Pupil Premium & Free School Meals
Free School Meals (FSM)
The Academy ensures parents/carers check their eligibility for FSM. We also assure parents that all matters regarding use of this fund are treated with discretion and in confidence.
Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)
The coalition government introduced the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) in September 2011 with the purpose of increasing attainment and aspiration for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, specifically;
- To increase social mobility
- To enable more students to go to the top universities
- To reduce the attainment gap
Merchants’ Academy receives a Pupil Premium Grant for each child who is entitled to receive Free School Meals or who has been entitled over the last six years, and for Looked After Children. The Academy is allowed to allocate the funding as they see fit in order to meet the aims above and are held accountable for the impact of this funding.
How the Academy spends the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) to maximise achievement
- Supporting whole school initiatives which focus on Teaching and Learning and outstanding pastoral care.
- Drawing on research evidence (such as the Sutton Trust toolkit) as well as our own evidence.
- Understanding the importance of ensuring that all day-to-day teaching meets the needs of each student, rather than relying on interventions to compensate for teaching that is less than good.
- Appointing a Designated Senior Leader who has a clear overview of spending and interventions.
- Ensuring that Subject teachers and Teaching Assistants know which students are eligible for the PPG so that they can take responsibility for accelerating their progress.
- Having a clear policy on spending the PPG agreed by Governors and outlined on our website.
- Supporting students on a case by case basis with needs identified by staff or parents/carers.