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Pupil Premium will help turn around GSCE results in Bath
January 27, 2012 4:21 PM
Information released today for the first time shows that secondary schools in Bath and North East Somerset Learning Authority need extra support to help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential. Nationally, children on free school meals or in local authority care for at least six months are half as likely to achieve five A*-C grade GCSEs including English and maths compared to their more well-off classmates.
To turn this around, Liberal Democrat Children's Minister, Sarah Teather recently announced that next year, schools in B&NES will be receiving £2,295,000 as part of the Pupil Premium. Of this figure, schools in Bath will receive £1,140,000 for 1920 eligible pupils.
The Pupil Premium gives extra money to schools to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, for example by providing extra one to one tuition, more teaching assistants or after school activities. Next year, the amount available for the Pupil Premium will be doubled to £1.25bn and this will increase to £2.5bn by 2014-15.
Commenting, Don Foster MP said:
"Unfortunately, where you live in Bath has been a deciding factor in a child's chances for too long. As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we cannot let this continue and that we must help children reach their full potential.
"As this data shows, children in Bath who have been eligible for Free School Meals have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible. It is unacceptable that we are failing our children in this way.
"I am proud that thanks to Liberal Democrats, the Coalition Government is doing the right thing to end this shameful legacy with the Pupil Premium. This is extra money for our schools to support children from less well-off backgrounds. I know this will make a real difference in our schools and for our children's future"
Liberal Democrat Cllr Nathan Hartley, B&NES Council Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children and Youth added:
"These new league tables from the Department of Education give us a more accurate insight into the performance of our local schools which I welcome"
"For the first time, the school performance tables show the performance of Free School Meals and Looked after Children so that parents, councillors and residents can tell how successfully the school is using the new Pupil Premium to boost the achievement of children from lower income families."
"I know this has been a key priority of the Children Minister, Sarah Teather, and we will be using these tables to help ensure that the extra money goes toward giving those from lower income families a fair start in life - a top priority of Bath and North East Somerset Council."
Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Children's Minister, Sarah Teather said:
"Today's figures reveal that we have been letting children from deprived backgrounds down in our schools. All too often, children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get the same opportunities as their more well-off peers, leaving their talents wasted.
"As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we have a duty to ensure we turn this shocking legacy of the last Labour Government around. That is why the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by giving schools extra money to focus on supporting these pupils.
"With the Pupil Premium we are giving schools the resources they need to make a difference. Schools can decide what works best for their pupils, whether it is giving extra tuition to struggling pupils, peer support or helping with additional IT kit. This will help whole classes work better together and move forward faster."
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