Dear Parent/Carer

We are getting enquiries from many of you about Free School Meals. During this difficult time, lots of people’s circumstances have changed which may now mean your child is entitled to free school meals.

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

If you think you are eligible for free school meals it is easy to apply please use the link below if you live in Leicester city.

Here is the link to the Leicester City Council website: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/grants-and-allowances/free-school-meals/

For those who live in the county, please see the link below:

Here is the link to the County Council website: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/social-care-and-supporting-families/free-school-meals

Please be aware that all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 received universal free school meals while school was open but while school is closed only those families who have completed forms at the above links will receive financial support.

I hope this helps please email if you have any questions.

Mrs Newnham

Vice Principal.

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 with the aim of narrowing the gap in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. As a school we are given extra funding each year based on the number of pupils we have who:

  • have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as the
    ‘Ever 6’ rule)
  • have been looked after (ie. in local authority care)

The Government is clear that Pupil Premium money is spent to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, in whichever way the school thinks most effective. When making decisions about using pupil premium funding it is important to consider the context of the school and the subsequent challenges faced by its pupils. Common barriers for disadvantaged children can be less support at home, poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence, more frequent behaviour difficulties, and attendance and punctuality issues.

At Kestrel Mead Primary Academy the pupil premium funding is spent predominantly on:

  • Additional teachers in key year groups to reduce class sizes of core curriculum.
  • Additional reading books in all classes to support home reading.
  • School trips, visits and enrichment activities.
  • Subject specific teachers to provide curriculum enrichment in Dance/Music
  • Subsides residential fees for one week for Year 6.
  • Musical tuition in Year 4
  • Incentives to improve attendance throughout school
  • Targeted interventions and enrichment activities to either enhance a talent or support a
    difficulty.
  • We ensure that teaching and learning opportunities meet the needs of all of the pupils
  • We prioritise spending on activities which will have the greatest impact on children’s learning
  • We ensure that appropriate provision is made for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups, this includes ensuring that the needs of socially disadvantaged pupils are adequately assessed and addressed
  • In making provision for socially disadvantaged pupils, we recognise that not all pupils who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged

Pupil Premium funding will be allocated following a needs analysis which will identify priority classes, groups or individuals. Limited funding and resources means that not all children receiving free school meals will be in receipt of pupil premium interventions at one time.

Aims:

  • All pupil premium work is aimed at accelerating progress and supporting pupils to meet their potential
  • Pupil premium resources may also be used to target able children to achieve higher levels.
    Provision
  • Reduced class sizes in identified year groups for core curriculum areas
  • Additional teaching and learning opportunities provided by trained TA’s
  • A curriculum, under constant review, which is designed to offer maximum flexibility to meet the needs of individuals
  • A broad and varied extra-curricular programme to offer experience outside of the classroom to all children
  • Individual support programmes
  • Support with meeting costs of school trips up to 50% of each school trip
  • Constant staff development and training to ensure that all staff in school are able to provide for each individual child.

Reporting

It will be the responsibility of the Pupil Premium Champion to produce termly reports for the Governing Body regarding:

  • The progress made towards narrowing the gap for socially disadvantaged pupils
  • An outline of the provision in place to support these pupils
  • An evaluation of the cost effectiveness, in terms of the progress made by the pupils receiving a particular provision, when compared with other forms of support

The Governors of the school will ensure that there is an annual statement to parents on how the Pupil Premium funding has been used to address the issue of ‘narrowing the gap’, for socially disadvantaged pupils. This task will be carried out within the requirements published by the Department for Education and will appear on our school website.

Appeal
Any appeals against this policy will be through the governor’s complaints procedure.

Review
This policy will be reviewed annually.

PP Strategy Statement KEMPA 2022-2023

PP Strategy Statement KeMPA 2023-2024