Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
The Pupil Premium provides additional government funding on top of the main funding a school receives. It is targeted at pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure they benefit from the same opportunities as pupils from less deprived families.
From September 2022, the premium will be worth £1,385 for primary-aged pupils and goes to pupils who at any point in the past six years have been in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM); with £2,410 going to any pupil who has been continuously looked after for the past six months or who has been adopted from care under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or who has left care under a Special Guardianship or Residence Order. Finally £320 goes to pupils whose parent/parents are currently serving in the armed forces or are in receipt of a pension from the MoD.
How the Pupil Premium is spent is monitored closely with all schools being accountable for the impact of the money spent.
Claiming for FSM
In Leeds, when a Housing/Council Tax Benefit form is completed, this automatically entitles child(ren) in the family to receive free school meals. The Council inform the school of the child’s entitlement to free school meals.
Parents in receipt of Child Tax Credit are required to complete a free school meal application form, and it is vital that the application form is completed to allow additional funding to be released, which can be spent on subsidising experiences across school.
If you think your child could be eligible for free school meals, refer to the Leeds City Council website https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/apply-for-free-school-meals
How will the impact of the spending of the Pupil Premium be measured?
To monitor progress on attainment, new measures will be included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. At Burley St. Matthias, our cycle of assessment, monitoring and tracking of all children, including all vulnerable groups, enables the senior leadership team to identify any specific individual/group needs, so that support and appropriate intervention can be put into place promptly.
Please find below our current 3-year Pupil Premium Strategy.
Changes to Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
From September 2026, all pupils in households receiving Universal Credit are eligible for free school meals. Your household income doesn’t matter – as long as you receive Universal Credit, your child can claim free school meals. We strongly encourage you to check if you’re eligible under the new criteria. See below for more information on how to check if your child qualifies.
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to receive free school meals through a different scheme. However, if they are also eligible for free school meals in line with the criteria below, we still really want you to register – see why below.
Why register for free school meals?
Pupils who are registered for free school meals will get healthy, nutritious and balanced food at school that helps make sure they’re ready to learn and thrive at school.
Registering your child for free school meals is also important because the school might get extra ‘pupil premium’ funding from the government as a result – for each eligible pupil, the school will get an extra £1,550 in pupil premium funding in 2026/27.
If you prefer your child to have packed lunches, don’t worry – they can still have this if they’re registered for free school meals.
You can find more information about pupil premium by reading our Pupil Premium Strategy (below). You can see what we spent it on in the past academic year and how it will be spent this year. For example, we’ve previously used pupil premium funding for:
· Forest School provision
· A Learning Mentor (Mrs Webb)
· Educational provision/resources
· Academic interventions to help children with phonics, maths, reading and writing
· Wellbeing and self-esteem building interventions like nurture groups and working with Mrs Wigglesworth in the allotment
· Reducing the cost of trips and experiences
Is my child eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium?
From September 2026, there will be 2 categories of free school meals:
Targeted FSM – your child may be eligible if you receive:
Universal Credit and have an annual household income of £7,400 or less
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Your child might also qualify if you have no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
Pupils receiving targeted FSM:
Can receive free school meals
Will attract pupil premium funding for the school
May be eligible for other support, such as the Leeds Healthy Holiday Activities and Food programme https://healthyholidays.leeds.gov.uk/
Expanded FSM – your child is eligible if you receive:
Universal Credit and have an annual household income of over £7,400
Pupils receiving expanded FSM:
Can receive free school meals
Will not attract pupil premium funding for the school, nor be eligible for other support that’s based on targeted FSM
How do I register?
Please complete the form below and return it to this email address:
[email protected] or by post to:
Welfare and Benefits (FSM Claims)
Leeds City Council
PO Box 911
Leeds
LS1 9WJ
For information on registering for free school meals if you are a household with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), see the FAQs on the following pages.
More information
If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to Mrs Hopkinson or the office staff.
You can also find more information at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/apply-for-free-school-meals
Pupil Premium and Free School Meals - Frequently Asked Questions
Pupil premium FAQs
What is pupil premium funding?
Pupil premium is additional funding for schools for pupils who:
· Are registered for targeted free school meals (FSM)
· Have been registered for FSM at any point in the past 6 years
· Are, or have been, in care
· Have parents in the armed forces
How much pupil premium funding does the school receive?
At Burley St Matthias, we get an extra £1,550 in 2026/27 for every eligible pupil who is registered for targeted free school meals. This extra money makes a real difference to the quality of education we can offer.
Free school meals (FSM) FAQs
How does it work in practice?
Once you are registered with the council, they will tell school that you are eligible for Free School Meals. You will then be able to order meals for your child(ren) on School Grid, without having to pay.
Will the fact my child is registered for FSM be made public?
We keep this information as confidential as possible. We do not publish identifying details of children registered for FSM.
My household has no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Is my child eligible for free school meals?
Children of households with NRPF may be eligible, this includes:
· Zambrano and Chen carers (non-EEA nationals caring for a British citizen residing in the UK)
· British National (Overseas) passport holders
· Spousal visa, work visa, or student visa holders
· Those with no immigration status
· Families who have NRPF right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights
· Families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are subject to a NRPF restriction
· Certain failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The maximum income thresholds for families with NRPF who can work are:
· £22,700 for families with 1 child
· £26,300 for families with 2 or more children
Families must also have no more than £16,000 in capital and savings.
NRPF: How to register for free school meals
The process for registering for free school meals is different as we have to check your eligibility in a different way. If you think this may apply to you, please come in and speak to the office.
My child already has free school meals: are they still eligible?
From September 2026, all pupils will need to meet the eligibility criteria, set out in the letter above, to receive free school meals. This includes pupils who already have free school meals.
If your child has already been registered for free school meals, you do not need to apply again this year