Pupil Premium & Catch-Up Premium

What is Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium (PP) is additional funding given to schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the achievement gap between them and their peers.The funding is available to the following groups of students:

Students who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM).
Students that have been eligible for FSM in the last six years (FSM Ever 6).
Students who are currently, or have ever been, looked after or in care (LAC).
Students from a Forces background.

The school receives quarterly funding for each of the groups of students in varying amounts, which must be used to support students or take away financial barriers that could be hindering their progress within school. The government expects the school to track each of the student’s progress and how the funding is being spent.

We will continue to use the Pupil Premium funding to support students to raise standards and attainment. The funding has been used in a number of different areas, including but not limited to:

Teaching Staff- To employ additional teaching staff to reduce class sizes and improve attainment
Coaching/Mentoring - To help students achieve their full potential, offering additional support to those students who need greater intervention.
Student Managers - To support pupils' attendance, self-esteem and attitudes to learning.
Wider Curriculum Experience - To enhance the curriculum, ensure the children are able to participate and to give children the opportunity to experience new and challenging activities.
The number of disadvantaged students being mentored or receiving small group tuition in English and Maths continues to rise.

Please have a look at our Pupil Premium Review for a more detailed analysis of how we spend our Pupil Premium. The report is linked to this page in the document section.

If your daughter does not have Free School Meals, but may be eligible because of your family's income level, please do contact us (in confidence) to register her. Even if you do not wish her to have the meals, this would mean the school could still claim Pupil Premium funding that may be used to help your child.

To register your daughter for Free School Meals, please contact Mrs Hardiman in the school office on: thardiman@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Click for more details about the Pupil Premium.

Educational Visits

We have a vast array of wonderful trips and opportunities open to students at DGS.

As a family in receipt of Pupil Premium funding, you are entitled to financial support with educational trips and visits. If your child is eligible for free school meals, you will receive 50% financial contribution towards a school trip of up to £200, and for those eligible for pupil premium only, you will receive up to 10%.

To ensure you always receive the financial support you are entitled to, please follow the process below.

When a trip is advertised, and your child would like to sign up . This will ensure that the trips team are alerted and will allocate the correct discount to your account on parent pay. This form will also give you the opportunity to spread the cost of a trip over a period through instalments, if that is something that works better for you. If you have any questions or queries about trip funding do contact the Educational Trips Coordinator Mrs Hearn on jhearn@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk