Pupil Premium Grant and Service Premium
Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is additional government funding for schools to address the underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals and their peers.
Pupil Premium is allocated per free school meals pupil and it is for schools to decide how it is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility. However schools are accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families.
The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months. The Government extended eligibility for the Pupil Premium to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.
The level of the premium is £1,345 per pupil for pupils eligible for free school meals and for pupils in care who have been continuously looked after for six months. 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 free school meals.
A Service Premium has also been introduced for children whose parents are currently serving and who have recently served in the armed forces; this is currently £310. This service premium is designed to address the emotional and social well-being of these pupils.
The information below explains how the Pupil Premium and Service Premium were used in Neston Primary School:
To view our 2024 - 2025 Pupil Premium strategy please click here
To view our 2023 - 2024 Pupil Premium strategy please click here
To view our Covid-19 Premium Catch-Up Spending report, please click here
Are you able to apply for free school meals?
If your child is eligible for free school meals, it is worth registering them even if they're not going to have the school lunch as it will have a direct impact on the funding we receive and the support we can provide.
All infant school children, those in reception, year 1 and year 2 have been entitled to free school meals since September 2014. Just tell your school that you want your child or children to have free school meals.
If your infant child would have been entitled to free school meals under the old system, because you are receiving qualifying benefits (listed below) the government will give your school a Pupil Premium of £1,515 for primary-aged pupils (2025-2026). For children in year 7 and above, the government will give your school a Pupil Premium of £1,075.
For the school and your child to benefit from this money we need to know that you are receiving a qualifying benefit. Please complete the claim form which is available from your school or you can download it from our downloads section.
For children in years 3 and above, free school meals are not provided automatically. They can be awarded only if you receive any of the following:
Income Support
Job Seeker's Allowance (income-based)
Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit - providing you are NOT entitled to Working Tax Credit and your family's annual income (as assessed by HMRC) is not more than £16,190 (as at 6 April 2012)
Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment you may receive for a further four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
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)
To apply for Free School Meals - please visit the Wiltshire Council website