Pupil Premium

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At St Alban’s Catholic High School, we are committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to thrive – as learners, as positive contributors to school and community life, and in achieving happy, successful and fulfilled lives. Pupil Premium funding supports us in reducing barriers to learning and improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged students.

What is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the government to schools in England to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged students.

For the 2026-27 financial year, Pupil Premium funding is allocated for:

Students in Years 7-11 who are eligible for Targeted Free School Meals (FSM) or who have been eligible for FSM during the previous six years (known as Ever 6 FSM);

Children who are looked after by a local authority;

Children who were previously looked after and subsequently left care through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order; and

Eligible children from service families, through the Service Pupil Premium.

For the 2026-27 financial year, schools receive £1,100 for each eligible secondary-aged Ever 6 FSM student and £2,690 for each previously looked-after child. Pupil Premium funding for looked-after children is allocated to the local authority and managed through the Virtual School. The Service Pupil Premium is £360 per eligible student.

Changes to Free School Meals from September 2026

From the start of the 2026–27 academic year, the government has expanded eligibility for Free School Meals to include all students from households receiving Universal Credit.

There are now two categories of Free School Meals:

Targeted FSM – based on the existing income threshold. Students eligible for Targeted FSM continue to attract Pupil Premium funding and become part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort.

Expanded FSM – provides entitlement to a free school meal for students in households receiving Universal Credit who do not meet the Targeted FSM criteria. Expanded FSM is a meal-only entitlement and does not generate Pupil Premium funding or the additional benefits associated with Targeted FSM eligibility.

Students who were already eligible for FSM before the September 2026 changes will continue to be included within the Ever 6 FSM cohort for the relevant six-year period.

How do we use Pupil Premium at St Alban’s?

Schools decide how best to use Pupil Premium funding by identifying the needs and barriers faced by their students and selecting approaches that are most likely to improve outcomes.

Pupil Premium is not a personal budget for individual students, and schools are not required to spend a set amount on each eligible student. Funding can therefore be used for targeted provision as well as wider strategies that benefit eligible students, including improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

At St Alban’s, our approach focuses on ensuring that eligible students receive high-quality teaching and appropriate support to overcome barriers to their learning, achievement, participation and personal development.

What does being eligible for Pupil Premium mean at St Alban’s?

Our provision includes:

Access to consistently high-quality teaching and learning;

Careful tracking of academic progress, attendance and wider engagement;

Targeted academic intervention and tuition where appropriate;

Support with stationery, essential equipment and revision materials where required;

Support with school uniform where required;

Support towards eligible curriculum trips and educational experiences;

Support with Technology contributions where required;

Targeted pastoral, attendance and wider support according to individual need; and

Consideration of other barriers to learning, including access to appropriate IT and resources where applicable.

Our aim is to ensure that financial circumstances do not prevent students from accessing their learning or participating fully in the wider life of the school.

Further Information

For more detailed information about how Pupil Premium funding is allocated and how St Alban’s is supporting eligible students during the current academic year, please see our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement and supporting documents below.

If you believe your child may be eligible for Targeted FSM/Pupil Premium, or you would like to discuss the support available to your child, please contact our Pupil Premium and Free School Meal team at:

PPFSM@stalbans-staff.org

For further information about our whole-school Pupil Premium strategy, please contact Mrs J Block, Deputy Headteacher.

To download a copy of our Free School Meals Application letter, please click here.

St Alban’s Catholic High School Domine Ut Serviam - Lord, that I may serve

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