Sadly, to most people, this is a subject that is drier than the Sahara. But, I’d like to say something on what is going on in Wokingham with our secondary schools and I’ll try to make it easy to understand. Basically, despite the high average grades our local schools achieve, our underprivileged students have not been doing well, at all. And they have been getting grades well below the national average.  The Department for Education have noticed and have threatened to cut Wokingham schools’ coveted Good and Outstanding OFSTED ratings, if they don’t show improvement.

So, Wokingham has a problem.

Many of these children don’t have access to the same levels of support and resources at home. e.g Not having a computer or internet access at home, having a chaotic home life, or perhaps a home where there is very little money for books and educational trips, or maybe no-one to help them with their homework or motivate them. Undoubtedly this affects a child’s level of academic achievement.

So, starting back in 2011, the Pupil Premium money was made available to help these underprivileged children. This money is attached directly to each and child who needs it, so where in the past Wokingham schools would have missed out due to being in an affluent area, the money is now paid directly to the school and, best of all, they each have to publish on their websites what they are doing with it.

So, I thought I would put together some information with links to the local Secondary Schools in the area  just to show how they have financially benefited this year(2013):

 

The Emmbrook School   £118,500

Forest School                    £131,100

The Holt School               £77,400

Maiden Erlegh School    £109,500

The Bulmershe School   £202,500

The Piggott School          £60,000

Waingels College             £105,300

St Crispin’s School          £102,300

Oakbank School               £14,400 (Just Opened!)

Addington School            £55,500 (Community Special School)

Total                                £976,500

 

Looking though the various websites for these schools, I can see that our schools are spending their money largely on extra tuition for children who need it, computers for children who don’t have one at home and providing funding for them to take part in school trips and extra curricular activities. Already, we are beginning to see signs of improvement.

Pupil Premium funding will support ALL students to achieve their potential. This is a policy achieved by the Liberal Democrats in government.