What Is Pupil Premium and Does My Child Qualify?

A friend mentioned pupil premium at the school gate last year. I nodded along, assuming it was something that didn't apply to us.

Turns out I was wrong. We qualified. We'd qualified for three years. I just didn't know.

If you're not sure what pupil premium is or whether your child is eligible, you're not alone. It's one of those things schools mention in passing but never properly explain.

What Is Pupil Premium?

Pupil premium is extra funding the government gives to schools for every eligible child on roll. It's designed to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

The school receives the money. Not you. But your child benefits directly.

Schools decide how to spend it, but it has to be used to support eligible pupils. That might mean extra teaching assistants, small group interventions, music lessons, or trips your child can attend for free.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the rates are:

• £1,480 per pupil for primary school children eligible for free school meals
• £1,050 per pupil for secondary school children eligible for free school meals
• £2,570 per pupil who has been looked after for one day or more
• £345 per pupil for children of service families

That's a significant chunk of money per child. Schools rely on it.

Who Qualifies?

Your child qualifies for pupil premium if they meet any of these criteria:

Free School Meals

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they qualify for pupil premium.

You qualify for free school meals 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 (your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including benefits)

The Universal Credit threshold is the one that catches people out. You can be working and still qualify.

Looked After Children

If your child has been in local authority care for one day or more, they qualify. This includes children who were adopted from care or who left care under a special guardianship or child arrangements order.

Service Families

If you're in the armed forces, or your child has a parent who died in service, they qualify for a smaller pupil premium payment.

Why Register Even If You Don't Need Free School Meals

Here's the thing people don't realise. You should register for free school meals even if your child eats packed lunch every day.

Because registering unlocks the pupil premium funding for your child's school.

Some parents don't register because they feel embarrassed. Others think there's no point if their child won't eat school dinners. Both are missing out.

The school gets the money whether your child eats the meals or not. But they only get it if you register.

What Do Schools Spend It On?

Every school has to publish a pupil premium strategy on their website. It shows how much funding they receive and how they plan to spend it.

Common uses include:

• Extra teaching assistants for small group work
• One-to-one or small group tutoring
• Speech and language support
• Social and emotional interventions
• Subsidised school trips and clubs
• Free music lessons or instrument hire
• Breakfast club or after-school club places

Some schools use it for wellbeing support. Others focus on academic catch-up. The best schools track the impact and adjust spending based on what actually works.

How to Register

You register through your local council, not the school. Each council has its own online form.

Search "[your council name] free school meals application" and you'll find it.

You'll need your National Insurance number and details of any benefits you receive. The decision usually comes back within a few days.

Once you're approved, you stay registered even if your circumstances change. Your child keeps their free school meals and pupil premium funding for the rest of their time at school, plus an extra six years (known as Ever 6).

The Bottom Line

If you think you might qualify, check. It takes five minutes to apply and costs you nothing.

Your child's school gets extra funding. Your child gets extra support. Everyone wins.

Managing school admin is hard enough without digging through emails to find that FSM registration link. My School Agent keeps every school letter, form, and deadline in one place. I built it because I kept missing things. Now I don't.