What is the pupil premium grant?
The pupil premium grant is funding introduced by the Government to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged children and young people. The funding is allocated to schools for students from Reception to Year 11 under three main criteria:
- Students in Receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) – The College receives specific funds to support students who are eligible for free school meals or have been at any point in the last six years.
- Looked after and previously looked after children (LAC, PLAC) – For students who are or have ever been in local authority care.
- Service pupil premium (SPP) – For students with a parent who is serving in HM Forces or who has retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence.
The government allows schools to decide how to spend the pupil premium in order to improve attainment. It could be spent on aspirational trips and visits, on in-class support or on specialist services. Attached below is a statement on how we use pupil premium funding at St Richard Reynolds Catholic College. You may access the pupil premium statement HERE.
At St Richard Reynolds Catholic College we recognise that not all students who are eligible for Pupil Premium are disadvantaged, and that some disadvantaged pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium. These students are identified through the College’s pastoral or progress monitoring systems and we allocate pupil premium funding to support them. If your family is experiencing hardship, please get in touch with the College so that we may offer support. This support is not exclusively for Pupil Premium students; we want to offer our assistance to any families within our community who are experiencing financial difficulties.
Please click the link below to see our most recent Pupil Premium Statement:
How do I apply to receive support?
Free School Meals
Your child may be able to get free school meals (and therefore be eligible for Pupil Premium) if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
If you think you are eligible for Free School Meals, please complete the FSM Application form and the Payments team will be able to run an eligibility check for you. If you need to speak to someone regarding your application, please email us at payments@srrcc.org.uk.
Trip, Visits and Experiences Support Fund
The College is committed to supporting students to participate in non-curriculum-based trips, regardless of financial circumstances. Families experiencing financial hardship should contact the trips administrator (trips@srrcc.org.uk) in the first instance to discuss their situation confidentially. The College may assess need based on factors such as eligibility for free school meals, pupil premium status, or other socio-economic indicators. Support will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with options including subsidised costs, flexible payment plans, or assistance from the College or external funding sources.
Should the College choose to allocate money from the Trip Support Fund, and subject to availability of sufficient funds, subsidised places would be offered to families on the following basis:
- extra-curricular trips, visits and experiences only (the College has other arrangements for curriculum-based trips, visits and experiences),
- up to of 25% of cost of advertised trip (no extras) paid for by College,
- maximum of 1 child per trip will receive the subsidy,
- applicant must receive free school meals/16-19 Bursary (KS5 only)/the College is in receipt of the pupil premium grant for the child,
- selected by ballot for each trip (if more than one applicant),
- if applications are received from more than one family, children for whom the College is in receipt of the pupil premium grant will take priority over the other categories,
- only one use of Trip Support Fund per child during time at the College.
Should you wish to be considered for the trip support fund, please contact the College via payments@srrcc.org.uk prior to the deadline given in the relevant trip letter.