Pupil Premium
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased
Hebrews 13:16
Pupil premium and free school meals
If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you register them for this, we’ll receive extra funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school.
What is pupil premium funding?
Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. It’s 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
'Educational attainment is the best predictor that we have of a young person’s long-term outcomes'
(EEF Guide to Pupil Premium)
Pupil eligibility and funding rates 2025 to 2026
This table shows how pupil premium funding is allocated to schools and local authorities.
Allocations are provided on a financial year basis, based on pupil eligibility rates in the previous October school census.
| Pupil eligibility criteria | Amount of funding for each primary-aged pupil per year | Funding is paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils who are eligible for free school meals, or have been eligible in the past 6 years (including eligible children of families with no recourse to public funds) | £1,515 | School |
| Pupils who have been adopted from care or have left care | £2,630 | School |
| Children who are looked after by the local authority | £2,630 | Local authority |
Service pupil premium (SPP)
Service pupil premium is additional funding for schools, but it is not based on disadvantage.
Pupils in state-funded schools in England attract SPP funding if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- One of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces
- They have previously been registered as a ‘service child’ in any school census in the last 6 years
- One of their parents died while serving in the armed forces, and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme
This funding is primarily to help with pastoral support. It can also be used to help improve the academic progress of eligible pupils if the school deems this to be a priority.
We do not currently have any SPP families at ACE.
Use of the pupil premium
School leaders can decide how to spend pupil premium and evidence suggests that the funding is most effective when used across 3 areas:
- high-quality teaching, including staff professional development
- targeted academic support, such as tutoring and academic or pastoral intervention groups
- wider strategies to address non-academic barriers to success in schools, such as attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional support
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommends that schools particularly focus their pupil premium on supporting high-quality teaching.
Please note: Pupil premium funding is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools are not required to spend all of their allocated grant on eligible pupils.
How we use Pupil Premium funding at ACE
Ensuring an effective teacher is in front of every class, and that every teacher is supported to keep improving, is the key ingredient of a successful school and should rightly be a top priority for pupil premium spending.
EEF, 2023
Inclusive Quality First Teaching (IQFT)
We privilege the training and development of our staff, to ensure that we deliver the richest curriculum, using evidence-led pedagogy. This benefits all children, but especially those who are disadvantaged.
Supporting Vulnerable Groups
We have a number of pupils who are disadvantaged as a result of family circumstances. One of the major barriers to learning for some is the emotional issues they may face and the impact this has on their attitude to and behaviour in school. We prioritise the use of our Pupil Premium funding to not only support pupils academically, but also emotionally. Our Nurture Team provides a mentoring service, aimed at increasing self esteem and improving attitudes to learning.
Supporting Personal Development, Extra-curricular activities, Behaviour, Attendance and Punctuality
We feel very strongly that our enrichment programme should be available to children whose families are unable to financially support these opportunities. Pupil Premium is used to provide equal opportunity by supporting attendance at school clubs, together with assisting with the financial pressure of funding other items including school trips.
The academic progress of all children in school is reviewed and discussed by the Leadership team termly, with a spotlight on children in receipt of Pupil Premium. We aim to ensure frictionless access to the curriculum and to facilitate accelerated progress within it, as well as be aware of and reducing barriers to wellbeing and attainment such as attendance and punctuality.
Please see below our Pupil Premium Strategy & Statement for 2025-26.
Is your child eligible for Free School Meals?
Pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium due to one of the following reasons, do not automatically qualify for free school meals and parents/carers will need to apply for these separately.
- 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
Please check your eligibility using this link: