What is Pupil Premium Funding?

Pupil Premium is additional government funding provided to schools to support particular groups of children. Although schools can determine the ways in which this funding is spent, it must be used to have the greatest impact on reducing or removing barriers to learning for eligible pupils.

The following groups can access Pupil Premium funding:

Children currently entitled to or claiming Free School Meals or those who have claimed in the previous 6 years – Pupil Premium (does not include Universal Free School Meals – see below for more details).

Children who are adopted, in care, or who have been in care in the last 6 years – Pupil Premium Plus.

Children whose parents currently serve in the Armed Forces or have served in the last 5 years – Services Premium.

Is my child eligible for Pupil Premium Funding?

Children qualify for Pupil Premium funding if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income support.
• Income-based job-seekers’ allowance.
• Income-related employment and support allowance.
• Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
• The guaranteed element of state pension credit.

Child tax credit, provided that you are also not entitled to a working tax credit and have an annual gross income of £16,190 or less.

From April 2018, these benefits have become combined into a single benefit called Universal Credit. Under Universal Credit, Free School Meals and Pupil Premium will only be allocated to pupils with a net annual family income below £7400.

Currently, all children in Foundation and Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) qualify for Universal Free School Meals regardless of family income or benefits. Only children who would qualify for Free School Meals under the income-based criteria listed above are eligible for Pupil Premium.

Please tell us if your child qualifies for Free School Meals under the above criteria – even if they bring a packed lunch – as they will be eligible for Pupil Premium funding.

Because of our low numbers of pupils entitled to Pupil Premium Funding, we have tailored our approach to looking at pupils’ needs on an individual basis rather than looking at barriers to learning across the school.

We monitor the needs and impact of our funding annually and in collaboration with parents. We review our strategy at the end of the summer term.

For more information about how the funding was used last year and an outline of our plan for this academic year, please see the Pupil Premium Strategy Report below.