What is the Pupil Premium Grant? 

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is additional funding that the government gives to schools for each pupil on roll to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities to reach their potential and support children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces. The money received must be spent on these pupils to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent.

For more information see:

 

Is my child eligible? 

Schools receive a Pupil Premium Grant for:

• Children from low income families who are registered for Free School Meals (FSM), or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’). NB Parents/carers must register. This grant is £1515 per academic year.
• Looked-after children (LAC) who are either in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority. This funding is managed by the designated virtual school head (VSH) in the local authority that looks after the child. This grant is £2630 per academic year.
• Previously Looked-after children (post-LAC) who have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangement order or a residence order. This grant is £2570 per academic year.
• There is also a Services Pupil Premium for each registered service child to help mitigate the negative impact on service children of family mobility or parental deployment. Parents must inform the school if their child is eligible for the grant. This grant is £350 per academic year.

Your child may be eligible for Free School Meals (and all the Pupil Premium Funding will offer) if you get any of the following:

• 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 Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit (from September 2025 the eligibility criteria changes to remove the requirement for income to be below £7400)

Is it worth applying for my child as they are under 7 and already get free meals?

Yes. Funding supports the school to provide additional academic and pastoral support for your child.

How is the Pupil Premium Grant spent?

Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium grant, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible. To ensure we make the best use of the funding, the grant is pooled and may be used to resource strategies that support the entire Pupil Premium cohort and in some cases, the whole school.  We carefully consider the individual needs of every child prior to any additional support or intervention and greatly value the support of each child’s parents or carers in this decision. When considering how best to use our funding, we consider individual and whole cohort needs and use research evidence to determine what is likely to have the greatest impact on pupil outcomes.

For a detailed breakdown of how we spend the Pupil Premium Funding at our school see the full strategy on our Statutory Information page of our school website.

Can parents/carers influence the funding use?

There is no obligation for schools to consult parents/carers about how they use the money they claim for your child, although at our school, we greatly value your input and support in your child’s education. Schools do have to show that they are using their pupil premium fund appropriately. This is measured through Ofsted inspections and annual performance tables showing the progress made by children who are eligible for the pupil premium grant. In addition, schools have to publish details online, including how much money they have been allocated, how they intend to spend it, how they spent their previous year’s allocation and how it made a difference to the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. This is available on our school website on the Statutory Information page.

At our school, parents/carers can contact the school to request that the school consider use of Pupil Premium Funding towards school uniform, milk, sports or other enrichment clubs or trips (listed in Tier 3 of the Pupil Premium Strategy). Funding/partial funding for these areas is at the discretion of the school and considered under the aims of the strategy. Parents should send an email to the relavent school office for the attention of the Pupil Premium Lead (Mrs Fricker).

How do I register for Pupil Premium Funding (much more than Free School Meals)?

Parents/carers can apply online through Bristol City Council 

 

or by printing and posting the form linked here (postal address is on the form)

If you need support to complete the application our school office team would be happy to help you.