What is the Pupil Premium?

The pupil premium is an allocation of funding provided to schools to support children who may be vulnerable to underachievement. The amount received is dependent on the number of children who receive free school meals. All schools are required to report on the amount of funding and how this is being used.

The Government believes that Pupil Premium ‘is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most’. It is also used to support children who have been adopted, who are ‘looked-after’ or who has a parent in the armed forces. At Waverley Junior Academy we use this funding to support spending which benefits eligible children within their cohorts, rather than create individual budgets for each child. This spending significantly enhances our capacity to support children with barriers to their learning.

Eligibility for the Pupil Premium

From September 2014, all children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 qualify for free school meals regardless of their family income.

Your child is eligible for Free School Meals if you get one or more of the following benefits:

• 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)
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit run- on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

In addition, the following pupils will be protected against losing their free school meals as follows;

• From 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants will continue to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This will apply even if their earnings rise above the new threshold during that time
• In addition, any child gaining eligibility for free school meals after 1 April 2018 will be protected against losing free school meals during the Universal Credit rollout period
• Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants that no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point (because they are earning above the threshold or are no longer in receipt of Universal Credit) will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education (i.e. primary or secondary)

This this will take to you the RMBC website to claim Free School Meals for your child:

https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/benefits/apply-free-school-meals/1

If your claim is successful, the school will be notified that your child can have free school meals.

Even if a child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and/or take a packed lunch – as this enables school to claim pupil premium.

If you would like any advice or support in checking eligibility for free school meals, please call into the school office to find out how you register your child(ren).

Full information about the Pupil Premium can be found on the Department for Education website.

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium/b0076063/pp