Early Years Pupil Premium Grant

Early Years Pupil Premium

Detail	Data
School Name	Stepping Stones Nursery
Number of Pupils in School	58
Proportion (%) of pupil premium eligible pupils	19%
Academic year / years that our current pupil premium strategy plan covers (3-year plans are recommended)	2025-2028
Date this statement was published	September 2025
Date of which it will be reviewed	September 2028
Statement authorised by	Jane Byron
Pupil Premium Lead	Loren Irvine & Lisa Dempsey

Detail	Amount
Pupil Premium funding allocation this academic year
Pupil premium funding carried forward from previous years (enter £0 if not applicable)	£0
Total budget for this academic year If your school is an academy in a trust that pools this funding, state the amount available to your school this academic year

Part A Pupil Premium Strategy

Statement of Intent

At Stepping Stones Nursery we use the Pupil Premium grant to address the many and varied challenges our pupils and families face. We use research conducted by EEF to support our decisions around the usefulness of different strategies and their value for money.

We adhere to the guidance set out by the DFE in the Seven Key Principles of Effective Practice (2023). We believe all children deserve to have an equal chance of success.

A high-quality early education is good for all children. It is especially important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

When they start school, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are, on average, 4 months behind their peers. We are committed to narrowing that gap.

Children who have lived through difficult experiences can begin to grow stronger when they experience high quality early education and care. Our high-quality early education and care is inclusive. Children’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and all children promptly receive any extra help they need, so they can progress well in their learning

Our ultimate objectives are:

To provide a stimulating play environment to develop key skills
To develop language for all disadvantaged pupils
To support children to develop resilience, self-regulation and self-esteem.
To support routines and expectations in preparation for school
To ensure children have a positive nursery experience and become lifelong learners.

We aim to do this through:

Ensuring that the teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all the pupils
Providing pastoral support to address barriers to education, we know that some children do not get support with their learning at home.
Providing a wide and varied range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities to instil a love of learning and sense of belonging to our school community.
Using trauma-informed approaches to support our most vulnerable pupils.

The range of provision for this group include:

Ensuring children are socially and emotionally ready to learn using a trauma responsive approach as appropriate.
A robust safeguarding team who are focussed on better pupil outcomes.
Indoor and outdoor creative play-based activities often led by the child’s interests.