Pupil Premium and Sports Premium
Pupil Premium
"Let the little children come to me." (Matthew 19:14)
At St Alban's, following in the footsteps of Jesus, we love, live and learn together. We believe every child is made in God's image and has unique gifts to share. Our aim is that every child feels Safe, Soothed, Secure and Seen, and that no child's opportunities are limited by their circumstances.
What is the Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium is extra funding from the government. It helps schools support children who:
- are eligible for free school meals, or have been at any point in the last six years
- are looked after by the local authority, or were previously looked after
- have a parent serving in the armed forces
How we use it
We use this funding carefully to help every child flourish, in class and beyond. Our priorities include:
- high-quality teaching
- strong early reading
- targeted support where it is needed
- wellbeing and pastoral care
- good attendance
- making sure every child can enjoy trips, clubs and wider experiences
Much of this work, such as staff training, benefits every child in our school family.
Our full Pupil Premium Strategy Statement below sets out our plans for this year and the difference our spending made last year.
Could your family be eligible ?
Starting in September 2026, free school meals in England are expanding to include all households receiving Universal Credit, removing the previous £7,400 net earnings threshold
If you receive certain benefits, your child may be entitled to free school meals. Registering also brings extra funding into school to support your child, even if you don't take up the meals. Applying is quick, simple and completely confidential. Please speak to the school office, who will be happy to help.
PE and Sport Premium 2025–26
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24)
At St Alban's, following in the footsteps of Jesus, we love, live and learn together. We believe every child is made in God's image and deserves to feel healthy, confident and joyful in their body. The PE and Sport Premium helps us give all our children high-quality PE, a love of physical activity, and the chance to take part in sport beyond the classroom.
Our funding
In 2025–26, St Alban's received £17,790. We spent the full amount within the year.
How we spent it
| Area | Spend |
|---|---|
| External specialist coaching | £12,800 |
| Extra-curricular clubs and opportunities | £3,760 |
| Top-up swimming and wider water-based opportunities | £2,387 |
| Staff professional development (CPD) | £1,220 |
| – of which: upskilling staff to teach swimming | £530 |
| Equipment and resources | £746 |
| School Games Organiser (SGO) network activities | £410 |
| Entering external school sports competitions | £410 |
| Memberships and subscriptions | £248 |
Some spending supports more than one area. For example, specialist coaches also lead clubs and competitions. For this reason the categories overlap and add up to more than the total grant.
Making sport accessible to every child
This year we targeted spending to widen opportunities for:
- pupils with SEND
- pupils with long-term medical conditions
- girls, both in PE lessons and in extra-curricular sport
- disadvantaged pupils
This reflects our commitment that every child at St Alban's feels safe, secure and seen, and that no child misses out.
Impact
- Specialist coaching has raised the quality of PE teaching and given pupils expert input across a range of sports.
- More children have taken part in clubs, festivals and competitions, including through our local School Games network.
- Staff training means our teachers are more confident teaching PE and swimming.
- New equipment has improved lessons and play.
Swimming and water safety (Year 6, 2025–26)
| Expectation | Pupils meeting it |
|---|---|
| Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over 25 metres | 83% |
| Use a range of strokes effectively | 67% |
| Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations | 83% |
Our top-up swimming sessions have had a positive impact on swimming and water safety. We will continue to prioritise this so that every child leaves St Alban's safe in and around water.
Looking ahead: sustainability
We aim for improvements that last beyond the funding itself. Investing in staff CPD means teachers keep the skills they learn from working alongside specialist coaches. In 2026–27 we will focus further on:
- professional development for staff
- extra-curricular opportunities, particularly for the groups named above
- raising the proportion of pupils who can use a range of strokes