Pupil Premium and Sports Premium

Tree Tops Primary Academy Reports

What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is a government funded resource paid to schools to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Any pupil who is eligible for Free School Meals now, or has been eligible in the previous 6 years, will receive funding. The funding is also provided to meet the needs of children in care to the Local Authority, children who have recently been adopted from care and children of Service families. The funding paid for each of these groups is different and varies year-on-year.

Who is eligible for Pupil Premium?

  • Children in the Armed Forces Personnel
  • Looked After Children
  • Children adopted from care or who have left care

Children can have free school meals and are eligible for Pupil Premium if they receive any of the following:

  • Income support;
  • Income Based Jobseekers Allowance;
  • Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);
  • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
  • Child Tax Credit provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income that does not exceed £16,190;
  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.

If you think that your child may be eligible, then please contact the school office and complete a form which can then be handed in to a member of the office staff or register online here.

Why is Pupil Premium important?

Nationally, there is a strong link between economic disadvantage and poor achievement in schools. Across the country there is a significant gap between the progress made by pupils eligible for free school meals and those who are not eligible. There are many reasons why this gap exists. Pupil Premium is given to schools to help us try to close this gap. It is important because it enables us to counteract the disadvantages that poverty imposes on children. It ensures we can put the support in place to help every child in our school thrive and fully master each stage of the curriculum.

Pupil Premium Pupils at Tree Tops Primary Academy

Tree Tops Primary Academy is a school with a very high percentage of students (55%) defined as disadvantaged. We are working hard to enable every pupil whether disadvantaged or not to achieve as highly as possible.

The main barriers that disadvantaged pupils at Tree Tops Primary Academy face are outlined below:

  1. Special educational needs in addition to disadvantage;
  2. Lack of cultural capital;
  3. Lack of educational opportunities for families;
  4. Migration from outside Kent;
  5. Difficulties with housing.
  • Raising Achievement: To close learning gaps and strive to ensure pupils all have the best outcomes possible.
  • Wider development: Ensuring that pupils have full access to all educational opportunities to ensure their provision and raise confidence so that every child is ready and fully prepared for the next stage in their education.
  • Learning Skills: The way that classes and staffing are arranged to maximise learning.
  • Enrichment: The Academy contribution to trips, visitors, uniform and other opportunities to reduce the impact of disadvantage on educational experience.
  • Intervention: Additional and different personalised provision in place to close learning gaps and maximise progress.
  • Guidance: Additional advice and support given to individuals and families to reduce the impact of wider issues on educational success.

Tree Tops Primary Academy – Promise to Disadvantaged Pupils

Every Year:

  • A contribution towards school uniform
  • An offer of daily free milk
  • An offer of subsidised Breakfast Club
  • An offer of 1 x additional after school club
  • A free off site external visit
  • An opportunity to lead an assembly
  • An opportunity to take part in an in-school competition
  • An opportunity to take part in a Kent–wide competition
  • An opportunity to carry out a fund raising project
  • An opportunity to work across Academies in the Maidstone Cluster
  • An opportunity to meet an aspirational adult who would help motivate pupils and challenge thinking

Within each Key Stage:

  • Subsidised swimming lessons
  • An opportunity to work on a global project

Reports for Pupil Premium, Sports Premium and COVID-19 Catch-up Strategy

School Milk

From 1st January 2015, schools across England are required to ensure that milk is made available during the school day to all pupils.

As at present, all children aged between 5 and 18 who are eligible for free school meals (where the school claims a Pupil Premium) must be offered free milk. Schools use the dedicated schools grant to fund the provision of milk for eligible pupils.

The scheme offers each pupil 189ml of milk at a subsidised price of 22p per child per day. Children under five years old have milk free of charge, as do all those eligible to free school meals.

If you wish to register your child for milk please click on the following link for Cool Milk’s parents’ page.