Free School Meals and Pupil Premium Funding

What is the pupil premium?

All children can get a free lunch at school if they're in Reception class, Year 1 or Year 2. However, there are occasions where other children may be entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) and in some very specific cases, also entitled to additional funding called 'Pupil Premium’. This is funding that the government gives to schools for each pupil on roll where they are deemed to be 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 disadvantaged or non-disadvantaged, have equal opportunities at school and within their education.

There are two categories of FSM:

1. Targeted Free School Meals
2. Expanded Free School Meals

Your family circumstances will determine which category your child falls into, and therefore what level of funding support they will receive. Please see below for further details.

Targeted Free School Meals

This category continues to be based on the existing income threshold. Pupils will be eligible if their household:

• Is in receipt of Universal Credit, and Has an net annual household income of £7,400 or less.

OR if the pupil (or their parents) is in receipt of:

• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Only pupils confirmed as eligible for Targeted FSM will:

• Qualify for Pupil Premium funding (which can be used to cover or contribute towards school trips, school clubs, etc.).
• Be eligible for Free School Meals.

Expanded Free School Meals

Pupils will be eligible for this category if they:

• Live in a household receiving Universal Credit, and Do not meet the income threshold for Targeted FSM (i.e., the annual household income is above £7,400).

Pupils confirmed as eligible for Expanded FSM will:

• Be eligible for free school meals only (no additional Pupil Premium funding).

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. Willis or Ms. Chandler are more than happy to help! Ask to see Mrs. Willis or Ms. Chandler and one of them can go through the application process with you helping to answer any questions you may have!

How do we plan on spending our pupil premium funding this year?

Please click here to view our pupil premium funding report for this academic year.

Why is the Government providing the Pupil Premium?

Poverty or low income 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 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 Funding Rates 2026-2027

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): £655.50.

Children in Reception to Year 6 who are currently entitled to free school meals based on their family income: £1550 per pupil, per school year

Children who have been adopted from care or have left care: £2690 per pupil, per school year

Children who are looked after by the local authority: £2690 per pupil, per school year

Children recorded as being from service families: £360 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 register 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.

For further information and a snapshot overview, click on the image below...