Our Sound Sleep training equips teachers with the tools to educate pupils about sleep, supporting these key areas. This guide is intended to help schools navigate the process of securing funding for the course using their Pupil Premium allocation.

Understanding Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium Grant is government funding allocated to schools in England to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, and reduce the attainment gap between them and their peers. Schools can use this funding for programmes like Sleep Action’s Sound Sleep course, which equips educators to teach about sleep health, enhancing attendance and academic performance.

Eligible pupils include those:

• Who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years

• Looked after by the local authority (LAC)

• From families with a parent in the armed forces

Pupil Premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria.

Pupil Premium funds can support individual needs, group interventions, or whole-class benefits that will benefit all pupils.

Eligible Spending

Schools have the flexibility to use Pupil Premium in ways that best meet the needs of their disadvantaged pupils, including funding teacher training like Sound Sleep. They are encouraged to focus on:

• High-quality teaching

• Targeted academic support

• Addressing non-academic barriers (e.g., social/emotional wellbeing, attendance)

Why Sound Sleep Aligns with Pupil Premium Goals

1. Supporting Academic Achievement

Disrupted sleep patterns can severely impact concentration, memory, and cognitive functioning, leading to lower attainment levels. Sound Sleep equips educators with tools to teach pupils the importance of healthy sleep, directly addressing this barrier to learning.

2. Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing

Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to experience stress and anxiety, which can lead to poor sleep. Sound Sleep training helps educators address sleep issues that significantly impact pupils’ mental health and overall wellbeing. By fostering healthy sleep habits, pupils can experience reduced stress, improved emotional regulation, and a decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression. The training empowers schools to create a supportive environment where both physical and mental health thrive, laying a foundation for happier, healthier pupils.

3. Improving Attendance and Behaviour

Sound Sleep training helps schools improve attendance and behaviour by addressing the root causes of sleep deprivation in pupils. Well-rested pupils are more likely to arrive at school on time, engage positively in lessons, and exhibit fewer behavioural issues caused by fatigue or irritability. By promoting consistent sleep habits, the training supports a calmer, more focused classroom environment that benefits both pupils and educators.

Writing a strategy plan

You must publish a Pupil Premium strategy statement annually on your school website using the Department for Education template. The strategy statement is a tool for you to demonstrate how your school is using Pupil Premium to help disadvantaged pupils to raise their attainment. The statement may be reviewed by Ofsted during inspections, or governors and trustees in funding impact reviews.

Here’s how to align your strategy plan with Pupil Premium guidelines:

1. Write a statement of interest

Explain your school’s Pupil Premium strategy and wider School Improvement Plan. Highlight areas such as:

• Closing attainment gaps

• Improving wellbeing and mental health

• Enhancing behaviour

• Improving rates of attendance

• Allowing professional development for teachers

2. Identify challenges facing disadvantages pupils in your school

Compile data showing the impact of poor sleep on your pupils. This could include:

• Internal and external academic assessments

• Attendance records

• Behaviour incidences and exclusions data

• Academic performance data

• Surveys of pupils or parents highlighting sleep difficulties

• Wellbeing, mental health, and safeguarding concerns

3. State your intended outcomes

These might include improved attendance, better wellbeing, higher academic achievement, and improved mental health, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. You should also state how any improvements will be measured.

4. State the activity the money will be spent on (Sound Sleep training)

State your activity as Sound Sleep, designed to equip educators with the skills and resources to effectively teach children about healthy sleep.

5. If your school is already using Pupil Premium funding, review the previous year

Reflect on the performance of your disadvantaged pupils during the past academic year and share how this has been assessed. You should include:

• Insights from national assessments and qualifications data

• Comparisons to local and national averages, as well as the outcomes of non-disadvantaged pupils within your school

• Findings from both summative and formative assessments carried out in school

• Observations and school data that highlight wider factors affecting performance, such as attendance, behaviour, and wellbeing

Implementing the course

After implementing Sound Sleep, you should track its impact using:

• Pupils’ sleep patterns (through surveys or diaries)

• Attendance and punctuality

• Academic progress and classroom behaviour

• Behaviour logs

• Feedback from pupils and parents

Use this data to demonstrate the value of Sound Sleep in future strategy plans.

Further Information

For more information about Pupil Premium from the Department of Education, including templates for your school’s Strategy Plan, visit: Pupil Premium