What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other pupils.
For the academic year 2024-2025, £1,480 has been allocated to schools for any pupil who has been registered for Free School Meals in the last six years. In addition, a Service Child Premium of £340 per pupil has been allocated to children with parents in the armed services in recognition for the particular challenges that they face. Children who are looked after or previously looked after are allocated £2,530. Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils.
If you think your family may qualify for the pupil premium, please contact the school office. For further information about the pupil premium and free school meal entitlement, please click here.
All infant school children, those in reception, year 1 and year 2 have been entitled to free school meals since September 2014. Just tell your school that you want your child or children to have free school meals.
If your infant child would have been entitled to free school meals under the old system, because you are receiving qualifying benefits (listed below) the government will give your school a Pupil Premium of £1,480 for primary-aged pupils (2024-2025). For children in year 7 and above, the government will give your school a Pupil Premium of £1,050.
For the school and your child to benefit from this money we need to know that you are receiving a qualifying benefit. Please complete the claim form which is available from your school or you can download it from our downloads section.
For children in years 3 and above, free school meals are not provided automatically. They can be awarded only if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Job Seeker's Allowance (income-based)
- Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
- support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit - providing you are NOT entitled to Working Tax Credit and your family's annual income (as assessed by HMRC) is not more than £16,190 (as at 6 April 2012)
- Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment you may receive for a further four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)