Pupil Premium

At Marshfields, we want every learner to have the opportunity to achieve, belong and thrive. Pupil Premium is additional government funding provided to help schools improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and reduce barriers that may affect their progress.

Pupil Premium funding is provided for eligible pupils from Reception to Year 11.

A pupil may attract Pupil Premium funding if they:

• are recorded as eligible for Targeted Free School Meals, or have been recorded as eligible during the relevant previous six-year period (often referred to as Ever 6 FSM);
• are a Looked After Child (LAC) in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority; or
• are a Previously Looked After Child (PLAC) who was looked after by a local authority or other state care immediately before being adopted, or who left care through a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order.

From September 2026, eligibility for Free School Meals is being expanded to include pupils from households receiving Universal Credit. However, this expanded entitlement to a free school meal does not automatically mean that a pupil attracts Pupil Premium funding. Pupil Premium continues to be linked to the government's Targeted Free School Meals eligibility criteria.

Pupil Premium for Looked After Children is managed by the relevant local authority's Virtual School Head, who works with schools to determine how this funding can best support the individual child's educational needs.

How we use Pupil Premium at Marshfields

Schools have flexibility in how they use Pupil Premium funding, but it must be used to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.

At Marshfields, we use funding thoughtfully and strategically to strengthen provision, remove barriers to learning and provide opportunities that support eligible pupils to make progress from their individual starting points.

Depending on the needs identified, this may include support linked to teaching and learning, communication, literacy and numeracy, wellbeing, engagement, independence, enrichment and Preparation for Adulthood.

Pupil Premium funding does not have to be spent solely on individual eligible pupils. Where appropriate, approaches may support other learners with identified needs, provided that the use of the funding contributes to improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Our focus is not simply on how funding is spent, but on the difference it makes. We regularly review the impact of our Pupil Premium provision to ensure that it supports meaningful educational progress and positive outcomes for our learners.

Service Pupil Premium

Service Pupil Premium is part of the wider Pupil Premium grant but has a different purpose.

It provides additional funding to help schools support children whose parents are serving, or have recently served, in the Armed Forces. Eligible pupils include children recorded as a service child in the current or previous six years and, in certain circumstances, children whose parent died while serving.

Service children are not necessarily financially disadvantaged. The funding is primarily intended to help schools provide pastoral support where children experience challenges associated with service life, such as mobility, deployment or separation.

At Marshfields, any Service Pupil Premium funding is used according to the individual needs of eligible learners and the current Department for Education requirements.

For 2026–27, Service Pupil Premium is £360 per eligible pupil.

Primary PE and Sport Premium

At Marshfields, we believe that every child should have access to high-quality, inclusive physical education and opportunities to experience a wide range of sports and physical activities.

Physical activity supports much more than physical development. For our learners, it can contribute to physical and emotional wellbeing, confidence, communication, teamwork, sensory regulation, independence and engagement in learning.

The Primary PE and Sport Premium is additional government funding provided to eligible schools with primary-aged pupils. In schools with conventional year groups, funding is based on pupils in Years 1 to 6. Where pupils are not recorded by year group, as may be the case within some special schools, pupils aged 5 to 10 are used to determine the allocation.

Schools must use this funding to develop or add to their existing PE, sport and physical activity provision and to build the school's capacity and capability so that improvements are sustainable and continue to benefit pupils in future years.

At Marshfields, the funding is therefore used to enhance, rather than replace, our core PE provision.

We use the funding to increase participation, develop the quality of PE and physical activity, broaden the opportunities available to our primary-aged learners and ensure that activities are inclusive and accessible for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities.

We review the impact of this funding to ensure that improvements are meaningful, sustainable and contribute positively to the physical development, wellbeing and wider outcomes of our learners.