The ethical and moral implications of the pupil premium grant in primary school and how this might impact on primary education in a democratic society

This essay discusses the ethical and moral implications of the pupil premium grant in primary schools and its impact on primary education in a democratic society. It explores how this grant addresses inequalities and reduces the poverty attainment gap. The essay also highlights the philosophical perspectives and guidelines associated with the grant.

A PHILISOPHICAL PROJECT
ABOUT PUPIL PREMIUM IN
PRIMARY SCHOOLS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Philosophical perspectives-Pupil premium grant policy.............................................................1
The ethical and moral implications of pupil premium grant in primary school..........................2
Ways in which pupil premium grant might impact on primary education in a democratic
society..........................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

TITLE
Main title of this essay is: The ethical and moral implications of the pupil premium grant
in primary school and how this might impact on primary education in a democratic society.
INTRODUCTION
Education is one of the most important part of an individual’s life. A child’s social class
and family background have a direct impact on their education (Cushman, Kumar and Railton,
2017). In order to enhance overall education of such students it is important to fulfil their basic
needs and requirements. If this hierarchical order of needs is fulfilled then it can help the schools
to government to enhance overall education of such students. Fulfilment of these requirement is
extremely important especially for the students who come from financially disadvantaged
background. Such children not only face difficulty in relation to education but they also suffer or
experience emotional disturbance, lower self-esteem and one of the main issues suffered by them
is difficulty in building a strong relationship with their peer. Pupil premium grant is a strategy or
policy that focus on these disadvantaged students so that poverty attainment gap can be reduced
(Becker, Manoussakis and Goodman, 2018). This essay will majorly focus on ethical and moral
implications associated with pupil premium grant in primary school and ways in which it impacts
on primary education in a democratic society.
MAIN BODY
Philosophical perspectives-Pupil premium grant policy
Philosophical perspective is a kind of annual peer-reviewed academic journal of
philosophy (Patterson, Wilkins and Painter, 2018). Each annual volume is dedicated to a specific
theme that helps in addressing philosophical problems. Pupil premium is a kind of grant or
funding which is provided to schools of England for each and every child who claims free meals
of school currently or has been doing since past six years. The main purpose of this pupil
premium grant is to address current underlying inequalities between all the disadvantaged
children and their peers. It mainly focuses on overcoming socio-economic segregation between
schools and also to reduce the poverty attainment gap (Lehmann, Martin and Fisher, 2018). Till
an extent it has been successfully implemented but still there are some flaws or gaps within this
grant. Some of the most important stakeholders are considering either to reroute it or to stop this
pupil premium grant. Various kinds of guidelines have been made that helps in effectively
implementing this pupil premium grant especially within primary schools. These guidelines help
1

in ensuring that this allocated pupil premium grant is allocated solely for its intended purpose,
attainment gap is narrowed down so that it can be used in an appropriate manner so that it can be
used for fulfilling needs of disadvantaged students. It also helps low income families or parents
to successfully register for this pupil premium grant policy. There are various kinds of
implications that are associated with this policy (Grube and Van Herck, eds., 2018). These
guidelines help in reducing number of frauds associated with this policy and the main purpose
for which these grants or funding’s are provided to schools can be fulfilled. School authorities
and governing bodies continuously monitor usage of these grants so that it can be evaluated that
these funding’s are used for correct and appropriate purpose (Stamm, Frick and Mackey, 2016).
Continuous monitoring of these funds is extremely important because there are various
negative aspects related to this policy that can affect overall positive results of these grants. If
correct usage of these funds is not monitored or evaluated then schools can use these funds for
their personal use and if these fuds are not used to provide meals to disadvantaged students then
it can result in increasing poverty attainment gap. It can also create vicious circles if school does
not taken necessary steps because of which disadvantaged students can face various kinds of
other difficulties. In order to make correct usage of this policy all the staff members of the school
are also educated about this policy so that they can understand importance of this policy, usage
of this policy and can make other parents of student’s ways in which they can avail this policy
(Hanefar, Saari and Siraj, 2016). But it is one of the main responsibilities of school and
governing bodies to check and evaluate that advantage of this policy is only taken by students
who has some or the other disadvantage such as they belong from a lower social economy status
family and with the help of this policy, this poverty attainment gap can be reduced or diminished.
Pupil premium grant can be related to democratic education philosophy. This theory
focuses on educational idealism in which democracy of both method and goal of instruction are
focused on. This theory helps in bringing democratic educational value, value of justice among
people (Liu, Cheng, and Chen, 2019). Pupil premium grant also focuses on enhancing value of
justice, increase educational value among students so that injustice can be reduced, respect for
each other can be increased and trust can be maintained. Democratic education is the best
philosophical concept of theory that can be used to link and explain Pupil premium grant strategy
of government for disadvantaged students.
2

