At Woolhampton, we believe that every single child, no matter what their background is, should have equal access to high-quality education and the wider school experiences that we offer.  We aim to ensure that every child is supported in becoming the best they can be - academically, personally, physically and spiritually.  

The pupil premium grant provides funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.  Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals (FSM), or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It can be used:

• to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer
• for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, the Department for Education (DfE) is delivering an expansion to FSM eligibility to include all pupils from households in receipt of Universal Credit. There will then be 2 categories of FSM:

• Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing £7,400 income threshold
• Expanded FSM, which will apply to meals only, covering pupils who do not qualify for Targeted FSM, but who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit

To find out if your child is eligible for free school meals, go to the West Berkshire Free School Meals website

To find out about the Pupil Premium Strategy at Woolhampton click here