Early Years Pupil Premium
Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) Policy
From April 2015, nurseries, schools, childminders and other childcare providers have been able to claim extra funding through the Early Years Pupil Premium to support children's development, learning and care. National data and research tells that children eligible for free school meals tend to do less well, for example in 2014 45% of children eligible for free school meals achieved the expected level at the end of the early years foundation stage compared with 64% of other children. The Early Years Pupil Premium provides us with extra funding to close this gap.
It is well documented that high quality early education can influence how well a child does at both primary school and secondary school so we do want to make the most of this additional funding. You may be aware if you have older children that a pupil premium has been available for school age children and it has proved to have given a real boost to the children receiving the funding. We want to do the same for our early years children entitled to this funding. Parents and carers no longer have to apply for EYPP on behalf of the school, HMRC provide each Local Authority with a list of eligible children each term and this in turn is paid to the School.
Eligibility
3 and 4 year-olds will attract EYPP funding if they meet at least 1 of the following criteria:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided they’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and has an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit?
• Universal Credit
Children are also eligible for funding if:
• they have been in Local Authority care for 1 day or more
• they have been in care and then adopted
• they have left care under a special guardianship or residence order
For these children the Headteacher and representatives from social care will be involved in discussion about how best to spend the funding.
Key Workers
Each child at Hirst Wood Nursery School & Children’s Centre will have a key working team who understand their individual needs. The class team will observe the child continuously and assess them regularly, identifying the next steps for learning and development. This will be part of the continuous cycle of ‘learning reviews’ that are undertaken for all children on a weekly basis. We encourage children to think about and reflect upon their learning and develop their autonomy, decision-making, self-discipline, involvement, independence and emotional well-being. Colleagues provide planned learning and teaching opportunities through our wonderful free-flow environment, the use of play, talk, investigation and problem-solving, first-hand experiences, games and group activities.
How we will use the EYPP
We strive to offer the best possible outcomes for every child and the additional funding will help to ensure that children in receipt of EYPP make accelerated progress; it will hopefully help to narrow the gap between the outcomes for EYPP children and other children in the school. We hope that the additional EYPP funding will inspire and motivate children, encouraging them to talk about their experiences and what they have enjoyed and learnt together. We encourage parents to tell us what their children are doing at home and how this can be extended within the Nursery environment.
As well as the key worker’s knowledge, observations and assessments and discussions with parents, performance data gives additional information about a child’s developmental and learning needs. Pupil progress meetings are held regularly to identify any barriers to learning and highlight any areas of need. Staff teams meet regularly to discuss the needs of children and identify specific areas in which individual and/or small groups of children require support. Activities and experiences for individual children, or groups of children will be planned daily, along with small group work where appropriate. Lead staff will be identified and any additional resources will be purchased.
EYPP funding will be used for
- Specific resources and enhancement to the curriculum
- Curriculum enhancement through the use of visitors
The nature of the additional support that EYPP children receive will depend upon their need. Progress will be closely monitored and documented. Performance data will be analysed closely to indicate progress against targets set. A summary of how EYPP funding is spent each year is on the school website http://hirstwoodnscc.co.uk
Working with parents
Whilst class teams prepare and present accurate and effective on-going reports of children we utilise parents/carers knowledge of their children to inform curriculum planning where possible and practical. We acknowledge and respect parent/carers role as children’s first and most enduring educators by working in open partnership; encouraging their involvement and participation and supporting their developing understanding of children’s learning. We wish to facilitate open dialogue and mutual respect with parents/carers.
We share with parents/carers information about their child’s learning, development, health and welfare on an ongoing basis. This can be undertaken through daily contact, termly reviews and parent/carer meetings. Parents’ meetings discuss progress and teaching and learning will be discussed. Parents will be informed as to how they may help their child at home. Parent workshops are being offered every half term on each of the 7 areas of learning outlined within the EYFS (2017) plus Linking Sounds & Letters.
Monitoring outcomes
An analysis of the performance of children in receipt of EYPP funding will be carried out by senior leaders and school governors throughout the year to ensure that individual and groups of children are making expected progress, identify any that may be at risk of underachieving and identify any areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) that may need to be focused upon.
Ultimately we want the additional funding to have a measurable and long lasting impact on children’s learning and development, both now and in the future.
Complaints procedure
If parents would like to discuss their child’s progress, or are concerned in any way about an aspect of provision for their child, they should share their concerns with their child’s key worker or the Jayne Taylor, Headteacher. This policy will be reviewed yearly.