New evidence shows that the gap between rich and poor children in schools is narrowing, the Liberal Democrats say its thanks to the Pupil Premium they've delivered in government. The Pupil Premium provides schools with their share of £2.5bn a year to support the most disadvantaged pupils. Liberal Democrats say they believe that a child's success at school and future aspirations should not be determined by their parents' wealth.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is today calling on all political leaders to ensure that this vital work to create a fairer society is a pillar of future education policy. The Liberal Democrats say they're planning a manifesto commitment to protect the education budget from cradle to college in the next Parliament.
For years it has been accepted that there is a gap between the results disadvantaged children obtain compared to their better off peers. New analysis of schools by the Department for Education shows that the secondary schools using the Pupil Premium to best effect have halved this gap in three years, and the best primary schools have almost entirely removed it in two years.
If this trend was to continue in all schools, the gap between rich and poor could be completely closed in ten years. The research looked at the best schools put forward for a Pupil Premium award and shows that the gap between children eligible for Pupil Premium funding and others has narrowed, or closed entirely, when comparing the percentage of their children reaching the expected standards.
Schools that have succeeded have tailored the support given to pupils, from one to one tutoring, to maths clubs, breakfast clubs, and getting parents more involved in their child’s education.
Commenting Nick Clegg said: "It is a national tragedy that in a modern, open society like ours a child’s destiny is still being determined by their background. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to help pupils catch up and keep up. This new analysis challenges the myth that children from wealthy families will always do better than their less privileged peers. This is why I introduced the Pupil Premium in the first place."
“We still have a long way to go and need to continue investing so that all children get the best start in life. In just a few days time I’ll be meeting schools at the Pupil Premium awards who are leading the way in using that money to help disadvantaged children. I want all schools to reach those heights so that we can build a fairer society for all, and banish the link between a family’s wealth and their child’s success to the history books." Mr Clegg added.
Showing posts with label Pupil Premium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pupil Premium. Show all posts
Monday, 23 March 2015
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Lib Dems will end child illiteracy by 2025
The Liberal Democrat manifesto plans will include a commitment to end child illiteracy by 2025, Nick Clegg will announce today. The Lib Dem plans mean that every child born in 2014, who will leave primary school in 2025 will be able to read and write at a standard identified to lead to success in secondary school and beyond.
The Lib Dems say that 'unlike the Conservatives and Labour', the Liberal Democrats have a clear plan to protect the education budget from cradle to college. They say their plans include using that budget to invest in ending illiteracy. To help them meet their commitment to end child illiteracy by 2025, they say theu will boost the early years Pupil Premium to an even higher level than the primary school Pupil Premium.
The Lib Dems say they will also overhaul early years teaching qualifications by letting nursery staff work towards Qualified Teacher Status and by 2020 requiring a qualified teacher graduate in every school or nursery delivering the early years curriculum.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will say: “I am proud of the scale of our ambition. We are raising the bar on what children should be able to achieve by the age of eleven and want all children to get over the bar by 2025. The Coalition Government has cut illiteracy but it is nothing short of a national scandal that a fifth of children are still leaving primary school unable to read at a level that will allow them to succeed in later life."
“In the Coalition Government, the Liberal Democrats have protected the schools budget; introduced the Pupil Premium; expanded free childcare and made sure every infant gets a free, healthy meal every day to help them learn. Conservative plans to savage the education budget by £13bn puts all of these achievements and much, much more at risk, while Labour’s silence on this issue doesn’t fill me with confidence. You can’t build a fairer society for free. If we want to continue raising standards in schools, and making sure every child can succeed whatever their background, you simply have to invest in education. That is exactly what the Liberal Democrats will do.”
The Lib Dems say that 'unlike the Conservatives and Labour', the Liberal Democrats have a clear plan to protect the education budget from cradle to college. They say their plans include using that budget to invest in ending illiteracy. To help them meet their commitment to end child illiteracy by 2025, they say theu will boost the early years Pupil Premium to an even higher level than the primary school Pupil Premium.
The Lib Dems say they will also overhaul early years teaching qualifications by letting nursery staff work towards Qualified Teacher Status and by 2020 requiring a qualified teacher graduate in every school or nursery delivering the early years curriculum.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will say: “I am proud of the scale of our ambition. We are raising the bar on what children should be able to achieve by the age of eleven and want all children to get over the bar by 2025. The Coalition Government has cut illiteracy but it is nothing short of a national scandal that a fifth of children are still leaving primary school unable to read at a level that will allow them to succeed in later life."
“In the Coalition Government, the Liberal Democrats have protected the schools budget; introduced the Pupil Premium; expanded free childcare and made sure every infant gets a free, healthy meal every day to help them learn. Conservative plans to savage the education budget by £13bn puts all of these achievements and much, much more at risk, while Labour’s silence on this issue doesn’t fill me with confidence. You can’t build a fairer society for free. If we want to continue raising standards in schools, and making sure every child can succeed whatever their background, you simply have to invest in education. That is exactly what the Liberal Democrats will do.”