It can also be related to John Dewey’s work. He focused on providing a problem to
resolve problems encounter within the environment. Work of John Dewey can be linked to Pupil
premium grant as it helps the government as well as schools to reduce poverty attainment gap
within schools.
The ethical and moral implications of pupil premium grant in primary school
Every year primary schools face a closure examination over performance of all kinds of
students that some or the other kind of disadvantage associated with them or their families. In
this examination, it is checked that all the disadvantaged students show progress within their
performance. If they fail to do so then advantage of this grant is not provided to them further
(Tappolet, Teroni and Ziv, 2018). There are various kinds of implications associated with this
pupil premium grant in primary school that can helps in improving overall condition of
disadvantaged students. Provision of Pupil premium grant support to schools helps in
determining fulfilment of basic needs of students. It is designed in such a manner that it helps in
providing support to children who needs it so that barriers towards learning or education can be
reduced (Rao, Sidana and Anand, 2018). This would further result in improved attainment and
reduced poverty gaps. One of the main ethical implication associated with this strategy is to
make disadvantaged students more effective and efficient in order to bring improvement within
their learning. Most of the schools focus on not withdrawing any kind of support that are being
provided to disadvantaged students (Robert Seidel, Tolan and Diaz, 2017). Any kind of step
towards improving condition of disadvantaged students would be fruitful for them and will also
help in reducing challenges associated with learning for such students. It has also helped in
developing a positive attitude among students towards this strategy or policy.
According to a survey more than 98 percent of primary school focused on recruiting
additional staff members so that they can provide some kind of benefit to socially economically
backward students. Pupil premium has helped such primary schools to provide a support to
disadvantaged students (Zwart, Landeweerd and Lemmens, 2016). Without this policy this
percentage would reduce below 75 percent. There are other strategies associated with providing
support to lower economic class students. Pupil Premium provides additional support to those
strategies and helps in increasing overall advantage of those strategies. Another one of the main
ethical implication of this policy is that it has helped in reducing overall gap between advantaged
students and disadvantaged students. Lower social and economic class students can take
3

advantage of this policy, enhance their learning or education and can also help in increasing
equal opportunities for them (de Morais and Fernandes, 2019). Easy access to these opportunities
can help such students to strengthen their educational background. For primary schools this pupil
premium grant policy help in building and encouraging learning and education development
feeling within disadvantaged students. Ethical implication of pupil premium associated with it is
that it helps in enhancing high quality of education among students without any discrimination
etc. Another one of the main ethical implication associated with this policy is that it has helped in
reducing or eliminating discrimination among students and has increased equality among
students or pupils (van Driel, 2019). For primary schools it is one of the best and main
intervention as since lower standards children will focus on developing feeling of equality and
will treat other students equally without any kind of discrimination.
It has helped in increasing high expectation and high aspirations among lower social
status family students (Al-Nakeeb, Mohammed and Kunjamma, 2018). Overall, this strategy has
positively shown good impact on enhancing advantage of other strategies that are associated with
provision of education and learning benefit to lower social class students. It has successfully
helped in identifying barriers associated with learning so that ways in which those barriers are
required to be removed can be identified (Hummel, Pfaff and Rost, 2018). However, this strategy
has increased moral responsibilities of school administration and staff members so that they can
focus on ensuring that this policy is implemented appropriately and a good value of money is
provided to students. It has also helped in providing a moral support to disadvantaged students so
that they do not feel discouraged or demotivated and can focus on their education and learning in
a much better and enhanced manner (Tsuchiya, Takamiya and Snell, 2017). It has further helped
in rising or increasing achievements for students. One of the main moral implication of this
strategy is that it has helped in moral development of students which further includes learning
society values and behaviour. It further helps in developing a feeling of morality so that they can
understand society values, changes that are brought within such values and ways in which it can
impact their overall learning and education in a much better manner. This has also helped in
development of liberal views among primary school students (Pircher Verdorfer and Weber,
2016). Pupil premium has helped in increasing utilitarianism among students as well i.e. it has
helped in promoting pleasure and happiness among students and has rejected actions of
4

