Pupil Premium & Free School Meals
Pupil Premium
The Government provides funds to schools to help children from families with lower income, or in challenging situations. This funding is called Pupil Premium.
Pupil Premium is additional to main school funding; evidence suggests that this is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantaged pupils reaches the children who need it the most.
The school decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility. We are held accountable for how we have used the additional funding to support children from disadvantaged families: read more on the Department for Education website.
Children in receipt of Pupil Premium are entitled to one free after school club per term, and a 50% discount on Holiday Club. See our extended care offer here.
BCS Pupil Premium Strategy 2023 -2024
Applying for Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
Our office team will be able to advise and help you with the application process. Please do ask at reception for guidance which will be given discreetly and in confidence. It is really important that families complete our school's registration form because a child may be eligible for extra funding.
Eligibility for Free School Meals
11% of children at Braywick Court School are eligible for free school meals. The majority of our pupil premium is spent on strategies to raise attainment and close any gaps for disadvantaged children.
All pupils in Reception and Years 1-2 receive free school meals. These are known as "universal free school meals". If your child is in Years 3-6, they could be eligible for free school meals if you receive any of these benefits:
- 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)
Children who get paid these benefits directly (instead of through a parent or guardian) can also get free school meals. Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits, and your child is both:
- younger than the compulsory age for starting school
- in full-time education.
Check your eligibility if you believe that your child(ren) are eligible for free school meals.