Pupil Premium

The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers (Non free school meals-Non FSM) by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

In most cases, the Pupil Premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.

Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However, they will be held accountable in how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low income families. New measures are included in the performance tables that capture the achievement of those deprived covered by the Pupil Premium. From September 2012, the Government required schools to publish online information about how they have used the premium. This ensures that parents and all other interested parties are made fully aware of the attainment for this group of pupils.

What is Pupil Premium Funding?

Once a year we provide the department for education with information that we hold about our pupils in a census return. Allocations are made based on the school which the eligible pupil attends, at the time of the October school census. This information is used to determine the amount of additional funding we receive for specific pupils, and we then ensure the money is spent on those same pupils over the course of the school year. The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to schools so that we can support our disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between them and their peers.

Where Can I Find More Information On Pupil Premium Funding?

For more information on Pupil Premium please visit the Department for Education’s website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium/pupil-premium

How Do I Know If My Child Can Receive Pupil Premium Funding?

Free School Meals

The most common reason a pupil receives Pupil Premium funding at our school is that a parent is registered as receiving a benefit that entitles them to free school meals. This is not the same as receiving a free school meal as your child is in Key Stage 1.

Free school meal/pupil premium funding now works as all pupils in EYFS and Key Stage 1 will receive a free school meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) Scheme. However, if you receive certain benefits your child can still receive pupil premium funding, but you MUST fill in all the details on the free school meal form available upon request from the office.

In Key Stage 2 (Yr3, Yr4, Yr5 & Yr6) all pupils will need to apply for free school meals if they qualify for pupil premium.

Service Children

Children of armed service personnel are also eligible. Service children are children and young people from families where one or more parents is currently in the British armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Pupils attract the premium if they meet the following criteria:

one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces
one of their parents served in the regular armed forces in the last 3 year
one of their parents died while serving in the armed forces and the pupil is in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

Looked After Children

Schools will also receive £1,900 for each pupil who has left local-authority care because of 1 of the following:

adoption
a special guardianship order
a child arrangements order
a residence order

If a pupil has been registered as eligible for free school meals and has also left local authority care for any of the reasons above, they will attract the £1900 rate.

Children who have been in local authority care for 1 day or more also attract £1900 of pupil premium funding. Funding for these pupils doesn’t go to their school; it goes to the virtual school head (VSH) (https://bit.ly/3gU7aCC) in the local authority that looks after the child. VSHs are responsible for managing pupil premium funding for looked after children (https://bit.ly/3730fSY).

How Much Money Does The School Receive?

In the 2021 financial year, the pupil premium is:

£1,345 for each eligible free school meal for primary-aged pupils.
£310 for each eligible service child.
£2,345 for each looked after child

IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT IF YOUR CHILD MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING PLEASE ASK US.