Introduced in 2011, the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, and to support pupils with parents in the armed forces.
This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their peers.
The Government has used pupils entitled to Free School meals as an indicator for deprivation, and have deployed a fixed amount of money to schools per pupil, based on the number of pupils registered for ‘Free School meals’ (or ‘Pupil Premium’) over a rolling six-year period. Looked after children and those of service personnel also attract funding.
If you are on a low income or receive Child Benefit and any of these benefits, you could claim free school meals/Pupil Premium for your child:
- 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)
- 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
- 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 (earnings after tax and not including any benefits you get)
You may qualify for free school meals for your child if:
- you are an asylum seeker
- you live outside Barking and Dagenham but meet the previous criteria and your child is attending a school in the borough
- your only or main income is one of the benefits listed
If you think you are eligible for Free School Meals/Pupil Premium, please apply at
https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/free-school-meals-pupil-premium
If you are unsure or would like some support with this, please feel free to contact us at office@oxlowbridge.com