North East Schools Scoop Almost £250k
Six schools across the North East have today been awarded individual prizes worth up to £100,000 in the 2015 Pupil Premium Awards, in recognition of their success in improving the attainment of their most disadvantaged pupils.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg handed out prizes and congratulated the four national winners and 62 finalists, runners up and high aspiration award winners from across the country on their innovative and effective use of the pupil premium.
The awards ceremony, held in London, provided an opportunity to reward and recognise the schools doing the most to raise attainment and close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers as well as to showcase examples of the most effective practice which other schools can learn from.
The schools across the North East which received prizes today are:
- Easington Academy, Durham, has won £100,000 as a national finalist in the secondary school category.
- Zetland Primary School, has won £50,000 as a national finalist in the primary school category.
- Carmel College, Darlington, has won £50,000 as a regional finalist in the secondary school category.
- West View Primary School, Hartlepool, has won £25,000 as a regional finalist in the primary school category.
- St Wilfreds RC College, South Shields, has won £10,000 as a regional runner up in the secondary school category.
- Roman Road Primary School, Gateshead, has won £5,000 as a regional runner up in the primary school category.
The Deputy Prime Minister said:
“It is a huge injustice that in 21st century Britain a child’s success or failure is often determined by their parents’ income or social class.
That’s why the Pupil Premium is so important. This year alone we have provided £2.5 billion of funding to help almost 2 million youngsters go further. And we are seeing results. If all Pupil Premium schools did as well as the very best, I hope we can see the attainment gap closed in the next decade.
This has been one of my proudest achievements in government and all of this year’s finalists are shining examples of how much can be achieved. Through initiatives like these we can together build a fairer society for all, where every child’s achievement is determined by ability and not by the circumstances of their birth.”
The pupil premium - extra funding which schools receive to support their disadvantaged pupils - is worth £2.5bn this year alone. Recent results show the positive impact which the pupil premium has had in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and closing the attainment gap.
Pupil premium primary children achieved their best ever results this year, and the new attainment gap index shows that the real attainment gap is narrowing at both primary and secondary levels.
Thousands of pupils in almost 600 schools across the country will benefit as a result of this year’s awards, which recognise the schools which are using their pupil premium in the most innovative and effective ways.
The Pupil Premium Awards reward schools which are able to provide evidence of effective strategies to improve the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and show sustained improvement in raising their attainment.