What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil premium is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children.

This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates.

Is your child eligible?

Primary schools are given a pupil premium for:

• Children in Reception to Year 6 who are, or have ever been, entitled to free school meals based on their family income: £1455 per pupil, per school year
• Children in care: £2530 per pupil, per school year
• Children previously in care who have been adopted, or who have a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order: £2530 per pupil, per school year
• Children recorded as being from service families: £335 per pupil, per school year.

How is the money spent?

Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible.

Please read through the schools pupil premium report for more detail on how the school uses the money.

How do l claim for Pupil Premium?

Children qualify for free school meals – and accordingly pupil premium – 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

These benefits have now been rolled into a single benefit, called Universal Credit. 

Universal Credit is being rolled out, with an expected completion date of March 2022. All pupils who were eligible for free school meals up to April 2018 will continue to receive free school meals during this period.

Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants who no longer meet the eligiblilty criteria will still qualify for free school meals until the end of their current stage of education (i.e. primary or secondary).

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.

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.

If your child qualifies for free school meals, it’s important that you tell their school – even if they're in Reception or KS1 and receive universal school meals for infant pupils, or are in KS2 and take a packed lunch – as this enables them to claim pupil premium.

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment & Support Allowance
• Support under pary VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
• The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided not also entitled to Working Tax Credit) with earnings from employment below £16,190.
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Looked After Children
• Looked After Children who have left care through Child Arrangement Orders (formerly Special Guardianship) or an Adoption or Residence Order.