What plans does the Welsh Government have to review the Pupil Deprivation Grant guidelines so that direct additional support can be provided for all pupils rather than just for those in receipt of free school meals?
It is totally unacceptable for children's success to be determined by their social or economic circumstances. Underpinning all of our work is a belief that someone's ability to benefit from education should not be determined by where they live or what their income is. I will continue to reduce inequalities and remove barriers to education.
Entitlement to free school meals is used as a proxy for "deprivation". Learners living in the most deprived communities in Wales are more likely to require additional support to ensure equal access to opportunities for learning and to reach their potential. Over £93 million will be invested through the Pupil Deprivation Grant in 2017-18. I am considering how this significant investment can be best targeted to support our most disadvantaged learners and help close the attainment gap.
Through our guidance we already encourage schools to adopt whole school approaches which potentially benefit all learners, but ensure the needs of disadvantaged learners are supported. This is an effective way of making best use of finite resources and enables schools, parents and carers to better support individual children, and contribute towards education at school and at home.
Millbrook Primary School in Newport adopts a team approach to its Family Learning Programme and uses PDG to employ a Pupil and Family Engagement Officer to work with the whole-school community to determine an annual programme of family learning activities. Activities include a family reading café; family literacy and numeracy workshops linked to the national tests; family learning workshops and digital learning café. The number of parents engaging with their child's learning has increased by 50%. The gap in performance between learners eligible for free school meals (eFSM) and those learners not eligible for free school meals (non-eFSM) has closed.