Children who are eligible for FSM, will receive supermarket food vouchers during Easter, Christmas and Summer school holidays in addition to free/discounted holiday activities through the HAF scheme (Holiday activities and Food Programme).

Pupil Premium is an amount of money allocated to disadvantaged children in order to close the achievement gap. The government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM), looked after children & service children and other pupils.  Three categories of pupils are eligible:

• Pupils recorded as ‘ever 6 FSM’ (pupils who are or have been eligible for FSM at any point during their 6 years of Primary school education)
• Looked after children and those children who have been adopted from care
• Children of Service personnel

Pupil Premium is allocated straight to our school and schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they feel is appropriate. The government thinks that schools are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for individual pupils within their responsibility.

“It is for the schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent since they are best placed to assess what educational provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.”

At Gifford Primary School the Pupil Premium funding means that we can target academic and pastoral support where it is needed, and ensure that everyone has access to the range of activities on offer, regardless of social background.

All schools are held accountable for how they have used additional funding to support pupils from low-income families and in care. The schools must report and publicise annually how the money has been spent and what the impact has been made on the achievements of the pupils.

Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium need to be aged 4 and over, in year groups Reception to year 11 in a maintained schools. The proportion of children eligible at Gifford Primary is currently 28%.