SCHOOLS in Calderdale could be missing out on up to £300,000 of vital funding because parents are not registering for the help to which they are entitled.
The Pupil Premium is a payment which the government pays directly to schools. It is designed to help schools provide more help for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
At the moment pupil premium is £488 per pupil per year but in 2012/13 this will increase to £600. Where schools have large numbers of pupils on free school meals the amount of funding can be considerable.
But some schools are missing out because parents/carers choose not to register their children. Only about 88% of parents/carers who are entitled have registered their children for free school meals.
In Calderdale it is estimated that there is about £300k of extra funding which could be obtained by Calderdale schools if all pupils who were entitled to a free school meal were registered and became eligible.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Clr Ashley Evans, said: “Pupil Premium is targeted at pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure that they benefit from the same opportunities as any other pupil.
“It can be used by schools to provide additional help for pupils who need it, ensuring they get the most out of what the school has to offer.”
Some schools, for example, use the Pupil Premium to provide a summer school or other extra-curricular activities for their pupils.
Schools are being given advice by the DFE on how best to use this funding so that pupils receive maximum benefit and many schools are sharing good ideas with each other.
