PUPIL PREMIUM

The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to schools so that they can support their disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between them and their peers. The Pupil Premium Grant is a significant amount of money for many schools, with schools attracting £1900 per 'looked-after child' or £1320 per child who has been able to access free school meals within the last 6 years.

Pupils from Service Families

Pupils from Service families also attract Pupil Premium funding at the level of £300 per child. This money is to be used to support pupils’ pastoral needs, for example during times of parental deployment or during a move to, or away from, our school.

Accountability

The government believes that head teachers and school leaders should decide how to use the pupil premium. They are held accountable for the decisions they make through:

How to apply

From September 2026 the Department for Education is extending entitlement to free school meals to include all children from households in receipt of Universal

Credit. Although eligibility will be granted to all Universal Credit recipients, it is important to note that families do still need to apply to receive the meals.



If your child is currently registered as being in receipt of free school meals through North Yorkshire Council, you DO NOT need to reapply, as your child’s eligibility to continue receiving this provision will be automatically reassessed before September 2026. Where your child is moving to a school located outside of North Yorkshire, then you will need to reapply for this provision through the new authority/school.

If you have a child in EYFS, Year 1 or Year 2 who benefits from a Universal Free School Meal, school may also benefit from additional funding. In order to determine if your child qualifies, and to allow us to claim the funding, it is important that all parents and carers who feel they may meet the criteria below, complete the online application form which can be found here: www.northyorks.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

• 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-Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

The information provided by you will be used by the council to check for eligibility to claim additional funding for the school (the ‘pupil premium’) from central government. It will be used for no other purposes and will remain confidential to the council. 

This may not be relevant to you but if at any point your circumstances change and you feel you may qualify, please complete the application form online.