unhappiness like providing free meals to disadvantaged students has helped in enhancing feeling
of happiness among them and has reduced unpleasant and unhappiness actions for them.
Ways in which pupil premium grant might impact on primary education in a democratic society
The main purpose of education in this democratic society is to install values of fairness,
cooperation and justices among hearts of the students. It is important to be focused on because
these values are quite essential to improve and maintain functionalities of democracy of a
country (Hummel, Pfaff and Rost, 2018). Due to difference in social economic status of the
students as well as of their families feeling of discrimination and inequality in increasing among
students and values of fairness, cooperation and justices is getting reduced. It is becoming one of
the main challenges in learning education of disadvantaged students. There are already enough
barriers within the path of education for disadvantaged students because of their lower social or
economic class and these challenges further increases barriers for them. In order to reduce these
barriers and provide better and enhanced education to such people various kinds of policies and
strategies have been introduced by the government so that they can take a step towards learning
and education and reduce poverty attainment gap among students (Adams, Dominelliand Payne,
eds., 2017). Pupil premium grant is one of those strategies in which free school meals are
provided to disadvantaged students. As per the strategy it is important to have the correct notes
over filling up of attainments gaps between the pupil who are considered to be eligible for the
free means in schools along with all others pupils a which share facing difficulty to shift.
There is development of strong level of relationships in the outcome of education and the
wealth which have been feature of school system long term effort. As per the survey there is
significant level of positive impact as the school leaders are readability to have the acceptability
regarding the needs to be unaccountable for the funds which is being provided by public. This
have been stated has the more level of responsibility that is impacts of initiatives and the funds
which is activities (Boys, Walsh and Khaja, 2018) This is resulted as he moral responsibility to
have censure of strategies as they are adapting successful as provide the good values for money.
It further helps in developing a feeling of morality so that they can understand society values,
changes that are brought within such values and ways in which it can impact their overall
learning and education in a much better manner. This strategy has the clear level of implication
of managing proper level of school principles which have the major focus high quality teaching.
5

In additions to have the high exasperation along with inspection which clearly demonstration of
positive improvisational strategies.
As the impacts there is engaging of parents in the educationist and progression
programmes of their respective child. As the outcomes for the individuals pupils as the
intensification of major barriers to learning for the disadvantage pupils(Buxarrais, Nogueraand
Esteban, 2019) . In support to have the management the strategy also helped in increasing
utilitarianism among students as well i.e. it has helped in promoting pleasure and happiness
among students and has rejected actions of unhappiness like providing free meals to
disadvantaged students has helped in enhancing feeling of happiness among them and has
reduced unpleasant and unhappiness actions for them (Webb, Woodford and Huchard, 2019)
This practice have impacted in increase level of addressing the different barriers which to have
the learning and emotional support. This is considered to gave are request level of monitoring
the progress along with putting the investigation place in more rapid manners to have increase in
support which is callously needed. On the other hand, the guardians have the willing to engages
as the more level of critical issues of our times which is actually escalating the climate level of
emergency to have wide spreading union equality to the refluence
The teacher where also known as pupils are considered to more level of eligibility for the
pupil premium (De Los Reyes Jr, Kim and Weaver, 2017) . There is more level of needs along
the peers disambiguates children in the specific purposes which are recognized as per high level
of risibility along with looking after the children. This is having the pupil premiums as the
important policy which havering the potential to make the huge level of difference to the
existence of poorest childrearing in existence to our particulate septicity.
CONCLUSION
From the above essay it has been summarized that there are various factors that work as a
barrier for students in learning or education. Various kinds of strategies or polices have been
developed by government that can help disadvantaged students in taking a step towards
education and learning. It has been concluded that pupil premium grant is one of the strategy or
policy that has been developed by the government for disadvantaged students in which free
meals to such students is provided so that they can easily access educations and barriers towards
education can be reduced (Hudson and Díaz Pearson, 2018). This has helped in reducing poverty
attainment gap among students and has helped in development of equality among students. It has
6

been analysed that there are various kinds of ethical and moral implications that are associated
with this policy or strategy that has impacted primary education in a democratic society in many
different ways.
7

