What is Pupil Premium?

The pupil premium is a grant given by the government to schools in England to decrease the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged children, whether by income or by family upheaval. For each pupil who is eligible for free school meals, their school receives £1,035.

In the 2024 to 2025 financial year, schools will receive the following funding for each pupil registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years:

1. £1,455 for pupils in reception to year 6.
2. £1,035 for pupils in year 7 to year 11.
3. £2,530 for any pupil who have been adopted from care or have left care.
4. £2,530 for any children who are looked after by the local authority.

To see more details about the overall funding allocation Chilwell school receives and how this money is spent visit our disadvantage section of this website.

Pupil premium and free school meals

If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you register them for this, we’ll receive extra funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school.

What is pupil premium funding?

Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. It’s provided for pupils who:

The following groups are eligible for pupil premium:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years, including eligible children of families who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
• children looked after by local authorities, referred to as looked-after children
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, referred to as previously looked-after children

• Funding rates for 

At Chilwell School, we get an extra £1,035 for every eligible pupil who is registered for free school meals. This extra money could make a real difference to the quality of education we offer.

For example, we’ve previously used pupil premium funding for:

• Educational provision/resources
• Academic interventions
• Wellbeing and self-esteem building interventions

Is my child eligible for free school meals?

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any 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 - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 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.

Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

• younger than the compulsory age for starting school
• in full-time education

Does my child have to eat the free school meals?

No. Pupils who are registered for free school meals don’t have to eat them. If you’re eligible, but you want your child to have packed lunches you should still register because the school will receive the funding which can support your child in other ways.

Apply for free school meals

We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals. We use the Department for Education's free school meals eligibility checking system to determine eligibility.

To apply, you will need to register and provide:

• your National Insurance Number or National Asylum Support Service Reference Number
• your last name
• your date of birth

If your entitlement to free school meals cannot be assessed through the eligibility checking system, we will let you know.  If you think you are eligible to the benefits listed below you can provide us with more details for a manual assessment.

You can apply for free school meals online or by contacting NCC on 0300 500 80 80.  Alternatively you can complete an application form.

---

More information about free school meals:

You can apply online and will need:

• your personal details (including national insurance number and date of birth of the parent/carer)
• child’s details in full, including their date of birth and the school they attend.

If you are eligible for free school meals the start date will normally be within two working days of parents contacting us and entitlement being confirmed. 

Children transferring between schools that use Nottinghamshire County Council's eligibility assessment service do not need to reapply. For children attending a school that does not use this service you should contact the school directly for information about how to apply for free school meals.

Post Looked after:

It is for those with parental responsibility to decide if they wish to self-declare their children's post-looked status to schools. This information is kept confidential within school but would give your child an additional £2,530 of funding per academic year.  Please note that families need to re-self-declare when their child moves school. To inform school of this, please complete the online form.