The Government believes that the Pupil Premium funding, which is additional to the main school funding, is the best way to address inequalities between children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and those children who are not. Pupil Premium Funding is used to tackle disadvantage in order to reach the pupils who need it most.
Schools are currently given Pupil Premium funding for those whose families who have registered for FSM. This includes any child who has been registered for FSM at any point during the past 6 years. The children of members of the armed forces are also entitled to this funding. Schools also receive funding for each pupil who has been looked after for one day or more, has been adopted from care or has left care under a special guardianship order, a residence order or a child arrangement order.
The money is given to schools to support them in enabling all pupils to reach or exceed the nationally expected level for their age. Each school may decide how best to use the funding and they are held accountable for how it has been used to support pupils from low-income families.
Often parents are concerned that there is a stigma attached to being seen as a ‘low income’ family. At Kehelland Village School, all matters regarding free school meals and Pupil Premium are treated confidentially. The key purpose of our Pupil Premium funding is to enable all the pupils to reach their full potential. We work with our families and colleagues to make sure everyone involved with the child has high aspirations.
We recognise that barriers to achievement take a variety of forms and will do whatever it takes to support a child, both in and out of the classroom. We use our resources to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to become an empowered learner. In order to achieve this, we offer our children a wide range of opportunities which are accessible to everyone.
Am I eligible?
Families must be in receipt of one of the benefits listed below to be eligible for Free School Meals / Pupil Premium (information correct as at June 2020 and taken from the Cornwall Council guidelines):
- Income Support (IS)
- Job Seekers' Allowance (Income-Based) and equal based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR) and equal based Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit (CTC) with an annual income of less than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Guarantee Element of Pension Credit (GPC)
- Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (IAA) Support
- Universal Credit - Your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get) as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods
Please note you have to be in receipt of payment before an application can be assessed for Free School Meals.
If you are claiming the benefits listed below you are NOT eligible for free school meals, regardless of what other benefits/credits are being claimed:
- Working Tax Credit
- Contribution-Based Job Seeker's Allowance and/or Contribution-Based Employment and Support Allowance.
You can apply online at www.cornwall.gov.uk/schoolmeals which can also provide you with more information, including about how the changes to legislation have affected any pupils already eligible for Free School Meals and the protection that is in place for them.
The 100 Club
From September 2020 Kehelland Village School is introducing the 100 Club to support all pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium.
We will be allocating £100 credit to parents of all pupils who are in receipt of Pupil Premium Free School Meals.
How will the money be allocated?
We will be giving parents a personal budget of £100 per eligible pupil.
- £50 will be credited into the account for the start of the Autumn Term.
- £25 additional credit will be credited if you attend the Autumn Term Parents evening and your child has an attendance rate of 96% of eligible days, at the end of the Autumn term.
- £25 additional credit will be added at the end of the Spring Term if the attendance is maintained at 96% or better.
What can I use the money for?
You can choose to spend the money on any item that will enhance your child’s learning opportunities in school. These include paying for school trips and residential camps, swimming lesson costs, Music Lessons, Breakfast Club, after School Clubs and Uniform or sportswear – needed for school.
How do I ‘spend’ the budget?
The School Office hold the money for you, you will not receive any cash. You will be able to ask for a request form from the office which needs to be filled in and then returned to the office. We will keep you informed of how much money you have available, and the costs to date.
Why is attendance so important?
Research clearly shows a link between good attendance and children achieving well at school. We want every child at Kehelland to do well and you can help by ensuring your child is in school every day. This year we have had no opportunity to meet attendance goals for pupils we hope that this scheme will encourage all our eligible pupils to be in school and to make the most of the widest range of opportunities available to them- by reducing the financial barrier.
Can I save the money to pay for a summer residential?
Yes – Money can be banked to pay for residential trips, but as a Pupil Premium child you will also receive a discounted price for such a trip.
Can I carry money forward into the next academic year?
Yes, but only £25 can be taken on to the next year and this does assume that your child still attends Kehelland Village School. Any other funds left at the end of the year will go back into the general Pupil premium Budget and will be spent in line with our Pupil Premium Strategy.
Can I spend my money on different children within the same family?
No, each pupil will have their own budget from which the spending for them can be made.
How do I apply for the 100 Club?
Once the school is aware you have made a successful application for FSM you will automatically be added to the Club List. Your next step will be to ask for a 100 Club request slip and to decide what you wish to spend to your allocation on.
Pupil Premium Strategy and Evaluation
Please follow this link to our Pupil Premium Planning strategy and our Evaluation documents.
Link to Gov.UK guidance