Monday, 25 August 2014
Liberal Democrats to triple early years pupil premium
The Liberal Democrats will more than triple investment in the early years pupil premium from £300 to £1000 per child under manifesto plans announced by Schools Minister David Laws today. The early years pupil premium was announced in March 2014 and is currently worth £300 for every disadvantaged child. Liberal Democrats want to extend this to £1000, helping to ensure that every child has got a fair start in life and is ready to learn when they start school.
As children in early years are only in part time education this represents an equivalent investment higher than the primary school pupil premium, demonstrating the huge importance that Liberal Democrats place on early years education. This will benefit over 170,000 disadvantaged children from 2015-16.
Commenting, David Laws MP said: "Liberal Democrats have delivered huge amounts for the early years in our time in Government. We have given extra free hours of early years education to all three year olds, and introduced free early years education to two year olds from the most hard pressed homes. We have introduced new Early Years Teachers, and we vetoed Tory plans that would have meant adults looking after up to six two year olds at the same time.
“By committing this extra money to help the youngest disadvantaged children in society, we will ensure that they get the best possible start in life and have an opportunity to get on. Investing in early years is one of the best ways to build the fairer society that Liberal Democrats want to see and we are ambitious about delivering for future generations. This extra investment will mean a huge amount of support for the people who need it most and demonstrates our strong commitment to education.”
As children in early years are only in part time education this represents an equivalent investment higher than the primary school pupil premium, demonstrating the huge importance that Liberal Democrats place on early years education. This will benefit over 170,000 disadvantaged children from 2015-16.
Commenting, David Laws MP said: "Liberal Democrats have delivered huge amounts for the early years in our time in Government. We have given extra free hours of early years education to all three year olds, and introduced free early years education to two year olds from the most hard pressed homes. We have introduced new Early Years Teachers, and we vetoed Tory plans that would have meant adults looking after up to six two year olds at the same time.
“By committing this extra money to help the youngest disadvantaged children in society, we will ensure that they get the best possible start in life and have an opportunity to get on. Investing in early years is one of the best ways to build the fairer society that Liberal Democrats want to see and we are ambitious about delivering for future generations. This extra investment will mean a huge amount of support for the people who need it most and demonstrates our strong commitment to education.”
Friday, 2 May 2014
Deputy Prime Minister's Pupil Premium Awards for schools that do the most to help disadvantaged pupils
Schools that go "above and beyond" to help disadvantaged pupils improve their results could win a share of £4m, as part of the Pupil Premium Awards announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Schools Minister David Laws. The awards encourage schools up and down the country to find innovative and effective ways of using Pupil Premium funding to boost the achievements of disadvantaged students. Thousands of pupils in up to 500 schools across England could benefit from the awards. Prizes for schools who enter the Deputy Prime Minister’s Pupil Premium Awards include:
Schools can use the money to fund extra teacher support for pupils who need it most or send their disadvantaged pupils on educational visits that benefit their studies.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “Too often a child’s destiny can be determined by where they were born or how much their parents earn. The pupil premium helps schools turn this around with vital funding - it’s social mobility in action. It helps disadvantaged children get the support, education and skills they need to get on in life and succeed.
Continuing Mr Clegg commented: “Schools across the country are showing how innovative methods can not only help improve the opportunities for individual children, but helps whole classes progress too, and so I’m pleased to announce the rewards up for grabs in next year’s Pupil Premium Awards are even greater for both schools and the children whose lives they help transform.”
- £250,000 for the top secondary school
- £100,000 for the top primary and special schools
- Up to 20 regional rewards of £100,000 for secondary schools and £50,000 for primary and special schools
- Up to 18 runner-up prizes of up to £50,000
- Hundreds of qualifier awards of up to £5,000
Schools can use the money to fund extra teacher support for pupils who need it most or send their disadvantaged pupils on educational visits that benefit their studies.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “Too often a child’s destiny can be determined by where they were born or how much their parents earn. The pupil premium helps schools turn this around with vital funding - it’s social mobility in action. It helps disadvantaged children get the support, education and skills they need to get on in life and succeed.
Continuing Mr Clegg commented: “Schools across the country are showing how innovative methods can not only help improve the opportunities for individual children, but helps whole classes progress too, and so I’m pleased to announce the rewards up for grabs in next year’s Pupil Premium Awards are even greater for both schools and the children whose lives they help transform.”
Up to 8 additional prizes of £25,000 each will be awarded to eligible schools with the highest proportions of free school meal eligible pupils that:
Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws said: “The pupil premium is transforming the way we educate our disadvantaged children. Now the enhanced Pupil Premium Awards will reward the schools leading the way in bridging the gap between background and achievement. Previous awards have been a tremendous success and we are making the 2015 scheme bigger and better. By next year’s awards we will have invested a total of £6.25 billion through the pupil premium over 4 years, highlighting our commitment to helping disadvantaged pupils do well in school.”
