The pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gaps between them and their peers. This funding is used in a variety of ways to ensure children who are eligible make as much academic progress as possible. The pupil premium is available for children who have been, or are currently on, the free school meals register; children who are in, or have been in, local-authority care, or children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.

At St. Joseph's, we use the pupil premium to offer support including, but not limited to,  1:1 interventions, group interventions, purchase of equipment, and opportunities to be involved in extra-curricular activities. Children who are on our Pupil Premium register can also have the cost of school trips subsidised throughout their time at our school.  (other children in the class DO NOT subsidise the cost).

In order to benefit from the pupil premium, your child must be registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. All government-funded schools must offer universal free school meals to every pupil in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 regardless of the circumstances at home. This does NOT entitle you to the pupil premium. However, if you receive any of the benefits listed below, then you should apply to be on the Free School Meals Register, even if your child is currently in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2. This will then allow your child to access the pupil premium funding.

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (as long as 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 four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit

If you believe you qualify, apply online for free school meals at:

https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/council-tax-and-benefits/benefits/free-school-meals 

If you have any further questions, Mrs Green (our Family Support Worker) or Mr Carr (Assistant Head) will do their best to help you. 

We regularly review the impact of the measures we put in place to ensure they represent both value for money and to ensure they play a direct role in improving the achievement of students of all abilities.

The spending and action plans can be seen at the below.