Pupil Premium
At Beacon Academy, we are ambitious for excellence in all we do and our vision, which although established and sustained, is to provide the best possible education for all our students, irrespective of background or the challenges they face. This includes our vulnerable students, such as those with a social worker, those who are young carers or our students with SEND.
What is the Pupil Premium?
The pupil premium is an allocation of money that is given to schools to specifically assist children who fall into at least one of the following groups:
- They are currently eligible for free school meals (FSM)
- They have been eligible within the last 6 years for FSM (Ever 6)
- They have been identified as Pupil Premium Plus (a looked after child or a previously looked after child)
The amount that each school currently receives for students within these groups is £985 per student. The money is specifically designed to support schools to deliver evidence-based activities that will raise the attainment of our disadvantaged students. In addition, the school will receive an additional £276 recovery premium to support educational recovery for disadvantaged students, who suffered disproportionately during the pandemic.
The Government allows Beacon Academy (as with other educational establishments who receive this grant) to decide how best to utilise the funding to support the progress of the students who are entitled to the funding and the intervention and support we provide is outlined below.
The funding is not ring-fenced and can be carried forward into the following academic year. The Pupil Premium Report below outlines the details of the funding, how this allocation will be spent, how the previous year’s allocation was spent and the effect of the expenditure on the educational achievement of our students.
Note: Pupil Premium Plus is £2410 per child. These funds are held centrally in East Sussex by the Virtual School and are used to support looked after students across the county with the greatest need. We also receive a Pupil Premium for any children of men or women serving in the armed forces (£300). Currently there are no students at Beacon who are entitled to the armed forces grant.
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2024
Guidance on Free School Meals Eligibility Criteria
New guidance, which sets out the updated criteria used to determine which students are entitled to free school meals published by the Department for Education came into effect on on 1 April 2018. This reflects the introduction of Universal Credit and the phasing out of other income-based benefits. The guidance also includes information on how students currently claiming free school meals, or who will claim during Universal Credit rollout, are affected. Please refer to page 19 of the document at the above link for more information.
Free school meals for children – East Sussex County Council criteria
Free school meals are available to students in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
- Income Support.
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance.
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- The guarantee 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) Anyone entitled to Working Tax Credit is not entitled to free meals regardless of income.
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
- During the initial roll out of the benefit, Universal Credit.
In addition, the following students will be protected against losing their free school meals as follows (please see page 10 on the document linked above for further details):
- From 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants will continue to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This will apply even if their earnings rise above the new threshold during that time.
- In addition, any child gaining eligibility for free school meals after 1 April 2018 will be protected against losing free school meals during the Universal Credit rollout period.
- Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants that no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point (because they are earning above the threshold or are no longer a recipient of Universal Credit) will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education (i.e. primary or secondary).
If you feel you meet any of the criteria above, please follow the links below to complete an online application for Free School Meals.