Pupil Premium

Additional government funding for: children in care, children in receipt of free school meals, adopted children and children of parents serving in the armed forces.

What is the Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is additional funding paid to schools by the Department of Education to help disadvantaged children achieve more in education. It is given to schools according to the number of pupils who are have been:

registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years
been in care for 6 months or longer
the children of families in the Armed Forces

Our use of the Pupil Premium has three overarching principles:

There is no disadvantage in their experience of school life and opportunities for children who are adopted, looked after, are in receipt of free school meals or whose parents are serving in the Armed Forces.
Reasons for support provided remains confidential. Provision is part of a range of support offered to children for a number of reasons including those with additional needs such as English as an additional language, pupils with special educational needs or a disability and higher attaining pupils requiring provision that is additional and different.
Pupil premium will not be used to subsidise activities for all pupils or reduce costs generally. It is specifically for those children who are entitled (although on occasions other pupils may benefit). Pupil premium for a number of children receiving funding may be used for the individual or combined in order to achieve the best outcomes. This is dependent on individual or cohort needs.

Use of funding can include:

A one-off uniform grant when children start school.
Individual, paired or small group tuition with a qualified teacher to address learning and achievement gaps.
Staff training where a child's or group of pupils' needs are unique or specific.
Contribution towards additional adult support in class, when necessary, to enable an eligible child or children to learn ad achieve in a mainstream class.
Support from an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant [ELSA].
Financial support for school trips and residential visits.
Financial support for extra-curricular activities and enrichment such as charged for clubs and music lessons.

Our spending of Pupil Premium is always targeted at securing good educational outcomes for children. We welcome the views of parents and carers in considering how this might be achieved although it is the school's ultimate responsibility to determine what the funding should be spent on.

Our Pupil Premium Reports and Information Reports

Pupil premium funding is available to both mainstream and non-mainstream schools, such as special schools and pupil referral units. Schools have the freedom to spend the Premium, which is additional to the underlying schools budget, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for pupils in receipt of funding.

2026/27

2025/6

2024/5

2023/4

2022/3

2021/2

Free School Meals

Is your child entitled to Free School Meals?

From September 2026, the Government has expanded eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM). All children living in a household receiving Universal Credit are now entitled to a free school meal, regardless of household earnings.

There are now two categories of benefits-related Free School Meals:

Targeted Free School Meals (Targeted FSM)
Children are eligible for Targeted FSM if their household meets the Government's existing eligibility criteria. For families receiving Universal Credit, this generally means annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.

Children eligible for Targeted FSM:

receive a free school meal;
attract Pupil Premium funding for their school; and
may also qualify for other support linked to disadvantage.

Expanded Free School Meals (Expanded FSM)
From September 2026, children in households receiving Universal Credit who do not meet the Targeted FSM income threshold are also entitled to a free school meal.

Children eligible through Expanded FSM:

receive a free school meal; but
do not attract Pupil Premium funding solely as a result of their Expanded FSM eligibility.

My child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and already receives a free meal – do I still need to register?

Yes, please make sure your eligibility is checked.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 continue to be entitled to a free school meal through Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM), regardless of family income.

However, it is still very important that families who receive Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits make sure their eligibility is checked. If your child qualifies for Targeted FSM, the school may receive additional Pupil Premium funding to support their education.

Why is Pupil Premium important to Kingsmead?

Pupil Premium provides additional funding to schools to help improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. At Kingsmead, this funding enables us to provide additional support and opportunities according to the needs of our pupils, helping us to remove barriers to learning and ensure that all children have the opportunity to achieve their potential.

It is therefore extremely important that eligible families are identified, even if their child already receives a free meal because they are in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2.

Other qualifying circumstances

Some families who are not receiving Universal Credit may also qualify for Targeted FSM, including those receiving certain other benefits or support, and some families with no recourse to public funds.

If you think your child may be eligible, please contact the school or Cheshire West and Chester Council so that an eligibility check can be completed.

Please register or ask for an eligibility check even if you are unsure. Identifying eligible pupils ensures that your child receives their entitlement and helps Kingsmead access the funding available to support disadvantaged pupils.

Applying for free school meals:

The online Cheshire West and Chester free school meal application form is on the council website.

Children in Care and Previously Looked After Children

Mrs McHugh is the designated teacher for children in the care of the Local Authority and previously looked after children. Previously looked after children receive pupil premium of £2690 per annum.

Children in Care are also entitled to additional funding, Pupil Premium Plus. This is held by the Cheshire West and Chester Virtual School and we apply for it for via the Virtual Head who approves all spending.

As employees of the Local Authority, all staff employed in the school act as 'corporate parents' for children in care; the provision we make must be at least as good as we would expect for our own children.

Provision may include not only teaching but also additional resources and equipment, opportunities to participate in clubs and extra-curricular activities. In short, what every good parent wants for their child. Outcomes and provision for children in the care of the Local Authority are overseen by the Virtual School for Cheshire West and Chester. A Personal Education Plan, PEP, is a termly document outlining support given and additional monies spent.