Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium at Berry Hill Primary School
Pupil Premium money is additional funding which is allocated to schools to be used to support children who belong to groups which are vulnerable to underachievement. This includes children who are entitled to free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. The purpose of this funding is to accelerate progress and raise attainment.
Think you might be eligible for Free School Meals?
We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals. Use the link below to access the Nottinghamshire County Council Free School Meal web page.
Free school meals and milk | Nottinghamshire County Council(opens in new tab)
The application process will use the Department for Education’s free school meals eligibility checking system to determine eligibility.
To apply, you will need to register and provide:
- your National Insurance Number or National Asylum Support Service Reference Number
- your last name
- your date of birth
If you are unable to apply online please contact us on 0300 500 80 80 or complete an application form
Pupil Premium is paid to schools for:
- Pupils recorded on the October School Census who were eligible for and receiving Free School Meals (FSM);
- Pupils who have been eligible and receiving FSM at any time in the last six years, known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’;
- Children who have been Looked After in public care (LAC) for at least one day as recorded in the March 2014 Children Looked After Data Return;
- Children Adopted from Care (Post-LAC) under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and children who have left care under a Special Guardianship or Residence Order;
- A grant is also paid to the school for children from service families.
Schools receive the following grants (2025-2026):
- £1,515 for each pupil in year groups reception to year 6 recorded as Ever 6 FSM
- £2,630 for each looked-after children (LAC) defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority
- £2, 630 for each child who has ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order
- £350 for each pupil in year groups reception to year 11 recorded as a Service Child or in receipt of a child pension from the Ministry of Defence
Key Principles of our approach
Our work is guided by three key principles, following the Education Endowment Foundation’s tiered model:
1. Quality of Teaching – Ensuring that every class is led by a highly effective teacher through continuous professional development, instructional coaching and the consistent delivery of a well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum.
2. Targeted Academic Support – Providing structured, evidence-informed interventions in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils who require additional help to reach age-related expectations or greater depth.
3. Wider Strategies – Removing non-academic barriers to success, such as attendance, wellbeing and access to enrichment, ensuring that all pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and engagement in school life.
Within each category of our Pupil Premium strategy, BHPS has selected a small number of evidence-informed approaches to ensure focus, depth and measurable impact. By maintaining a disciplined approach to implementation, we aim to give each intervention the greatest possible chance of success.
Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the Government to help schools diminish the difference between children from low-income and other disadvantaged families and their peers’. If a child has eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point over the past 6 years or has been continuously looked after (in public care) for at least 6 months, the school receives an amount per head within their budget to help support these children.
At Berry Hill Primary School, our whole school vision is a simple one:
Be Kind, Work Hard, Be Brave.
Our Pupil Premium strategy is part of our whole school strategy and ethos. We aim to provide all children with the best possible start to life, we want to help produce outstanding individuals who know the importance of kindness, hard work and being brave and who will leave us with a sense of responsibility to make positive contributions to society. The funding the school receives for each Pupil Premium child (£1345 per pupil per year) is used to provide a high standard teaching and support – supporting pupils to fulfil their potential and ensure a gap in progress does not develop between pupil premium children and non-pupil premium children. Berry Hill has a lower proportion Pupil Premium pupils (10.4%) than national average for Primary schools (26%)
The ultimate outcome at Berry Hill is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve high attainment across all subject areas.
The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils and identified academically vulnerable pupils to achieve that goal, including progress for those who are already high attainers. The activity we have outlined in this statement is also intended to support all pupil needs, regardless of whether they are disadvantaged or not.
High quality teaching is at the heart of our approach, with a focus on the areas in which disadvantaged pupils require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact in closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit all pupils. Our current strategy considered the individual barriers faced by pupils, and how these can best be overcome through a planned, reviewed, monitored programme of support. A balanced approach, taking research for best outcomes into account, is planned to:
- Ensure disadvantaged pupils are supported and challenged in the work they are set
- Respond to needs at the point they are identified
- Adopt a whole school approach in which all staff take responsibility for disadvantaged pupil’s outcomes and raise expectations of what they can achieve.
Attendance and academic progress of Pupil Premium children is carefully monitored through in school tracking, and actions are taken to ensure all children have the opportunity to attend well.
Our Pupil Premium provisions are audited annually, and actions needed to improve the provision updated.