Pupil Premium

Mrs Gibbs is responsible for Pupil Premium and can be contacted on Head@margaretwix.herts.sch.uk

Please find out more below...

What is Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium was introduced in 2011 and is additional funding that the government gives to schools for each pupil on roll where they are deemed to be economically disadvantaged. The money must be spent on that pupil to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent. It was introduced to ensure all pupils, regardless of being economically disadvantaged or non-disadvantaged, have equal opportunities at school and within their education.

How to apply...

To apply, click on this link:

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/at-school/free-school-meals/free-school-meals.aspx

What if I need help?

If you feel that you are eligible to apply for Free School Meals and would like help doing so, Mrs. O'Connor is more than happy to help! Ask to see Mrs. O'Connor and she can go through the application process with you helping to answer any questions you may have!

Why is the government providing pupil premium?

Economic circumstance is the single most important factor in predicting a child’s future life chances, with many pupils having low attainment by the time they leave school at age 16. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address these underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle economic disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. 

Is your child eligible? 

Pupil Premium is allocated to pupils in school year groups from Reception to Year 11 from low-income families who are registered for FSM, or who have been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6’), together with children that have been in care continuously for 6 months or more.

Children who currently qualify for free school meals is based on their family circumstances and this is what entitles the child to pupil premium. This applies if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and 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’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don't get more than £16,190 a year)
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).

Children who are or have been in care, and children who have a parent who is or was in the armed forces, are also entitled to pupil premium.

In addition, pupils who have qualified for free school meals on the above grounds in the past, but are no longer eligible, continue to receive pupil premium for the next six years.

Pupil Premium Rates 24.25

Primary schools are given a pupil premium for:

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) for pupils who meet the eligibility criteria (Look after children, previously Looked After Children or whose parents meet the criteria for Free School Meals): £353.40.

Children in Reception to Year 6 who are currently entitled to free school meals based on their family income: £1455 per pupil, per school year

Children in Reception to Year 6 who were previously entitled to benefits-based free school meals, even if they're no longer eligible: £1455 per pupil, per school year, for six years after they stopped qualifying for free school meals

Children who have been adopted from care or have left care: £2530 per pupil, per school year

Children who are looked after by the local authority: £2530 per pupil, per school year

Children recorded as being from service families: £335 per pupil, per school year

How is it spent?

Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible. Common ways in which schools spend their pupil premium fund include:

• Extra one-to-one or small-group support for children within the classroom.
• Employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes.
• Running catch-up sessions before or after school, for example for children who need extra help with maths or literacy.
• Running a school breakfast club to improve attendance.
• Providing extra tuition for able children.
• Providing music lessons for children whose families would be unable to pay for them.
• Funding educational trips and visits.
• Paying for additional help such as speech and language therapy or family therapy.
• Funding English classes for children who speak another language at home.
• Investing in resources that boost children’s learning, such as laptops or tablets.

How do parents and carers registers their child's entitlement for pupil premium?

Parents must apply for free school meals via the Hertfordshire County Council Website. This is a quick and simple process. All you need is your National Insurance Number, date of birth, name and child’s details and an eligibility check can be carried out using the Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking System, this will confirm if details have been matched or not. It will not tell us what benefits you are in receipt of, dates when a benefit was awarded or say how much you receive. That information will remain confidential! Confirmation will be sent to you and the school within 5-10 working days. Pupils do not have to take up their entitlement to a free meal but Local Authorities and schools recommend that they do. The government is made aware of each pupil claiming FSMs each term via the school census so they have up-to-date information on those eligible.

What obligations are placed on the school?

Schools will need to monitor the impact of their selected approaches to improve provision for pupils entitled to the Pupil or Service Premium. This is published on our school website. It is important to note though, that the report does not detail child specific information rather how the money has been spent across the whole school.