Free School Meal Entitlement and Pupil Premium

All maintained schools, Free Schools and academies in Buckinghamshire, have a duty to provide Free School Meals to eligible children that attend full time. 

You are entitled to Free School Meals if you are in receipt of:

• Universal Credit - with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400
• Income Support (IS)
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (IBJSA)
• An Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of the State Pension Credit

If you are entitled to Child Tax Credit and also Working Tax Credit, you will be eligible for Free School Meals:

• during the four week period immediately after your employment ceases

or

• after you start to work less than 16 hours per week

Pupil Premium

Pupil premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other pupils.

Nature of Support that could be provided:

1. ​Additional support; including class-based or specific intervention work to accelerate the progress of targeted groups or individuals.
2. Learning Support to enable children to fully access learning and accelerate progress where there are specific barriers other than identified Special Educational Learning Needs.
3. Pastoral work which undertakes work to raise self-esteem, extend their personal skill set, improve attendance and punctuality and support children to make appropriate choices in order to maximise learning opportunities.
4. Out of Hours and curriculum enrichment to ensure that children are given opportunities to access the full curriculum, develop other talents in sport and creativity and also improve self confidence and motivation for school.

If you are eligible for Free School Meals the school will receive an extra:

• £1345 per child of government funding if your child attends Primary school

Government funding is provided even if your child does not want the meal. Government funding will be used to help children from lower-income families do their very best at school.

If your child gets Free School Meals, you may be able to claim other forms of help, for example, help with home to school transport.

Why should I apply?

You and your school could benefit from Pupil Premium funding worth £955 - £1345 per pupil.  As well as this, if your child is in year 3 or above this form is also used to apply for Free School Meals and could save you hundreds of pounds a year.

My child is in Reception, year 1 or year 2 and automatically receives Universal Infant Free School Meals, do I still need to complete this form?

Yes! Pupil Premium is only paid to a school if the parent registers using this form and is receiving one of the qualifying benefits listed. Even though your child automatically receives free meals at school completing this application form may entitle your school to Pupil Premium funding. 

If you think you are eligible for free school meals please fill in this form or come to the office.

Page last updated 04/09/2023