The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is paid by means of a specific grant based on the school’s census figures for pupils registered as eligible for FSM in Reception to Year 6. For looked after children the Pupil Premium is calculated using the Children Looked After data returns. The Pupil Premium is additional to main school funding and it will be used to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible by ensuring that funding is targeted to the pupils who need it most, to improve their attainment / progress and to enable them to participate in the full life of the school.
Free School Meals and the Pupil Premium
Parents can quickly and easily check eligibility for free school meals and, if eligible, also gain welcome additional funding for their child’s school, known as ‘Pupil Premium’ by visiting this link www.fsm.lgfl.net. If eligible, you are not obliged to accept the free school meals for your child if you wish to make other arrangements but we do want to encourage applications as the additional funding gained would still benefit education provision at the school. The funding the school receives will be targeted directly at your child, and will provide, not only educational support, but also support with the cost of extra-curricular activities and school trips.
What the service does for parents:
After entering essential details into the web site, the online application process links to the Department for Education system for checking eligibility and gives an immediate ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, and will notify the school. This system is being provided to encourage parents to apply and take advantage of free school meals while at the same time increasing the benefit to schools from Pupil Premium funding, a substantial amount of which does not reach schools because not all parents who are eligible apply for free meals for their child.
LGfL (a UK education charity set up in 2001 and owned by London’s 33 local authorities) exists to support education and is leading this initiative to make it easier for parents to apply for free school meals and to encourage the drawdown of unclaimed Pupil Premium.
What the service does for schools:
As the government has now introduced free school meals for all children in Key Stage 1, it is more important than ever for schools to know the number of pupils for whom they can claim Pupil Premium funding. These funds enable schools to take on additional staff and invest in additional equipment, resources and activities to the benefit of all children.