At Ridgeway Farm CE Academy, our vision is for all children to believe in themselves and develop a love of lifelong learning as we grow together as part of God’s family.
Our Christian vision shapes how we use Pupil Premium funding. We welcome and cherish everyone, of all faiths and none, and recognise that every child has different strengths, experiences and needs. Our values of compassion, justice and respect guide our commitment to removing barriers so that every child can learn, experience success and participate fully in school life.
We have ambitious expectations for all our pupils. We want every child to develop strong foundations, discover their gifts and talents, and grow into a confident, resilient and active member of their community.
Our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement
Our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2026–2027, including the review of 2025–2026, explains:
the challenges we have identified;
the outcomes we aim to achieve;
how we intend to spend our funding;
the evidence supporting our chosen approaches; and
the impact of our work in the previous academic year.
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2026–2027, including the review of 2025–2026
What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is additional government funding to help schools improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Eligible groups include:
pupils eligible for targeted benefits-based free school meals, or who have been eligible within the previous six years;
children looked after by a local authority; and
eligible previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order.
Pupil Premium is not linked to a child’s ability. Our approach includes appropriate support and challenge for pupils who are already achieving highly.
Funding is used strategically to improve provision and address identified needs. It is not an individual cash allocation or personal budget for each eligible child. Some approaches benefit other pupils alongside those eligible for Pupil Premium.
Free school meals and Pupil Premium: understanding the difference
From September 2026, children in households receiving Universal Credit can qualify for free school meals. However, free school meal eligibility and Pupil Premium eligibility are not the same.
Targeted free school meals: pupils meeting these criteria attract Pupil Premium funding, including through the relevant six-year eligibility history.
Expanded free school meals: pupils qualifying only through the expanded Universal Credit entitlement receive a free meal but do not attract Pupil Premium funding solely through this eligibility.
Universal infant free school meals: all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can receive a free school meal, regardless of household income. This entitlement alone does not attract Pupil Premium funding.
We encourage families to check benefits-based eligibility even if their child already receives universal infant free school meals. Registering may unlock additional support and funding.
Please contact the school office for help checking eligibility and applying.
Check eligibility and apply for free school meals
How much funding does the school receive?
Our Pupil Premium budget for the 2026–2027 academic year is £39,360. This supports the final year of our 2024–2027 strategy.
The national funding rates for the 2026–2027 financial year are:
| Eligible group | Annual funding per eligible primary-aged pupil |
|---|---|
| Pupils eligible through free school meals, including FSM Ever 6 | £1,550 |
| Previously looked-after children | £2,690 |
| Looked-after children | £2,690, allocated to the local authority |
| Eligible service children | £360 |
National rates are set by financial year, while our strategy statement explains our planned spending across the academic year.
For looked-after children, funding is managed by the local authority’s Virtual School Head. The school works with the Virtual School and other professionals to identify appropriate support through the child’s Personal Education Plan.
How we use our funding
We use a three-tier approach, informed by research evidence, assessment and our knowledge of individual children and families:
High-quality teaching: developing consistently effective classroom teaching, assessment and staff expertise.
Targeted academic support: providing timely additional teaching and intervention to address identified gaps.
Wider strategies: addressing barriers associated with attendance, wellbeing, behaviour and participation.
High-quality teaching is central to our approach. Additional support complements classroom teaching and is reviewed to check that it is making a difference.
Our vision of Believe • Learn • Grow explains what we want this support to achieve for our children.
Believe: belonging, confidence and ambition
We want every child to feel valued, safe and confident that they can succeed.
We build trusting relationships with children and families to understand individual circumstances and respond early when support is needed. We make decisions based on identified needs rather than assumptions about disadvantage.
Where appropriate, support includes:
trusted-adult check-ins and nurture;
Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) provision;
support with emotional regulation, confidence and relationships; and
coordinated work with families and external professionals.
For children with special educational needs or other additional barriers, staff work together to set ambitious, meaningful goals and coordinate provision. We recognise progress in communication, independence, confidence and readiness to learn alongside academic achievement.
Learn: strong foundations and high-quality teaching
We want every child to develop the knowledge and skills needed to access a broad, rich curriculum and achieve well.
All staff share responsibility for disadvantaged pupils’ progress and achievement. Our priorities include:
Reading: developing secure phonics, fluency and comprehension so children can access the full curriculum.
Writing: strengthening sentence construction and the explicit teaching, retention and independent application of grammar.
Mathematics: securing number knowledge, arithmetic and multiplication facts, alongside conceptual understanding, reasoning and problem-solving.
Early learning: identifying and addressing needs in communication, language, literacy and mathematics from the earliest stages.
Responsive teaching: using assessment to identify gaps, adapt teaching and provide timely additional support.
Ambition for all: ensuring pupils receive appropriate challenge, including those working at higher levels.
Targeted individual and small-group support supplements high-quality classroom teaching. Provision is reviewed regularly and adapted where it is not securing the intended outcomes.
Grow: participation, wellbeing and opportunity
We want every child to develop their interests, discover their strengths and contribute positively to our community.
We help remove financial and practical barriers to educational visits, residential experiences, clubs, music, sport and other enrichment opportunities. We monitor participation so that we can identify children who may be missing out and respond to the barriers they face.
Regular attendance supports learning, friendships and belonging. We monitor attendance closely, identify concerns early and work with families to understand and address difficulties. Where needed, we develop personalised support and involve external services.
Through these experiences, we aim to help children grow in independence, resilience and aspiration, and participate fully in the life of our school.
Our priorities for 2026–2027
Our current priorities are to:
improve attendance and reduce persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils;
coordinate support for children experiencing overlapping barriers, including SEND and social, emotional or safeguarding needs;
strengthen mathematical fluency, foundational knowledge and application;
identify and address gaps in early learning; and
improve writing attainment, including the secure application of grammatical knowledge.
Reading remains central to our approach so that pupils can learn successfully across the curriculum.
Reviewing our impact
Our review of 2025–2026 identified positive progress in individual pupils’ engagement, emotional regulation, independence and access to school life. Strong academic outcomes were achieved in some year groups.
However, outcomes remain variable. Attainment gaps have not narrowed consistently across the school, writing remains a particular priority, and attendance continues to limit access to learning for some disadvantaged pupils.
We evaluate both academic outcomes and progress from individual starting points. This includes assessment information, attendance, engagement, wellbeing, independence and participation in wider opportunities.
Leaders and governors review the strategy, challenge the effectiveness of spending and consider the outcomes achieved. We adapt provision where it is not having the intended impact.
The full evaluation is included in our latest Pupil Premium Strategy Statement.
Service Pupil Premium
Service Pupil Premium provides additional funding for eligible children from armed forces families. These pupils are not necessarily financially disadvantaged.
Eligibility includes specified children with a serving parent, children recorded as service children within the previous six years, and certain children receiving an eligible pension following a parent’s death in service.
Its main purpose is pastoral support, particularly where children are affected by parental deployment, separation or moving schools. At Ridgeway Farm, support is responsive to individual needs and may include trusted-adult check-ins, transition support and help with emotional wellbeing.
Please let the school office know if your child is from a service family so that we can check eligibility and discuss any support needed.
Working with families
We value families’ knowledge of their children and encourage parents and carers to speak with us about anything affecting their child’s learning, attendance or wellbeing.
For questions about support for your child, please contact Mrs Laura Gibbard, Headteacher, through the school office on 01793 677471.
Our Pupil Premium lead is Mrs Katherine Holder, Assistant Headteacher.
A paper copy of our strategy statement or the information on this page is available free of charge from the school office.