Gotherington Primary School

The Lawns, Gotherington, Cheltenham, GL52 9QT

Our School  »  Pupil Premium

What is Pupil Premium?
The pupil premium  is additional funding received by schools for each pupil from disadvantaged families or background. It is allocated to schools based on the number of children who come from low-income families – this is defined as those who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM).

It also includes:
  • pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years
  • children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months
This is one of the government’s key education policies. It’s based on findings that show that, as a group, children who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in time have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible for FSM.

Schools receives a payment, or Pupil Premium, for each child who is registered for free school meals and those who have been in continuous care for six months or more and children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years. 

Service Premium
The Service Premium gives schools extra funding to support children and young people with parents in the armed forces. Pupils attract the premium if they meet the following criteria:
  • one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces
  • one of their parents served in the regular armed forces in the last 3 years
  • one of their parents died while serving in the armed forces and the pupil is in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)
The Department for Education believes that schools, head teachers and teachers will decide how to use the Pupil Premium allocation, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils. It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.
 
Additional Information
We take great pride in supporting those pupils who have fallen behind or those who come from less advantaged backgrounds but do not qualify for pupil premium. Our existing support strategies have a clear impact upon pupil progress:
  • targeted deployment of other adults in the classrooms and specific training so that they are better equipped to meet the needs of individual or small groups of pupils.
  • the implementation of our ‘Drawing and Talking’ programme which is designed to support the emotional needs of pupils across the school and one which has led to pupils being supported with areas such as bereavement & the development of social skills
As a school we have made a clear commitment to continually monitor assessment information for individual pupils and to assess what’s working best to meet their individual needs.


Free School Meals - What are the qualifying criteria for Free School Meals?

Your child might be entitled to free school meals if you are in receipt of the following:

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 - 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.

 

Infant free school meals in England

Your child will be entitled to free school meals if they’re in:

Reception class

Year 1

Year 2

We still ask that you apply for this via the normal free school meals applications so as to prevent your child's school missing out on additional funding.

For more information and to make an application visit: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

Pupil Premium Strategy

Please find attached our Pupil Premium Strategy