How do schools reach the conclusion that a child is disadvantaged?

[grinnbareit]

I have been looking at the ofsted dashboard and was wondering how a school pinpoints pupils as disadvantaged? does that mean a child with SEN? or something else? Just wondering really.

[VictorTango]

Isn't a lot of it based on free school meals?

[learnandsay]

I think one criteria is free school meals. If the child can't speak any English that'll be noted early too. Some SEN are doubtless easier to identify than others. Anecdotally I've seen parents fighting for years and years to get a statement for their child. So, going on what I've heard some parents want their children to be recognised for having SEN and have not had it.

[grinnbareit]

I did think that maybe free meals came into tbh, Right learnandsay, so would the SEN side come into it as number of pupils on SA or number of pupils with a statement or not at all then?...so sorry if you have just answered that I'm a bit of a numpty!

[Greensleeves]

FSM is the main marker

Can also include children who are on a CAF for specific issues, children on a CP plan, looked-after children, refugees, travellers etc

[Greensleeves]

SEN register includes all children on SA and above, statemented or not

[grinnbareit]

Thanks Greensleeves, I was just having one of those how do they do it? moments .

[seeker]

I don't think SEN is a marker for disadvantage. There are lots of indicators, though. FSM is the main one, but I think they look at postcodes too.

[wordfactory]

All DC in the care of the LA would be considered disadvanatged.

[grinnbareit]

Postcodes? seeker really? We live on quite a rough estate ASBO's advertised most months, no wonder the school didn't think I'd want to know/give permission regarding my Ds being put on the SEN register, they must of thought I would be too busy in the local pub necking a pint and chuffing away on a ciggie.

[seeker]

It's only one of lots of indicators, honestly!

[niminypiminy]

SEN is not a marker for disadvantage, although you tend to see higher rates of children on SEN register where there is a lot of disadvantage -- there is a correlation between the two. But numbers of children on Free School Meals is the baseline marker.

[Startail]

I believe disadvantaged is free school meals and looked after children.

This is seperate to SN and low attainers who appear in a different set of figures.

It is very confusing, as there is clearly some cross over between these groups, but how much the groups overlap varies wildly between schools.

At the moment the extra 'pupil premium' is paid for disadvantaged children and no account is taken of SNs.

On the face of it this is stupid. It is stupid and the more Ofsted insist PP is ringfenced for disadvantaged children the dafter it gets.

However, different schools have their own definitions of SN and it is impossible to apportion money fairly on this basis.

Personally I would like to see a more complex system combining FSM, EAL and no. of pupils with L3 and below KS2 SATs. However, that is probably beyond the DFE's maths.

[mousebacon]

It's a combination of postcodes, free school meals and any incidence of social team involvement.

[RaisinBoys]

For the purposes of the Ofsted Dashboard disadvantaged pupils are:

• any child who has been in receipt of FSM for any period in the last 6 years
  
• Looked After Children, i.e. in the continous care of the Local Authority for 6 months or more

[neolara]

RaisinBoys is correct.

[mrz]

SEN and EAL are not indicators of "disadvantaged pupils" as has been said FSM & LAC are the criteria. (pupils with parents in the forces also qualify for pupil premium)

[Catsnotrats]

It's fsm and lac as others have said. Which means that we have a number of children living in poverty who don't get counted as their immigration status means they are ineligible for fsm.

[auntpetunia]

They also go on the indicies of deprivation charts that are given out which is very much post code based. It's not a bad thing just means school get more money