Pupil Premium 

Pupil Premium is an allocation of additional funding provided to schools to support children who are vulnerable to underachievement and to support diminishing achievement differences.

Pupil Premium is funding which the government have allocated to pupils in the following categories:

• pupils who have applied for and meet the criteria for free school meals or have been eligible for free school meals within the last 6 years. (See below for further information) 
• pupils in local authority care
• pupils from a military family

The school gets additional funding (Pupil Premium) to support your child/s education and can help to buy new equipment and resources. Money is only paid if you apply for free school meals and are confirmed to be entitled. This money is allocated to school budgets based on the number of pupils in school who are in the above categories.

At Nether Green Infant School we decide how the money should be spent and allocate it to support pupils in reaching their potential both academically and socially.

Click here to read our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2024-2027

Free School Meals 

Every child in an infant school is entitled to a 'universal free school meal'. Therefore, all our children are offered a daily free school meal.

The government also allocates additional funding to schools in the form of 'Pupil Premium'. One of the criteria used to calculate Pupil Premium funding is the number of pupils at school who receive Free School Meals (FSM) which is not the same as a universal free school meal as mentioned above. In common with most schools it is likely that a number of parents/carers whose children attend Nether Green Infant School fail to claim FSMs, even though they are entitled to them.  

You may be entitled to claim FSMs for your child, he or she may well be able to access some things in school free of charge such as:

• financial support to purchase items of school uniform
• financial support for educational trips, visits, visitors
• financial support for extra-curricular clubs such as Art 
• access to additional support for your child's learning and/or well being

In order to claim FSMs a parent/carer must be claiming one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (you need to have an annual net earned income of £7,400 or below, 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 from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit with a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit run-on (paid 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

If you are unsure if you meet the criteria and you would like us to check whether your child is eligible for free school meals please complete this form and either return to the school or direct to Sheffield City Council.  For further information please contact Sheffield City Council Customer Services on 0114 2734567 (option 4, then option 3)

Important Government Update - Changes to Free School Meals from September 2026

We want to make families aware of some upcoming changes to Free School Meals (FSM), which may affect pupils from 1 September 2026.

What is changing?

On 8 May 2026, the Department for Education announced changes to how Free School Meals eligibility will work in future, linked to Universal Credit.

These changes will affect:

• Families who currently receive FSM.
• Families who may be eligible but are not currently claiming FSM.

Important change to current protection

Since April 2018, once a child became eligible for FSM, they have continued to receive them even if their family’s circumstances changed.

This protection will end at the end of the 2025–26 school year on 31 August 2026.

Checking eligibility (summer to autumn term)

Sheffield City Council will be checking free school meal eligibility for all pupils between the summer and autumn term 2026 (and regularly going forwards). This applies to:

• Pupils who currently receive FSM.
• Families who wish to apply for FSM for the first time.

Who may be eligible?

Targeted Free School Meals (with additional funding for schools)

Families may be eligible if they receive:

• Universal Credit with a household income of £7,400 a year or less.
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
• Support as a family with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Expanded Free School Meals (meals only)

Families may also be eligible if they receive Universal Credit with a household income above £7,400.

How to apply

Families who are not currently receiving free school meals but think they may be eligible should apply online:

You can also:

• ask your child’s school to apply on your behalf, or
• contact Sheffield city Council, Customer Services Team at 0114 2734567 (option 4, option 3).

Please note that you do not need to apply if you are already receiving income-based free school meals in a Sheffield school - we will be in touch if anything has changed.

Further information

Sheffield City Council will provide further updates before September 2026.