If your child is eligible for free school meals, their schools may also be entitled to receive a sum of money to boost their learning. This guide explains the allocation of the Pupil Premium for UAH and its pupils.
What is Pupil Premium?
This is based on research showing that pupils from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Research showed that often, Pupils who are entitled to Pupil Premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, less family support, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality compared to Non-Pupil Premium pupils. The Pupil Premium is intended to directly benefit the pupils who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates and their peers nationally.
Is your child eligible?
In the Academic Year 2025-2026, schools are given a Pupil Premium for:
- Pupils who have qualified for free school meals at any point in the past six years. The school receives [£1075] for each of these pupils.
- The school is awarded a premium of [£2630] for pupils who have been looked after under local authority care for more than one day. The funding allocations for these students is linked to Personal Education Plans through local authorities.
- [£350] for pupils of parents serving in the armed forces or retired and on a pension form the armed forces
How is it spent at UAH?
Schools can choose how to spend their Pupil Premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the pupils who are eligible.
Common ways in which schools spend their Pupil Premium fund include:
- Developing curriculum and staff CPD.
- Extra one-to-one or small-group support for pupils within the classroom.
- Employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes.
- Running catch-up sessions before or after school, for example for pupils who need extra help with particular skills.
- Providing extra tuition for able pupils who receive the Pupil Premium.
- Funding educational trips and visits.
At UAH, Pupil Premium money will be used to support the following areas identified as barriers to success for Pupil Premium pupils:
- To ensure curriculum promotes progress and attainment for disadvantaged students
- To ensure disadvantaged students are making progress in line with non-disadvantaged
- To reduce gaps in literacy on entry for students and throughout school to ensure academic progress can be made in line with non-disadvantaged peers
- To remove barriers for disadvantaged students attending school due to lack of resources
- To ensure that disadvantaged students have full access to extra-curricular opportunities and increased engagement by disadvantaged students
- To promote attendance of disadvantaged students and ensure attendance is in line with non-disadvantaged peers
- To ensure disadvantaged students have high aspirations and appropriate advice to achieve their goals
- To promote high standards of behaviour in all students, recognising that disadvantaged students more often need pastoral support
- To ensure that disadvantaged students are encouraged and supported to in developing all avenues of their life. To ensure disadvantaged students are actively encouraged to take part in school life
- To engage families in supporting disadvantaged student through regular communication with home
- To ensure disadvantaged students are safe and have access to mental health support
All schools have to show that they are using their Pupil Premium fund appropriately. This is measured through Ofsted inspections and annual performance tables showing the progress made by pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium. At UAH the Pupil Premium statements (shown below), show how much money has been allocated this year, how the academy intends to spend it, how the previous year’s allocation was spent and how it is making a difference to the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
If your child qualifies for free school meals, it’s important that you tell us – even if they take a packed lunch – as this enables them to claim Pupil Premium.
Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 23-24