PUPIL PREMIUM & FREE SCHOOL MEALS (FSM) ELIGIBILITY

 IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Pupil Premium is additional Government funding given to schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. 

In our Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust (IPAT) schools this special money is spent directly on supporting our children. 

We use the majority of this money to pay for additional support staff in the classrooms to enhance pupil’s attainment & progress. Some money may also be used to subsidise visits and trips, for music lessons & instrument hire, sporting activities, and after school clubs depending on each school’s needs. 

In 2017-18, £2.4 billion of Pupil Premium funding was allocated in respect of around 2 million pupils. For the coming year 2024-25 schools will get additional funding of between £340 and £2570 per child for those in the categories listed below.

Please let the school know if any of the following apply to yourself or your child:

• My child is eligible for Free School Meals (please see the leaflet attached which explains more, and details of how to check your eligibility below)
• My child was adopted
• My child has previously been looked after by a Local Authority
• My child has been subject to a Residency Order (RO)
• My child has been subject to a Special Guardianship Order (SGO)
• I am in the Armed Forces

FREE SCHOOL MEALS (FSM)

Families who receive certain benefits may be eligible for free school meals. Are you receiving one of the following?

• 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 guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) 
• Universal Credit 

To check you can either call 0116 305 6588, 0116 305 7093 or 0116 305 2740 or use the Parent Portal as detailed below.

Leicestershire County Council now has a Free School Meals online eligibility checker via Parent Portal

Following the launch of their new Parent Portal in 2023, parents and carers are now able to access the portal at their own convenience to check their child’s eligibility for free school meals. 

This provides parents and carers with an alternative to contacting Leicestershire County Council or their school for an eligibility check.

The Parent Portal can be accessed via this link https://leicestershire.cloud.servelec-synergy.com/Synergy/  – those accessing the portal for the first time are required to register. 

Further information including “how to guides” can be found on our Free School Meals webpage https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/social-care-and-supporting-families/free-school-meals