Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium at BHPS

Pupil Premium money is additional funding which is allocated to schools to be used to support children who belong to groups which are vulnerable to underachievement. This includes children who are entitled to free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. The purpose of this funding is to accelerate progress and raise attainment.

Think you might be eligible for Free School Meals?

We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals. Use the link below to access the Nottinghamshire County Council Free School Meal web page.

Free school meals and milk | Nottinghamshire County Council

The application process will use the Department for Education’s free school meals eligibility checking system to determine eligibility.

To apply, you will need to register and provide:

your National Insurance Number or National Asylum Support Service Reference Number
your last name
your date of birth

If you are unable to apply online please contact us on 0300 500 80 80 or complete an application form

Changes for September 2026

The Government has announced that from September 2026, all children in England whose families receive Universal Credit will be entitled to a free school meal each day, regardless of household income.

What is changing?

At the moment, families must earn less than £7,400 per year (after tax, not including benefits) to qualify for benefits-related free school meals.

From September 2026, this income limit will be removed for families receiving Universal Credit, meaning more children will be eligible.

When will this start?

This change will begin at the start of the 2026–27 school year in September 2026.

Do I still need to apply?

Yes. You must apply for Free School Meal entitlement, it isn’t automatic. You can do this using the following link:

https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/school-meals/free-school-meals-and-milk

My child already receives free school meals – do I need to do anything?

No. If your child already receives benefits-related free school meals (not Universal Infant FSM), your eligibility will be checked automatically.

What are the New Funding and Eligibility Categories?

Targeted FSM: Covers households on Universal Credit earning £7,400 or less per year; these continue to attract additional disadvantage funding like Pupil Premium

Expanded FSM: Covers households on Universal Credit earning above £7,400; these qualify for the meal itself, but do not trigger extra educational disadvantage allocations

What if my child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2?

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 already receive a free meal through the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. However, it is still very important that you apply if you receive Universal Credit, because:

The school may receive additional funding to support your child
It helps ensure continued eligibility when your child moves into Year 3

What do I need to do now?

You can check eligibility and apply online via the Nottinghamshire County Council website https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/school-meals/free-school-meals-and-milk

If you need support completing the form, contact the support team at Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 8080.

Pupil Premium is paid to schools for:

Pupils recorded on the October School Census who were eligible for and receiving Free School Meals (FSM);
Pupils who have been eligible and receiving FSM at any time in the last six years, known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’;
Children who have been Looked After in public care (LAC) for at least one day as recorded in the March 2014 Children Looked After Data Return;
Children Adopted from Care (Post-LAC) under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and children who have left care under a Special Guardianship or Residence Order;
A grant is also paid to the school for children from service families.

Schools receive the following grants (2025-2026):

£1,515 for each pupil in year groups reception to year 6 recorded as Ever 6 FSM
£2,630 for each looked-after children (LAC) defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority
£2, 630 for each child who has ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order
£350 for each pupil in year groups reception to year 11 recorded as a Service Child or in receipt of a child pension from the Ministry of Defence

For the financial year 2025-2026, BHPS received £64,945 in Pupil Premium funding.

How we plan to spend that money is outlined in our pupil Premium Strategy

The amount of money allocated to schools under Pupil Premium is clearly identifiable. It is, however, at the discretion of the school to decide how it is spent, since they are in the best position to assess what intervention strategies or additional support will be most effective to support their individual pupils to make progress. The provision to which funds have been allocated has been decided based on rigorous research about interventions which have the most impact. The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit has been used to prioritise spending based on potential impact. We also look at best practice in other successful schools.

All schools are required to report on the amount of funding received, how this is being used, and the impact of any work done.

Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve attainment across all areas of the curriculum. The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils to achieve that goal, including progress for those pupils who are already high attainers.

Statement of Intent

At Bramcote Hills Primary School (BHPS), our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve well across the full breadth of the curriculum. Our Pupil Premium strategy supports this aim by ensuring that disadvantaged pupils, including those who are already high attainers, receive the right support to achieve their full potential. Our approach is underpinned by our SPARK curriculum, which provides Stimulating, Purposeful, Aspirational, Relevant experiences for all learners. We believe that high-quality, ambitious teaching is the most powerful lever for securing equity and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Through outstanding teaching and targeted support, we aim to inspire a love of learning, close attainment gaps and foster confident, independent, and curious learners. The strategy reflects our belief that every pupil should have equal access to the same rich and ambitious curriculum, and that some children—particularly those facing disadvantage—may need additional, carefully planned support to achieve this. High-quality teaching sits at the heart of our approach, as research and our own practice evidence that improving the quality of teaching benefits all pupils and has the greatest impact on those who are disadvantaged.

