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Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium funding is designed to support those children who are deemed to be from a disadvantaged background. Money is given to schools to enable them to target specific support to improve outcomes for this group of children. The funding is triggered by the following:

  • A child is currently eligible for free school meals, or they have been during the least six years.
  • A child is currently in the care of the Local Authority, or they have been during the last five years.
  • A child has a parent currently serving in the armed forces.

The government does not stipulate how the Pupil Premium Funding should be spent, but does expect the money to be directed towards ensuring any disadvantage may be overcome, and that any gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers should be closed.

At The Harlington and Sundon Academy, we use the income from Pupil Premium to endeavour to ensure any child who meets the criteria for the funding allocated to the school is given targeted and strategic support to learn as effectively as possible. We are committed to meeting the pastoral, social and academic needs for those pupils recognised as disadvantaged.

Our Deputy Head Teacher Mrs Edmonds leads Pupil Premium for The Harlington and Academy Trust and ensures the very best spending of the Pupil Premium fund, in order to best champion the life opportunities of those entitled to the fund. Mrs White is happy to support any parent, colleague or other agency with any questions they may have regarding Pupil Premium at the Academy. Although we only have a small percentage of children eligible for Pupil Premium funding grant, we recognise that many children and families are part of concurrent groups and have many vulnerabilities as well as being adversely affected by the impact of Covid 19. With this in mind, we are involved in ‘Raising the Attainment for Young People’ (RADY) project. This project is led by Mrs Edmonds and involves a whole Academy approach offering a personalised approach to learning for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, ensuring a culture of  equity across the Academy to close gaps in learning and accelerate rapid progress in all aspects of school life.

What are the qualifying benefits to apply for Pupil Premium funding?

The qualifying benefits to receive Pupil Premium are:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit 
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit, and your annual gross income does not exceed £16,190 as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Universal Credit (during the initial roll-out of this benefit) 
  • They are currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales
  • They have left care in England or Wales through an adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangement order.

What are the qualifying benefits to apply for Free-School Meal funding?

The qualifying benefits to receive free school meals for children in Year 3 and over are:

  • Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Every child in Early Years Foundation Stage, Year One and Year Two will receive a free school meal. You will not have to receive a qualifying benefit for your child in any of these year groups to get a free school meal, but if you are getting a qualifying benefit, please do tell us as we will receive extra funding from the Government to support your child's education.

If you think you meet the free school meals eligibility criteria, please call the Central Bedfordshire Pupil Premium and Free School Meals hotline on 0300 300 8306. When you call to apply, please have the following information ready:

  • National Insurance numbers and dates of birth for you and your partner
  • Dates of birth for your children
  • If you receive support from the National Asylum Support Service, your NASS number
  • Following the discussion, if eligibility is confirmed, please inform the Office Team immediately. 

For further information please see the documents below.