In April 2011 the Government introduced the Pupil Premium Grant through which schools are provided with additional funding for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 2010-15 Government policy on the education of disadvantaged children states: 'The pupil premium is designed to address inequality by giving every school and teacher the resources they need to help their most disadvantaged pupils, allowing them the freedom to respond appropriately to individual circumstances.' The intended impact of this funding is to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils as educational research and attainment statistics indicate that disadvantaged pupils underachieve compared to their peers.
The Government has used students entitled to Free School Meals and Children Looked After as an indicator for deprivation. A fixed amount of funding is provided to schools annually based on the number of pupils who are registered for Free School Meals currently or have been in receipt of Free School Meals at any time during the last 6 years. Additional funding is also provided for pupils who are currently Children Looked After by the local authority, or have been previously looked after by the local authority. This also includes children adopted from 30th December 2005.
Parkside Primary Academy provides an outstanding education and serves a local community with high levels of socio-economic deprivation. Staff and governors are committed to ensuring the pastoral, social and academic needs of every student are met, irrespective of background. Pupil premium funding is therefore directed to ensuring an equality of opportunity for all learners.