• all children eligible for free school meals at any point in the past 6 years
• children who have been looked after for 6 months or longer
  
  Extra School Funding

• £1,320 per pupil of primary-school age
• £935 per pupil of secondary-school age
• £2,300 per pupil for looked-after children who:
  • have been looked after for 1 day or more
  • are adopted
  • leave care under a Special Guardianship Order or a Residence Order

The Government are encouraging a culture of social engineering and encouraging schools to actively discriminate against children whose families are not eligible and offer grammar school places at LOWER scores. This means reserving places for low pupil premium children, at the expense of all others.

We think this is wrong because:

1. Pupil Premium advantages are now valid for 6 years as are an extremely poor indicator of disadvantage. 6-years is a long time in which earnings can escalate.

2. The income level for eligibility of just over £16k a year is arbitrary and offers no advantage for those who marginally lose out.

3. All children should be treated equally and should be judged on their scores in the tests alone.

4. The 11+ is claimed to identify innate ability, so why should a pupil premium child be any less able to perform well in an 11+ test?

5. The 11+ tests is claimed to be resistant to preparation, so why should tutoring make any difference?

6. There is no evidence that Pupil Premium children cannot score high marks in an 11+ test. If they cannot the test should be changed.

7. To claim Pupil Premium children miss out on grammar schools and should be given priority is claiming grammar schools are better than other types of school and insulting to other types of schools, many of which are excellent.

8. Pupil Premium advantages in the 11+ provides the wrong message “work does not pay.”

9. The better off can easily circumvent the Pupil Premium eligibility and lawfully play the system. This disadvantages others.

10. How can it be fair if two children living next door to each other, attending the same school in the same class, with the same teacher for 6 years are subject to different qualifying marks just because 5 years earlier one child was eligible for free school meal, in a test claimed to be resistant to preparation and tests innate ability?

 
What should happen?

1. State schools should be allowed to tutor and prepare children for the 11+

2. Schools should be allowed to use the Pupil Premium to pay for 11+ preparation and tuition.

3. Pupil Premium should not be allowed to be used to create a two-tier school entrance system.


The Pupil Premium Scam:   How the well off can circumvent the Pupil Premium rules and qualify.

Due to many grammar schools deciding to discriminate against children who through no fault of their own find their parents earn too much to qualify for the Pupil Premium and have to score higher marks than others to be offered a grammar school place some interesting schemes are being created to enable parents to claim the Pupil Premium.

Many higher earners work via their own limited company. This is how to qualify for the Pupil Premium.
 
1. Supply your services via a limited company owned by family members other than you or your spouse or people you can trust.
2. Agree a salary equivalent to the minimum salary.
3. Apply for benefits (ensure all data supplied is accurate) and qualify for the pupil premium. It's now valid for 6 years.
4. Transfer shares in limited company to yourself and spouse and you have control of funds. OR
5. The family could declare the dividend; pay taxes and gift the money to you and you just start a new company. Of course they could make you redundant and pay you £30k tax-free.
6. Stop claiming benefits. (One must be honest). Feel free to return any benefit if you wish.
 

Note: When applying you must ensure all information supplied is correct and it may require you to give away part of your savings or convert them in to assets that are exempt from calculation (Eg fine wines, gold/jewellery etc). For contractors, the best time to claim is when your contract ends and before you start a new contract. Combine this gap with a holiday.

As long as you qualified for PP for just one day, the aim has been achieved and your children gain the same benefit as others.
 

Pupil Premium Qualification for Employed Parents

This is a little more difficult, but can be achieved by a period of not working between jobs. Eg resign and find a new job after pupil premium qualification. Or agree with your employer to terminate your employment and then return once pupil premium qualified.

Another issue is to consider a salary sacrifice, for example pension contributions instead of salary.
 

Simple, easy and lawful and levels the playing field for the children discriminated against because their parents earn more.

The losers? The people who cannot use such schemes. The working class who always seem to draw the short straw. Pupil Premium is such a great indicator of disadvantage!

What is next Pupil Premium children should be able to score 10 marks less to gain an A grade at GCSE or "A" level?

If you do not agree with a two-tier 11+ system, object to the Governors, School Adjudicator, contact your MP and press and highlight how unfair it is to other children.