The school receives funding each year for children who are classed as disadvantaged (registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years) or looked after. This funding is spent in order to diminish the difference in achievement between these children and their more advantaged peers nationally. At St Thomas More we review our pupil premium policy annually. Pupil Premium is government funding given to schools, in addition to the school’s main budget, to raise achievement and close the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

Unfortunately, this funding is not automatically allocated to schools and is reliant upon parents or carers completing an online eligibility form or advising the school if your child is looked after or adopted or if either parent is in the armed forces.

There are benefits to the families of children eligible for Pupil Premium, as we can supply a free school cardigan or jumper, p.e t-shirt, water bottle, tie and book bag, and offer possible discounts on paid-for school trips or music lessons.

As all children up to and including Year 2 (excluding Nursery) receive a universal school meal free of charge, most parents and carers have not applied to see if they are eligible for the pupil premium funding. Consequently, numbers of children claiming the pupil premium grant in these years is low. We would urge you to try and register and see if you are able to claim for this extra valuable support.

If you think that your child may be eligible to register for Pupil Premium, we would ask that you complete the short, online form as soon as possible, which can be found at the following website address:  https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/54/benefits/168/free_school_meals

Claiming for Pupil Premium, if you are eligible, will ensure that the school receives this much-needed additional funding from the government to support your child’s education.

Please contact the school office who will happily assist with your application if you are having problems or require more information.

Details of our Policies can be found here: St. Thomas More Catholic Primary School - School Policies (hccmac.co.uk)