At Corbett, we believe that all children deserve the very best education no matter what their background. We continuously monitor the progress of all our pupils to ensure that they are achieving their full potential.

In 2011 the government introduced some funding for schools called Pupil Premium in order to support the progress of vulnerable groups. The funding is paid directly into the school and the amount received is based on the number of pupils who receive free school meals, who are children in care, and who are children of parents in the armed forces.

We are free to spend this money in the best interests of children in receipt of the grant, in line with government requirements. The headteacher spends this money in a variety of ways to raise pupils’ progress and attainment. Ofsted recommended successful approaches may include:

• well-targeted support to improve attendance, behaviour or links with families where these are barriers to a pupil’s learning
• ensuring support staff (particularly teaching assistants) are highly trained and understand their role in helping pupils to achieve
• allocating the best teachers to intervention groups to improve mathematics and English
• involving governors in the decision making and evaluation process

Barriers to learning

• Poor attendance, punctuality and increased number of broken weeks
• Lack of parental engagement and support for home learning
• Poor communication and language skills
• Low attainment in English and maths
• Lack of funding for school trips and residential trips
• Ensuring pupils have regular meals and a balanced diet

Our current pupil premium strategy runs for three years (2021/22 to 2024/5) and is reviewed annually.

Resources

• Pupil Premium strategy statement, January 2025

Free school meals & pupil Premium

Have your circumstances changed? Is your child now eligible for free school meals? If your income is limited or your circumstances have changed since you last checked your eligibility, you may now be entitled to free school meals for your child, as well as other benefits. You can apply online at Staffordshire County Council: Free School Meals. If you qualify for government free school meals under the benefit criteria your eligibility will be confirmed to you as well as your child’s school.

Who qualifies for government free school meals?

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 (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
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee 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, which is paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Even if your child does not want to have school meals, the benefits of registering your eligibility go way beyond free dinners. For example, anyone registered for a free school meal is entitled to a reduction in the cost of residential school visits and may also be entitled to remissions for other school activities (in accordance with the school’s Charging and Remission Policy). During, and for some time after, the pandemic, parents of children who were eligible for free school meals also received food vouchers to cover the cost of their child’s lunches in school holiday periods. Checking your eligibility now will ensure your child doesn’t miss out on any future schemes. Several eligible families have used the HAF scheme vouchers to access free holiday clubs over the summer, and this scheme continues in all main holiday periods (excluding half-term breaks).

In addition to this, for every registered pupil entitled to free school meals, the school receives the Pupil Premium grant (described above) which the school can then spend on ensuring your child makes good progress.

We are specifically asking parents and guardians of pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, who think they might be eligible for free school meals, to complete the online form despite the Universal Infant Free School Meal Offer. We will then be able to confirm whether the school is entitled to claim the Pupil Premium for your child. No child or family will be discriminated against because they receive this benefit.  Whichever way you look at it, there is a lot to be gained by making an application. Please feel free to contact us if you would like further information or access to a computer to make your application.

Please do make an application if you think you might be eligible. School budgets have been further stretched recently by the increase in the cost of living, particularly in respect of our energy costs, and your support right now, by making an application if you are eligible, is needed more than ever!