The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the Government to help schools close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This includes children who are currently or have previously been eligible for free school meals, looked-after children and children of service families. The funding enables schools to provide targeted support and interventions that help every child achieve their very best.

1. Children who are or have been looked after under local authority care for more than one day.
2. Children from service families who receive a child pension from the Ministry of Defence.
3. Children whose parents receive certain benefits and are therefore entitled to free school meals.

As all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are currently entitled to free school meals (Universal Free School Meals) many parents do not realise that their child may be eligible for Pupil Premium and school may be missing out on additional funding to support your child.

Is my child eligible for Pupil Premium?

If you or your partner receive any of the following benefits you can apply for Pupil Premium.

Qualifying benefits

• Universal Credit – your household earned annual income must be less than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed part of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit – with no Working Tax Credit and your annual household income is no more than £16,190, as assessed by the Inland Revenue

If you think you may be eligible for Pupil Premium, apply online at Liverpool City Council and get an instant decision. The local authority will inform school if your child is entitled to Pupil Premium Funding.   Alternatively, please contact the school office. 

Follow link to complete your application:

https://liverpool.gov.uk/benefits/free-school-meals

Before you apply

• You will need to provide your National Insurance Number 
• Your National Asylum Support Service (NASS) Number

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.  Often, all of the children in a class will reap some benefit from how the school spends its Pupil Premium. The funding can be used to help with the cost of school trips, small group tuition and additional teaching activities.

At St Sebastian’s Catholic Primary School & Nursery, we use our Pupil Premium funding strategically to ensure that all pupils, regardless of background or circumstance, are given the opportunity to flourish — academically, socially and emotionally. Guided by our Catholic mission and school motto, “Only My Best Will Do. Be Kind to One Another,” we aim to remove barriers to learning through high-quality teaching, pastoral support and enriched learning experiences that build confidence and aspiration.

We carefully monitor the progress and wellbeing of all pupils and evaluate the impact of our spending to ensure it makes a measurable difference.

Our Pupil Premium Strategy outlines how the funding is used, the rationale behind our chosen approaches, and the outcomes achieved for our children.