- Achieve the top grade (level 6) in reading and mathematics tests at 11 years old
- Pass A level physics having participated in the Cambridge Rutherford Schools Physics Project
- Achieve the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a combination of qualifications including English, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language
- Pass A level further mathematics
- Go on to study at Oxford or Cambridge universities
- Go on to study at Russell Group universities, an association of 24 leading universities
Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws said: “The pupil premium is transforming the way we educate our disadvantaged children. Now the enhanced Pupil Premium Awards will reward the schools leading the way in bridging the gap between background and achievement. Previous awards have been a tremendous success and we are making the 2015 scheme bigger and better. By next year’s awards we will have invested a total of £6.25 billion through the pupil premium over 4 years, highlighting our commitment to helping disadvantaged pupils do well in school.”
The awards will bring together schools from across England to a ceremony in London next year to celebrate the hard work of teachers, pupils and governors.
Monday, 8 July 2013
Nick Clegg announces Pupil Premium awards
Head teachers and Deputy Heads from schools all over the country came to Admiralty House, London, today to receive awards from the Deputy Prime Minister for their work to help disadvantaged pupils get on and improve by innovative use of the Pupil Premium. Winning schools took home cash rewards of up to £10,000, in recognition of the way they have pioneered the use of the Pupil Premium - a £900 payment to schools for every pupil who is eligible for free school meals - to help those children reach their potential and reduce educational inequalities. Today's awards ceremony was a chance to showcase the work they do so other schools across the country can learn from their impressive results.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "We've got to do everything we can to reduce the inequalities in our education system. I'm determined to help pupils who start school behind other children in their class to catch up. Everyone deserves the chance to do well and get on in life. Since April we've been investing £900 in each and every one of those pupils. School leaders and teachers are the frontline professionals working hard to come up with ideas to make a real difference to them, so it's great that we are recognising what works best.
"From the South West to the North East, the judges were impressed with the work schools are doing. The Pupil Premium is giving children and young people the best possible start in life, so that when they finish their education they can go for the jobs they have always dreamed of."
There were three overall winners - one primary school, one secondary school and a special school. There was also a runner-up in each category, each taking home £3,000. The schools will be able to spend their prizes however they want to. TES worked closely with the Department for Education and Deputy Prime Minister's Office to design the awards so that schools that had made a measurable difference in educational attainment were short-listed and recognised for their achievements. TES chief executive, Louise Rogers, presented the awards with the Deputy Prime Minister.
The national winners were Longford Park School in Stretford in the special school category, Pakeman Primary School in Islington, and Westminster Academy in London in the secondary school category. These schools are exemplifying how the Pupil Premium can be used to give all schoolchildren the start they need in life. Longford Park used the Pupil Premium to invest in new IT, put on extra art classes and introduce new therapies. They also bought new music equipment and established a brass band which competes against mainstream schools.
Pakeman Primary School used the Pupil Premium to provide more support for reading and to employ intensive one-to-one teachers for intensive learning.
The Westminster Academy has seen most of its pupils massively improve, performing significantly above the national average for all students getting 5 A*-C grades including English and maths at GCSE. They used their Pupil Premium to invest in small group teaching, especially in English and maths.
The runners up were:
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "We've got to do everything we can to reduce the inequalities in our education system. I'm determined to help pupils who start school behind other children in their class to catch up. Everyone deserves the chance to do well and get on in life. Since April we've been investing £900 in each and every one of those pupils. School leaders and teachers are the frontline professionals working hard to come up with ideas to make a real difference to them, so it's great that we are recognising what works best.
"From the South West to the North East, the judges were impressed with the work schools are doing. The Pupil Premium is giving children and young people the best possible start in life, so that when they finish their education they can go for the jobs they have always dreamed of."
There were three overall winners - one primary school, one secondary school and a special school. There was also a runner-up in each category, each taking home £3,000. The schools will be able to spend their prizes however they want to. TES worked closely with the Department for Education and Deputy Prime Minister's Office to design the awards so that schools that had made a measurable difference in educational attainment were short-listed and recognised for their achievements. TES chief executive, Louise Rogers, presented the awards with the Deputy Prime Minister.
The national winners were Longford Park School in Stretford in the special school category, Pakeman Primary School in Islington, and Westminster Academy in London in the secondary school category. These schools are exemplifying how the Pupil Premium can be used to give all schoolchildren the start they need in life. Longford Park used the Pupil Premium to invest in new IT, put on extra art classes and introduce new therapies. They also bought new music equipment and established a brass band which competes against mainstream schools.
Pakeman Primary School used the Pupil Premium to provide more support for reading and to employ intensive one-to-one teachers for intensive learning.
The Westminster Academy has seen most of its pupils massively improve, performing significantly above the national average for all students getting 5 A*-C grades including English and maths at GCSE. They used their Pupil Premium to invest in small group teaching, especially in English and maths.
The runners up were:
- New Pasture Lane Primary School, Bridlington, East Yorkshire
- Barnfield West Academy, Luton
- Belmont School, Cheltenham
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