What is Pupil Premium Funding?
The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided to schools, alongside main school funding, to help improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.
The funding is intended to:
- Raise attainment
- Reduce inequalities
- Support pupils to overcome barriers to learning
- Narrow the gap between the highest and lowest achievers
The grant also includes funding for children of parents serving in the regular armed forces, known as the Service Pupil Premium (SPP).
Who is Eligible for Pupil Premium?
Schools receive Pupil Premium funding based on the number of pupils who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) or have been eligible at any point in the last six years (known as Ever 6 FSM)
- Previously Looked After Children (PLAC), including children who have been adopted from local authority care or equivalent care from outside England and Wales
In addition, funding is allocated to local authorities for:
- Looked After Children (LAC) supported by the local authority
- Eligible pupils attending independent settings where the local authority pays full tuition fees
How the Funding is Used
Pupil Premium funding is not a personal budget for individual pupils. Schools do not have to spend the funding solely on pupils who meet the eligibility criteria.
In line with DfE guidance, funding may be used:
- To support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as young carers
- For whole-class or whole-school approaches that improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils while also benefiting others
Schools are fully accountable for how Pupil Premium funding is spent and must demonstrate the impact of this spending on pupils’ attainment, progress, wellbeing and wider outcomes.
Our Pupil Premium Strategy
We publish a Pupil Premium Strategy Statement which explains:
- How funding is allocated
- The barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged pupils
- The strategies and interventions we use
- The impact of this funding
Please click on the document below to view our strategy and impact reports:
Childwall CE Pupil Premium Plan 2025-2028
Pupil Premium & Looked After Children (LAC) Champion
Mrs Lynn Duckworth, Deputy Headteacher who can be contacted on lduckworth@childwallce.com
Claiming Free School Meals
Your child may be eligible for Free School Meals if you or your partner receive any of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit (with a household earned income of less than £7,400 per year after tax, not including benefits)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (without Working Tax Credit) and an annual household income of no more than £16,190
Registering for Free School Meals helps the school access additional funding, even if your child does not take the meals.
Further information is available via the following link: https://