What is pupil premium funding?

Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential. It is provided for pupils who:

• Are registered for free school meals
• Have been registered for free school meals at any point in the past 6 years
• Are, or have been, in care
• Have parents in the armed forces

School receives an extra £1,320 for every eligible pupil who is registered for free school meals even if your child is in Reception, Y1 & Y2.

Please download our current Pupil Premium at the bottom of this page.

Are you eligible for Free School Meals?

You may be able to claim for Free School Meals if you claim for any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Eligible for Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and the household income (as used by HMRC to assess tax credits) is not more that £16,190. Please note: anyone eligible for Working Tax Credit, or if you have a partner and they receive it, regardless of Income, you will not qualify
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• In receipt of the 4 week run on of working tax credit (this is where someone becomes unemployed or reduces their hours and so is no longer entitled to working tax credit but will continue to receive it for a further 4 weeks and is entitled to free meals during that time)
• Universal credit (provided you have an annual net earned household income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods). Your net earned income is your household income after taxes and deductions and does not include income from Universal Credit or any other benefits you may receive.

If you are in receipt of any of the above please contact the school office and the team will be happy to give you more information on how to apply. Please contact the school office on 01782 787099 or office@stthomascofeacademy.org 

Regardless of your postcode and if you live in Stoke, Staffordshire or Cheshire East, please apply using the Staffordshire link as we are a Staffordshire school. 

https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/financial-support-school/free-school-meals/applying-free-school-meals

Pupil Premium support in school.

Pupil Premium Lead: Mrs D. Pierpoint

Pupil Premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England.

Evidence suggests that pupil premium spending is most effective when schools use a tiered approach, targeting spending across 3 areas, with a particular focus on teaching.

1. Teaching

Investing in high-quality teaching, for example:

• training and professional development for teachers
• recruitment and retention
• support for teachers early in their careers

2. Targeted academic support

Additional support for some pupils focussed on their specific needs, for example

• one-to-one tuition
• small group tuition
• speech and language therapy

3. Wider approaches

Support for non-academic issues that impact success in school, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional challenges. For example

• counselling to support emotional health and wellbeing
• help with the cost of educational trips or visits

Please read the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) pupil premium guide for information about the tiered approach to spending.

A copy our our latest Pupil Premium Strategy Statement can be downloaded below. The strategy is a 3 year strategy that runs across academic years 2025/2026, 2026/2027, 2027/2028.