Pupil Premium is an additional amount of funding allocated to schools by the government which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM), looked after children & service children and other pupils. Three categories of children are eligible:

• Pupils recorded as ‘ever 6 FSM’ (pupils who are or have been eligible for FSM at any point during their 6 years of Primary school education)
• Looked after children and those children who have been adopted from care
• Children of Service personnel

Children who are eligible for the pupil premium need to be aged 4 and over, in year groups to year 11 in a maintained school.

It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent and they will be held accountable for how this additional funding is impacting on those for whom the money is allocated. The government thinks that schools are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils within their responsibility. However all schools will be held accountable for how they have used additional funding to support pupils from low-income families and in care. The schools must report and publicise annually how the money has been spent and what the impact has been made on the achievements of the pupils.

Children who are eligible for Pupil Premium may experience many different barriers to educational achievement. Teachers assess the learning and development needs of all children and share these regularly with parents and carers. For children who are eligible for Pupil Premium, these are recorded each half term along with current measures and provision that are in place to enable every child to make the best possible progress.

The impact of the use made of this additional funding is under constant review, and is formally assessed at the end of each academic year.

If you think you may be eligible for pupil premium funding, please apply online at Free school meals | Education and learning | Hampshire County Council