Pupil Premium
Looked-after children and young people are eligible for Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding. This is under the direct control of the Virtual Head and is for the young person, not for the school. PP+ is managed and distributed by the Virtual School to improve the educational attainment of looked-after children and close the gap between them and their peers.
Pupil Premium for Looked-After Children (Reception - Year 11)
The Department for Education (DfE) allocates £2,570 per year for each looked-after child to help them progress in education and achieve their goals. All children and young people in the care of Manchester City Council, in Reception to Year 11, can access up to £650 Pupil Premium Plus funding per term through the PEP process.
To ensure this funding is being used effectively to support each child and young person, its release is dependent upon the completion of a high-quality termly Personal Education Plan (PEP). Allocation of the funding must be linked to the young person’s SMART targets within their plan.
Schools will be asked to give detailed information on how the funding is to be spent, total costs, and the intended impact. If the funding is to be used for tuition, coaching, or booster sessions, schools will be asked to give information on how many sessions are being delivered and who they are being delivered by. If funding is being used to purchase resources, schools will be asked to provide information on when the item has been bought and given to the young person.
If additional pupil premium is required, please contact the Virtual School.
Centrally held Pupil Premium Plus funding is used by the Manchester Virtual School to provide the following offers to all schools:
● Wide-ranging training, networking opportunities and resources
● Support to improve the quality of Personal Education Plans
● Swift access to Educational Psychology consultation and support where appropriate
● Additional funding for individual young people where specific and complex needs are identified through the PEP process.
Pupil Premium for Looked-After Children in Early Years
Children aged 2 - 4 years old who are looked after by Manchester City Council and who receive free early education will be eligible for Early Years Premium (EYPP) funding. This is additional funding for early years settings to improve the quality of education they provide for disadvantaged 2- 4-year-olds.
EYPP is paid to the local authority on the basis of how much time a child spends with their Early Years provider. For those that use the full 570 hours they are entitled to, the maximum payment from the Manchester Virtual School for each child will be £387 per academic year.
The Virtual School Head is responsible for managing the EYPP for looked-after children and determining how it should be used to effectively support them in their Early Years provision. Payment will be made to the setting on receipt of a high-quality, termly PEP, which details a clear breakdown of how the funding will be used to support the child to achieve their SMART targets and the intended impact.
Pupil Premium for looked after children in Post 16
The Department for Education (DfE) has made Pupil Premium Plus funding available to Local Authorities to support the education, employment and training of looked after young people who have left school. Young people in the care of Manchester City Council, in Year 12 and 13, who are attending Post 16 education, employment and training can access up to £400 Pupil Premium Plus funding per academic year through the termly PEP process.
To ensure this funding is being used effectively to support each young person, its release is dependent upon the completion of a high-quality termly Personal Education Plan (PEP). Allocation of the funding must be linked to the young person’s SMART targets within their plan.
Manchester Virtual School will request detailed information from the Designated Teacher and Social worker on how the funding is to be spent, total costs, and the intended impact.
Children and Young People with SEND
A significant number of children and young people in the care of Manchester experience some kind of special educational need or disability (SEND), including social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. The Manchester Virtual School Team work proactively with Designated Teachers and Social workers to support these young people through the PEP process and use of our Virtual School Educational Psychology consultation offer.
Where the young person’s needs are presenting a significant and sustained barrier to them attending their education setting, making expected progress, or putting them at risk of exclusion, the Virtual School will strongly encourage the education setting to seek support and advice from their own Educational Psychologist and, where appropriate, to request statutory assessment to potentially secure an Education Health and Care Plan.
Supporting Children with Transition
For children and young people moving to new education settings, including and in-year move, from preschool to Reception, Year 6 to Year 7, and Year 11 to Post 16 provision, the Virtual School encourages all settings to include robust transition planning within the PEP. Pupil Premium Plus can be used to support the young person’s transition. Any resources purchased for the young person should remain in their possession when they move to their new setting.