This details the additional funding that we receive to support eligible children and how we plan to spend this across the year.

The government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for funding and their peers. More information as to this can be found here

Who is eligible?

• Children in care who have been looked after continuously for more than 6 months.
• A service premium is available for children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
• Pupils eligible for free school meals.

To be eligible for free school meals the child’s family must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• 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 - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

• Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

  Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

• younger than the compulsory age for starting school
• in full-time education

Kent County Council have launched an online Free School Meals application service including an eligibility assessment to establish whether you have an entitlement to Free School Meals. This can be accessed at http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals.

The school will be notified automatically of any successful applications.

Infant free school meals in England

Your child will be able to get free school meals if they’re in a government-funded school and in:

• reception class
• year 1
• year 2

Tell your local authority if you also get any of the qualifying benefits. Your child’s school can get extra funding if you do.

Is my child eligible for Pupil Premium Funding?

In September 2014, the Government introduced ‘Universal Free School Meals’ for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. However, it is important that parents/carers of children in these year groups still apply (through completing a very short form!) for free school meals if they think that they may be eligible, so that the school receives pupil premium funding for them.

If you would like to find out more about whether your child may be eligible for Pupil Premium funding, please enquire in the school office. 

How we use the funding

Our aim is for those pupils eligible for Pupil Premium (PP) funding to achieve better than the average for “all” pupils nationally by the time they leave at the end of Y6.

Pupil Premium funding will be used to:

• Support the raising of attainment of PP eligible pupils through accelerated progress, so that we diminish the difference between the school’s PP pupils and the 'all' pupils both within school and nationally.
• Continue to accelerate progress for PP pupils.
•  Increase parental engagement with their child’s education and with the school.
• Improve attendance.
• Increase opportunities for PP pupils and broaden their experiences.

We review the impact of our Pupil Premium funding annually, we use assessment data and our well-being toolkit to measure the impact of our funding. Our next Pupil Premium strategy review will be July 2022.