Saint Edmund's Catholic Primary School

‘The Pupil Premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.’  DfE November 2014. Pupil Premium is aimed at addressing the current underlying inequalities which exist between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers.

For the school and your child to benefit from this money we need to know that you are receiving a qualifying benefit. Please contact the school office who can provide the necessary forms for you to apply for the additional funding for your child. 

Qualifying benefits for Pupil Premium/Free School Meals: 

• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit, without any Working Tax Credit, and an annual household income (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) that is not more than £16,190
• Run-on Working Tax Credit which is only paid for 4 weeks after you STOP qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit 

Some of the benefits that a child can access with the additional Pupil Premium funding:

• Providing small group work with an experienced staff focused on overcoming gaps in learning
• 1:1 support
• Additional teaching and learning opportunities provided through trained TAs or external agencies
• Acquiring effective materials aimed at raising standard
• Nurture provision
• Reduced rate extended provision & clubs

If you believe you may be eligible for Free School Meals but have not already registered, please do so as soon as possible because it can help the school to fund additional provision for your child.

For further information about applying for free school meals, please click on the link to Wiltshire council website or download and print the form below. The completed form can be returned to school. We will forward it to Wiltshire Council on your behalf or, if you prefer, you can send it direct to:

Free School Meals
Children’s Services
Wiltshire Council
County Hall,
Trowbridge,
Wiltshire BA14 8JN

The review of the Pupil Premium Strategy 2025-26 will be published in December 2025.

What is the purpose of Primary School Sports Funding?

All children and young people should live healthy active lives. The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that all children and young people should take part in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day. Children with special educational needs and disabilities should take part in 20 minutes of daily activity.

The Childhood Obesity Plan says that at least 30 minutes of daily activity should take place in schools.

Schools have a key role to play in achieving this aim. This is particularly true of primary schools where the foundations of positive and enjoyable participation in regular physical activity are embedded. All children should have equal access to high-quality PE provision and opportunities to experience and participate in a wide range of sports and physical activities. Academic achievement can improve in school because of the benefits children can gain.

Schools should use the P.E. and sport premium funding to help achieve these aims. They should use it to make additional and sustainable improvements to the PE, sport and physical activity they provide, such as:

• funding high-quality PE and sport for at least 2 hours a week, complemented by a wide range of extracurricular sport and competitive opportunities
• providing or improving equal access to sport for boys and girls

Schools should prioritise PE and sport premium spending to improve in the following 5 key areas:

• increasing all staff’s confidence, knowledge and skills in teaching PE and sport
• increasing engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity and sport
• raising the profile of PE and sport across the school, to support whole school improvement
• offer a broader and more equal experience of a range of sports and physical activities to all pupils
• increase participation in competitive sport