Reporting Pupil Premium to Parents and Carers
The Pupil Premium is an allocation of funding provided to schools to support children who may be vulnerable to underachievement. The amount received is dependant on the number of children who are eligible and have claimed for free school meals at any time in the last six years (this categorisation changed in 2012), any Looked After Children and/or the children of parents currently serving in the UK armed forces.
An additional £1455 (at 2024) is added to the school budget for each child who, because of their family circumstances, is entitled to Free School Meals. This funding is used to support their learning experiences at school. This money is known as Pupil Premium and enables the school to plan and support learning opportunities for these children.
All schools are required to report on the amount of funding and how this is being used.
Principles
At Newton Road School we organise teaching and learning in order to meet the needs of all our children to ensure maximum impact.
We ensure that appropriate provision is made for children who belong to vulnerable groups and that socially disadvantaged children have their needs adequately assessed and met.
We recognise that not all children who receive free school meals will be socially disadvantaged and we also recognise that not all children who are disadvantaged have free school meals. We allocate Pupil Premium funding to support any child the school has identified as being socially disadvantaged and should be making better progress.
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.
Objectives
Our key objective in using the Pupil Premium Grant is to narrow the gap between pupil groups. As a school we strive to ensure that all pupils make good progress, whilst bridging the gap in the levels of attainment between FSM and non-FSM pupils.
Free School Meal Information
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 are automatically entitled to free school meals under the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme.
You need to apply for the pupil premium (additional school funding for disadvantaged children to improve the quality of their education) if your child's school is in North Northamptonshire. The child must reside with the applicant.
Applying for Free School Meals (FSM)
Who is eligible for benefits based free school meals.
From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, FSM are expanding the FSM eligibility to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings. Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal where both:
- a claim for this support has been made
- their eligibility has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority
Households may also be entitled to a meal if they:
- are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit
- meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds
Targeted FSM
Children from households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less (the existing threshold for FSM prior to the expansion), will be eligible for targeted FSM. In addition to receiving free meals, pupils eligible for targeted FSM will attract pupil premium and other disadvantage funding for their schools.
Pupil premium and other disadvantage funding is currently allocated in respect of pupils who are recorded in school census returns as eligible for FSM, or have been recorded as eligible for FSM in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM). From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, Ever 6 FSM will be based on targeted FSM. This cohort is also used for accountability purposes.
Other education entitlements that have previously been linked to eligibility for FSM, such as the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) and the ‘extended rights’ element of school travel assistance, will also continue to be based on targeted FSM.
Households qualifying for free meals because they are in receipt of support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 will also be eligible for targeted FSM.
Households in receipt of Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the guarantee element of Pension Credit or households with families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) may also be eligible for targeted FSM.
Expanded FSM
Children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, with annual household earnings exceeding £7,400 will be entitled to expanded FSM (meals only).
Your application
The application outcome 'Expanded' or 'Targeted' will be confirmed instantly and emailed to you with a reference number. We will process the application and notify your child's school within 5 working days. Pupil premium is automatically applied for at the same time.
Changes and support
Contact the free school meal team by email at
- you stop receiving an eligible benefit
- you change your address
- you need help or support including unsuccessful or pending applications
Household Support Fund update
The Household Support Fund (HSF) ended in March 2026 following a decision by central government and, as a result, grocery vouchers are no longer available. Families seeking financial assistance should contact the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) rather than the FSM team.
Queries relating to the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme should be emailed to Northamptonshire Sport on
Pupil Premium Documents