Pupil Premium

Pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gaps between them and their peers.

School’s are given pupil premium for:

• Children who have qualified for free school meals at any point in the past six years and children of armed service personnel. 
• Children who have been looked after under local authority care for more than one day. 

Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible.

At St Margaret's we have analysed our barriers to learning and established key aims which our pupil premium strategy works to address.

Key Aims

Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when used across 3 areas:

1. High-quality teaching, such as staff professional development
2. Targeted academic support, such as targeted interventions, individual and group work
3. Wider strategies to address non-academic barriers to success in schools, such as attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional support

Apply for free school meals

All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 get a free meal at lunchtime, under the government's Infant Free School Meals scheme. These are provided at all Bury Council maintained schools, academies, free schools, and pupil referral units. You do not have to apply for these. But if your child is in a key stage 1 year group and you get one of the qualifying incomes shown below it will help the school if you make a claim for free school meals, as they can get extra funding.

From year 3 onwards free school meals are only available if you get one of the following:

• Universal Credit - and your earned income is less than £7,400 a year, after tax and not including any benefits
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit, providing you are do not get Working Tax Credit, and your annual gross income is less than £16,190
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

If you get Working Tax Credits you will not be eligible unless you are receiving the four week 'run on' payment after stopping work.

Free school meals are available for pupils at local authority maintained primary and secondary schools, including academies. They are not available for children at private or independent schools.

They are also available for eligible households with:

• children at local authority maintained nurseries, providing they receive education before and after lunch
• students aged between 16 and 19 who go to Elms Bank Specialist Arts College sixth form
• students who receive Income Support or Income-based Jobseekers Allowance in their own right

If your income changes

If you get free school meals and your income increases above the qualifying limits your children will still get free meals until at least 31 March 2024.

If they are still at school on 31 March 2024, free school meals will continue until the end of year 6 if they are at primary school, or the end of year 11 if they are at secondary school.

This protection only covers children included in the original claim. Any younger siblings who start school after your income exceeds the thresholds will not get free school meals.

Apply for free school meals

Please use the form below to apply if you live:

• in Bury Council's area and your child attends a school either in or outside the borough
• in Manchester Council's area and your child attends a school in Bury

You will need yours and your partner's National Insurance numbers or National Asylum Support Service numbers.

Free school meals application

When you apply, we will check with the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenues and Customs that you are receiving a qualifying income. If they confirm you are eligible, we will let your child's school know. If we cannot confirm your income we will ask you provide proof of it to us.

There is no need to reclaim free school meals every year. But tell us if:

• you move address
• your child changes school