Pupil Premium

At Fisher More High School, we have high aspirations and ambitions for our children and we believe that no child should be left behind. We strongly believe that it is not about where you come from but your passion and thirst for knowledge, and your dedication and commitment to learning that make the difference between success and failure.

We are determined to ensure that our children are given every chance to realise their full potential. Pupil premium funding, along with allocations made from the schools own budget will help ensure this money is spent to maximum effect.

What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is a type of funding additional to the main school funding.  It is received from the government each academic year and is allocated to pupils under a few different criteria. These criteria are;

Those families who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years. This is sometimes known as ‘the ever six’.

The amount received is £935 per eligible pupil.

Pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium Plus if they have left Local Authority care because of one of these reasons:

  • adoption
  • a special guardianship order
  • a child arrangements order
  • a residence order.

If a pupil has left Local Authority care and is eligible for free school meals, they just receive the Pupil Premium Plus money. (Not Pupil Premium & Pupil Premium Plus).

Those  pupils who have been in local-authority care for 1 day or more are also eligible for Pupil Premium Plus.

The amount received is £1900 per pupil.

The Service Premium gives schools extra funding to support children and young people with parents in the armed forces. Pupils attract the premium if they meet the following criteria:

  • one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces
  • one of their parents served in the regular armed forces in the last 3 years
  • one of their parents died while serving in the armed forces and the pupil is in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

The amount received is £300 per eligible pupil.

Free School Meals Eligibility

Did you know that your child could qualify for Free School Meals?

If your child is eligible, it means they can enjoy delicious, healthy meals without the bills and fuss of making packed lunches. Many pupils at Fisher More are already enjoying Free School Meals, and your child may be entitled to have them, if you receive one of the following:

  • Income Support (IS)
  • Income based Job Seekers Allowance (IBJSA)
  • An income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA(IR))
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Child Tax Credit (provided that you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, assessed by HM Revenue and Customs, that does not exceed £16,190)
  • The Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
  • Universal Credit

Please note that eligibility for Working Tax Credit automatically means that a family is NOT eligible for Free School Meals.

As well as having a free hot or cold lunch every day to the value of £2.50, pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals enable the school to receive additional funding to spend on extra resources for your child, such as revision classes.

Fisher More actively encourages all families entitled to Free School Meals to make a claim.  No-one else will know that your child qualifies for Free School Meals, as we use a cashless system that means that payment is discreet. Your child’s catering account is topped up automatically, to be used in full each day. Please note that pupils cannot ‘save up’ their allowance.

If you would like to apply for Free School Meals for your child, you can check your eligibility and apply directly to Free School Meals online, please go to Lancashire’s eligibility.  You can also apply by completing all sections of the form below and returning it to the school or direct to the Pupil Access Team at the Area Education Office for the area where you live:

EAST AREA
Burnley, Hyndburn / Ribble Valley, Pendle, Rossendale.  Area Education Office, 44 Union Street, Accrington, BB5 1PL

If you live in …
Burnley (01254) 220708 & 220710
Pendle (01254) 220709 & 220715

Registering for Pupil Premium

Did you know that registering your child for Pupil Premium means that the school is able to claim funding to provide extra resources for your child?

Pupil Premium funding is an extra amount of money paid direct to the school from the government for every child, who meets any of the following criteria:

  • Pupils eligible for a Free School Meal
  • Children adopted from care, along with children who left care under a Residence Order on or after 14 October 1991, and those that left care under a Special Guardianship Order on or after 30 December 2005
  • Pupils whose parents are in the armed forces or have been in the last five years.

We believe that this money can make a big difference to your child’s education.

With this money we can provide extra resources for your child. In the past year, we have been able to offer the following which would not have been possible without Pupil Premium funding:

  • Extra one to one literacy & numeracy support for pupils who join us below expected levels
  • Specific staff time dedicated to help pupils prepare for examinations
  • A fully staffed Breakfast club
  • SYNERGY – A software dedicated to improve communication with parents, students and staff
  • A Homework help club that runs every day in school.
  • A specialist appointed EAL member of staff
  • Curriculum learning resources.

This list is not exhaustive but gives a flavour of what we are able to achieve with Pupil Premium funding.

How does it work?

1. First, check if you qualify using the three bullet points at the top of the first page. If you are unsure about Free School Meals, please look at the list at the bottom of this page or contact us for further advice. If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great – they will get the free meal and the school gets £935 extra to support their learning. If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the school still gets £935 extra to support their learning.

2. Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify, contact Mr D Swarbrick on ext 245, who will help you to register. There is also a direct link on the Free Schools Meal Page.