Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is additional funding that the Government gives to schools for each pupil on roll where they are deemed to be disadvantaged.  The Department of Education website is a good source of additional information: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium  

Poverty or low income is the single most important factor in predicting a child’s future life chances, with many pupils having low attainment by the time they leave school at age 16. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address these 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. 

Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school year groups from Reception to Year 11 from low-income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’), together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more. 

Parents must apply for free school meals status via the County Council Website or the school office, this is a quick and simple process.  Please do this even if you do not want to claim the school meals as there will be extra funds allocated to the school to enable increased support for your child. You may also benefit from vouchers during the school holidays and holiday activity schemes.

All you need is your National Insurance Number, date of birth, name and child’s details and an eligibility check can be carried out using the Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking System, this will confirm if details have been matched or not. It will not tell us what benefits you are in receipt of, dates when a benefit was awarded or say how much you receive. Confirmation will be sent to you and the school within 5-10 working days.

Apply for free school meals - Gloucestershire County Council