Our approach is responsive to individual needs and grounded in robust diagnostic assessment rather than assumptions about disadvantage. Strategies are designed to complement each other, ensuring coherence across teaching, intervention, and wider provision.

This holistic approach aligns with the Education Inspection Framework (Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development) and ensures that disadvantaged pupils have every opportunity to thrive both academically and personally. Outcomes have improved year-on-year, particularly in mathematics and reading, with mobility-linked needs addressed through diagnostic assessment and phonics fidelity. The 2025–26 strategy focuses on increasing greater-depth attainment, early identification of need, and strengthened metacognitive behaviours.

Key Principles of our approach

Our work is guided by three key principles, following the Education Endowment Foundation’s tiered model:
1. Quality of Teaching – Ensuring that every class is led by a highly effective teacher through continuous professional development, instructional coaching and the consistent delivery of a well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum.
2. Targeted Academic Support – Providing structured, evidence-informed interventions in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils who require additional help to reach age-related expectations or greater depth.
3. Wider Strategies – Removing non-academic barriers to success, such as attendance, wellbeing and access to enrichment, ensuring that all pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and engagement in school life.

Within each category of our Pupil Premium strategy, BHPS has selected a small number of evidence-informed approaches to ensure focus, depth and measurable impact. By maintaining a disciplined approach to implementation, we aim to give each intervention the greatest possible chance of success.

Quality of Teaching

High-quality teaching is the most significant driver for improving outcomes for all pupils and has the greatest impact on those who are disadvantaged. Using Pupil Premium funding to strengthen teaching quality benefits every learner, in line with the Quality of Education judgement within the Ofsted framework. At BHPS, our priority is to ensure that every class is taught by a highly effective teacher and that all staff are supported to continue improving through high-quality professional development. Key actions include:
• Continuous Professional Development: Ongoing coaching and mentoring for teachers and teaching assistants, with a particular focus on English, mathematics and curriculum development.
• Professional Learning: Staff participation in targeted training, collaborative planning, INSET and subject-specific development to embed consistent, research-informed practice across the curriculum.

These actions ensure that teaching is adaptive, ambitious and aligned with the intent of our SPARK curriculum, enabling disadvantaged pupils to access and achieve the full breadth of the National Curriculum.

Targeted support

We deploy staff strategically to provide precise, evidence-based academic support that complements classroom teaching. This targeted approach ensures that pupils who are not yet meeting age-related expectations receive the right help at the right time.

Key actions include:

Structured interventions in reading, writing, mathematics and oral language, with clear entry and exit points to measure impact.
Small group and one-to-one support focused on specific gaps in knowledge or skills, delivered by experienced staff.
Home Liaison Worker providing support and communication between school and families to remove barriers to learning.
Brighter Futures Through Sport mentoring programme promoting self-belief, aspiration and resilience, particularly for identified disadvantaged pupils.

This provision ensures that disadvantaged pupils make accelerated progress and develop the academic and personal skills needed to succeed across the curriculum.

Wider Strategies

In line with our whole-school ethos, BHPS is committed to addressing the wider, non-academic barriers that can impact learning and achievement. These include attendance, wellbeing, and access to enrichment opportunities that build cultural capital and a sense of belonging.

Key actions include:

Attendance and Punctuality: Attendance of disadvantaged pupils is tracked weekly and analysed monthly. Targeted support, including home visits and family liaison, is provided where patterns of absence or lateness emerge.
Wellbeing and Emotional Support: Provision of tailored support for children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, including ELSA intervention and access to external support such as BFTS and MHST, where required.
Enrichment and Inclusion: Ensuring all disadvantaged pupils participate in at least two extra-curricular activities and attend all educational visits and residentials. Subsidised costs are often provided to remove any barriers to participation.

These wider strategies contribute to pupils’ personal development, resilience and sense of belonging — key drivers of long-term academic success.

Bramcote Hills Primary School Pupil Premium Strategy (Including review)