Hackney school wins £25,000

Five Hackney primary schools are celebrating big wins at the annual Department for Education (DfE) pupil premium awards.

The cash prizes were allocated to schools demonstrating how they use their DfE pupil premium grant creatively to increase attainment across the board.

The grant is allocated for every pupil on the roll eligible for free school meals and aims to narrow the gap between disadvantaged pupils and the whole school cohort.

Orchard School, a regional finalist which bagged a massive £25,000, uses the grant to fund small teaching groups, homework clubs, music tuition, one-to-one reading support, therapeutic support including art therapy and horse riding lessons, and subsidised after-school clubs.

Rachel Davie, head of the school in Holcroft Road, South Hackney, said: “Everyone at Orchard works very hard to make sure children get the best start in life, not just academically, but in all other areas too.”

Other primary schools awarded are Northwold in Clapton, William Patten in Stoke Newington, St John and St James in Homerton, and St Paul’s with St Michael’s in Dalston, all received £1,000.