WHAT IS PUPIL PREMIUM?

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to enhance the provision for pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’) Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months and children of service personnel. 

This additional funding is given to schools so that the school can support disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between them and their peers. The funding allocation includes for looked-after children who:

• Have been looked after for 1 day or more
• Are adopted
• Leave care under a Special Guardianship Order or a Residence Order 

Your child may qualify for Pupil Premium/FSM if parents are receiving one of the benefits listed below:

• Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of state Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

The school receives Pupil Premium grant funding (currently £1345 per child per year) to enable pupils registered for free school meals (FSM) and for service children to be offered a rich educational experience that is not inhibited by their background. As a school we aim to provide every child with the best possible learning experiences and environments. Using Pupil Premium we are able to provide a range of additional support to those children to ensure that they not only achieve but where possible exceed age related expectation.

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 by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.