Pupil Premium is additional to main school funding, to help schools close the gap between children from low income and other disadvantaged families and their peers.
Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However, schools will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families.
Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings, children who have been registered for free school meals within the previous 6 years, children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months. There is also a service premium for children whose parents are in the armed forces. In addition free school meal eligibility has been extended permanently to include children in all households with no recourse to public funds, awaiting immigration control (NRPF).
All infants are now eligible for a free school meal so we will be asking parents to fill in a form to show that they are in receipt of certain benefits. Then the school can apply for Pupil Premium funds.
In addition to Pupil Premium schools can access Catch Up funding to support pupils affected by Covid.