thousands of pupils struggling with their mental health.
"Sadly we learn through OFSTED that just 10% of schools believe that the Pupil Premium is having a significant effect.
This is such a missed opportunity to support pupils who desperately need help.”
The Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition produced a policy briefing outlining what it hoped the additional funding would be spent on when the Pupil Premium was first introduced.
Priorities included:
- Investing in whole-school initatives aimed at improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils
- targeted support aimed at developing the mental health and wellbeing of
children facing the greatest disadvantage - skilled counsellors/professionals who are valued by the children, thereby
improving educational attainment, behaviour and social mobility.
You can download the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition briefing here http://cypmhc.org.uk/resources/download/24
