Free School Meals, Pupil Premium and Inclusion

The school receives fundings for disadvantaged pupils through the Pupil Premium and Free School Meal Grants. 

Many families are entitled to additional funding for their child and the school which is income based free school meals. There are important changes to Free School Meals (FSM) happening that are coming into effect from August 2026. At Newcroft, our aim is to ensure all families who qualify, check their eligibility, even if you have not qualified in the past. 

If you are currently entitled to income based free school meals this entitlement is coming to an end and you must re-apply. 

Could you be eligible for additional funding? 

From August 2026 there will be three types of free school meals.

Targeted Free School Meals – this will be available to children from households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. In addition to receiving free meals, pupils eligible for targeted FSM will attract Pupil Premium and other disadvantage funding for the school.

NEW - Expanded Free School Meals – this will be available to children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, with annual household earnings exceeding £7,400. This entitlement will be for a free school meal each day. These pupils will not be eligible for Pupil Premium.

Universal Free School Meals – This will be available to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 regardless of family income.

While all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 currently receive Universal Infant Free School Meals, registering for targeted/expanded Free School Meals is still extremely important if your family meets the eligibility criteria.

The application process is quick and confidential, and registering will not affect any other benefits you may receive. You will be asked to give your consent to the storing of your details so that re-checks can take place every year in the summer term.

If you think you may be eligible, please complete the Free School Meals application form via the link here 

If you think you may be eligible but are self-employed, there is a different form to complete - please contact the school office for a link to this form.

The parents of eligible pupils will be informed before the start of the new academic year.

Families entitled to the Pupil Premium Grant

Pupils entitled to Free School Meals, Looked After children, post adoptive children and those of Service families are all entitled to benefit from the provision of this funding.

We have a dedicated Pupil Premium, Inclusion Leader: Miss Dance, EYFS Leader and Reception Class Teacher, who is also our Designated Teacher for Looked After Pupils. 

We are proud to spend this funding carefully and proportionally at Newcroft, to improve outcomes for our Pupil Premium children and their families. Our ultimate aim is to use this funding to close barriers to learning for these children and for any pupils we perceive to be disadvantaged. 

You'll find our most recent review of the 2024-25 academic year, along with our plans for the 2025-26 year here, along with our targets for the next 3 years. 

You can also find the excellent results of our Pupil Premium 2024-25 parent survey here. 

Free School Meals

This is not the same as ‘Universal Infant Free School Meals’, which all children are entitled to receive until the end of Key Stage One (end of Year 2).

Free School Meals:

Your child may be eligible for free school meals if you are in receipt of any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

If you think you may be eligible, it is crucial that you apply for Free School Meals to enable your child to receive free meals at school. Pupils entitled to Free School Meals at Newcroft are eligible for a range of activities and events, free of charge such as holiday clubs, as well as receiving a free hot meal every day at school. Even if you know that your child will eat packed lunches each day or some of the time, if you are eligible, please do apply so that extra funding can be used to access the wider range of activities on offer.

If you think your family may now be entitled to free school meals, please contact our local authority as soon as possible:

• 0116 305 5000
• [email protected]
• https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/social-care-and-supporting-families/free-school-meals
• Speak to the school office and we can provide you with a form to complete

Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium is extra government funding, which is paid to schools to support pupils’ learning and development. This extra funding is used at Newcroft to meet the individual needs and barriers to learning for each child.

This funding may be used for the following:

• Support pupils in class with extra teachers and support staff
• Support pupils’ learning through extra tuition and clubs after school
• Widen experiences through payment contributions towards school trips, events and residential trips
• Support parents with paying for school uniform
• Extra tools, equipment and resources for pupils based on need
• Access to free holiday clubs at school

To apply for Free School Meals and Pupil Premium, please complete the form here:

Service Premium Funding

The Department for Education (DfE) introduced the Service pupil premium (SPP) in April 2011 in recognition of the specific challenges children from Service families face and as part of the commitment to delivering the armed forces covenant.

Your child may be eligible for the Service Premium if:

• one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces (including pupils with a parent who is on full commitment as part of the full-time reserve service)
• they have been registered as a ‘Service child’ on a school census in the past six years
• one of their parents died whilst serving in the armed forces and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme
• one of their parents is in the armed forces of another nation and is stationed in England

Service parents need to make the school aware of their status by contacting Mrs Aukland or Miss Brailsford or by speaking to the school office. We can record your child as meeting the eligibility criteria on our next October Census, which ensures they receive the premium.