What is The Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium Funding is additional funding allocated to schools to help address inequalities in rates of progress and attainment of vulnerable groups.

It is aimed at closing the attainment gap between pupils from vulnerable families and their peers. It is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as Ever 6 FSM). Schools also receive funding for pupils from families who are in the Armed Forces or pupils who have been looked after continuously for more than 6 months.

Headteachers and school leaders decide how to use the Pupil Premium funding to meet the particular needs of their pupils and are held accountable for the difference it makes. To learn how Pilgrims' Cross Primary School is currently using the Pupil Premium funding, please follow the link to this year's Strategy Statement.

At Pilgrims' Cross Primary School, we aim to ensure that all children are successful and that any barriers to learning are removed. We are focused on 'closing the gap' in rates of progress and attainment between those children who are receiving Pupil Premium and those who are not. 

We invest the Pupil Premium funding received by the school in providing 'additional learning' in small groups, one-to-one booster sessions or through releasing the class teacher to give Pupil Premium children extra teaching. We provide family, emotional and pastoral support and enrichment activities such as music lessons and school trips.

We use rigorous tracking to analyse the progress of our Pupil Premium children, identifying focus areas, deciding how they will be addressed and assessing their impact. Teachers understand their accountability for the progress of all children and their achievement is a standard item on the agenda for every full Governing Body meeting. We also have a specific Governor who monitors progress of Pupil Premium children and challenges school leaders by holding them to account.

Please read through the Pupil Premium Leaflet, below, to see if you might be eligible.

You can see if your child is entitled for Free School Meals (Pupil Premium funding) by visiting this website:

• Hampshire County Council OFSM application form

or complete the letter below and return it to the school office and we can make the application on your behalf. We urge every family that is in receipt of any of the following to make an application:

• 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 (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

Please note:  Parents who are made redundant or start working less than 16 hours per week, may find their children are entitled to free school meals for a limited period.

Please speak to the school office for further details.

Please read the information below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding:

• Pupil Premium guidance

Application for Free School Meals Letter

• Pupil Premium Letter.doc

What is the Service Premium?

The Service Premium grant is for pupils who have a parent serving in the armed forces. Unlike the Pupil Premium, this grant is not just for raising attainment but for providing additional (mainly pastoral) support. Who receives the Service Premium?

• Pupils with a parent currently serving in the armed forces and supporting their family
• Pupils who have a parent who died in action
• Pupils whose parents have left the service since April 2011 for other reasons, including injury

To be eligible, the parent must be supporting their family so, when they are separated or divorced, a pupil will not be eligible.