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. eds., 2017. Social work: Themes, issues and critical
debates. PalgraveMacmillan.
Al-Nakeeb, S., Mohammed, O.A. and Kunjamma, S., 2018. Language and Ideology: Linguistic
and Philosophical Perspectives. Language in India, 18(10).
Becker, B.W., Manoussakis, J.P. and Goodman, D.M. eds., 2018. Unconscious Incarnations:
Psychoanalytic and Philosophical Perspectives on the Body. Routledge.
Boys, S., Walsh, J.S. and Khaja, K., 2018. Teaching trump: Student recommendations to ensure
safe discussions in a time of polarized political divide. Journal of Teaching in Social
Work, 38(4), pp.347-362.
Buxarrais, M.R., Noguera, E. and Esteban, F., 2019. Ethical Competences for Democratic
Citizenship at School, University and in Family. In Education for Democratic
Intercultural Citizenship (pp. 42-60). Brill Sense.
Cushman, F., Kumar, V. and Railton, P., 2017. Moral learning: Psychological and philosophical
perspectives.
De Los Reyes Jr, G., Kim, T.W. and Weaver, G.R., 2017. Teaching ethics in business schools: A
conversation on disciplinary differences, academic provincialism, and the case for
integrated pedagogy. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 16(2), pp.314-
336.
de Morais, M.B. and Fernandes, F.S., 2019. Oral History and Mathematics Education: The
Dialogue with/among Different Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives. In Oral
History and Mathematics Education (pp. 35-45). Springer, Cham.
Grube, D.M. and Van Herck, W. eds., 2018. Philosophical perspectives on religious diversity:
bivalent truth, tolerance and personhood. Routledge.
Hanefar, S.B., Sa’ari, C.Z. and Siraj, S., 2016. A synthesis of spiritual intelligence themes from
islamic and western philosophical perspectives. Journal of religion and health, 55(6),
pp.2069-2085.
Hudson, T.D. and Díaz Pearson, A., 2018. Developing the moral self: College students’
understandings of living a moral or ethical life. Journal of College and Character, 19(3),
pp.185-200.
Hummel, K., Pfaff, D. and Rost, K., 2018. Does economics and business education wash away
moral judgment competence?. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(2), pp.559-577.
Hummel, K., Pfaff, D. and Rost, K., 2018. Does economics and business education wash away
moral judgment competence?. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(2), pp.559-577.
Lehmann, I., Martin, A. and Fisher, J.A., 2018. Why should ecosystem services be governed to
support poverty alleviation? Philosophical perspectives on positions in the empirical
literature. Ecological economics, 149, pp.265-273.
Liu, Q., Cheng, Z. and Chen, M., 2019. Effects of environmental education on environmental
ethics and literacy based on virtual reality technology. The Electronic Library.
Patterson, P., Wilkins, L. and Painter, C., 2018. Media ethics: Issues and cases. Rowman &
Littlefield.
Pircher Verdorfer, A. and Weber, W.G., 2016. Examining the link between organizational
democracy and employees’ moral development. Journal of Moral Education, 45(1),
pp.59-73.
8

Rao, G., Sidana, A.K. and Anand, S., 2018. Block-3 Philosophical Perspectives of Education.
Robert Seidel, M.L.A., Tolan, P.H. and Diaz, A., 2017. Philosophical perspectives on social
justice: a framework for discussing a children, youth, and families health policy and
research agenda. health equity, p.83.
Stamm, M.E., Frick, W.C. and Mackey, H.J., 2016. An Analysis of US Student Drug and
Alcohol Policies through the Lens of a Professional Ethic for School Leadership.
International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 11(1), p.n1.
Tappolet, C., Teroni, F. and Ziv, A.K., 2018. Philosophical Perspectives on Negative Emotions:
Shadows of the Soul.
Tsuchiya, S., Takamiya, Y. and Snell, L., 2017. A New Description of a Healthcare
Professional’s Resilience, Incorporating an Eastern Philosophical Perspectives of Self-
definition. How to Bridge the Gap between Independent and Interdependent Self-
definition in Medical Education. International Journal of Whole Person Care, 4(1).
van Driel, P., 2019, November. Ethics and Digital Transformation: The Role of Democratic
Institutions. In European Conference on Management, Leadership & Governance (pp.
509-511). Academic Conferences International Limited.
Webb, C.E., Woodford, P. and Huchard, E., 2019. Animal Ethics and Behavioral Science: An
Overdue Discussion. BioScience, 69(10), pp.778-788.
Zwart, H., Landeweerd, L. and Lemmens, P., 2016. Continental philosophical perspectives on
life sciences and emerging technologies.
9