Is your child entitled to extra support with their learning?

All children who currently qualify for free school meals based on their family circumstances are entitled to pupil premium. In addition to receiving a free school lunch, if your joint family income is less than £16,190 per year and you are in receipt of benefits your child may have access to extra funding.

This applies if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Universal credit (provided you have a net income of £7400 or less)
• Income support
• Income-based jobseekers’ 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 not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of £16,190 or less

Children who are or have been in care, and children who have a parent who is or was in the armed forces, are also entitled to pupil premium.

In addition, pupils who have qualified for free school meals on the above grounds in the past, but are no longer eligible, continue to receive pupil premium for the next six years.

Schools are responsible for recording the children who are eligible for pupil premium in their annual school census - you don't have to do anything yourself, other than making sure you return any paperwork that relates to the benefits you receive or your child's entitlement to free school meals.

Why register?

Registering for free school meals and pupil premium could raise an extra £1,345 for your child’s school to fund valuable support like:

• Support with their learning
• Access to specific learning focused technology 
• After school activities
• School visits
• Subsidised breakfast club sessions

This additional money is available from central government for every child whose parent is receiving eligible benefits. It is therefore important to sign up for free school meals/pupil premium as this involves more than a free school lunch and your child’s school will receive extra funding to ensure your child gets support. 

What is the Pupil Premium Grant?

The pupil premium grant is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers; and to support children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces.

Please click on the link below to view our Pupil Premium Strategy: