Princes Risborough School

Free School Meals

Since April 2018, the Department for Education has provided a Transitional Protection to make sure that children would not lose their eligibility for Free School Meals when parents are transferred from other benefits to Universal Credit. The Transitional Protection will be closed by the Department for Education at the end of the Summer Term so all parents will need to re-apply for Free School Meals (FSM) before the start of the Autumn term in September if you would like your eligibility to continue.

Going forward there will be two categories of eligibility, Targeted and Expanded.

Targeted Category

Parents in receipt of the following benefits will be entitled to FSM for their children under the Targeted category:

• Universal Credit and the household income is below £7,400 per year as assessed by HMRC

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Income Based Employment and Support Allowance

• Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit

• Families eligible under the No Recourse to Public Funds criteria (NRPF)

Children eligible through the Targeted category will be entitled to Free School Meals, be included in funding provided to schools for the Deprivation Pupil Premium and will be eligible for Holiday Activities Fund vouchers (while the scheme is provided). This may also help with eligibility for Free School Transport. 

Please note that the DfE-funded holiday food voucher scheme is ending. For more information regarding this change, please see this link from Buckinghamshire Council: End of digital food vouchers. However, the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which provides free activities and healthy meals during the holidays, will continue to be available to eligible families.

Expanded Category

Parents in receipt of the following benefits will be entitled to FSM under the Expanded category:

• Universal Credit and the household income is above £7,400 per year as assessed by HMRC

Children eligible through the Expanded category will be entitled to Free School Meals only. No other additional support is available through this category of eligibility.

Applying

In order to apply for Free School Meals for your child(ren) for September please complete the Google Form: Free School Meals Application 2026/27 before Friday 2nd July 2026.

If you have more than one child at our school, please ensure you list all of your children on the form. If you have a child in another school, you will need to follow their process for making a FSM application.

For both types of eligibility, we will need to recheck your claim once per school year as children will only be eligible for the support explained above while their parents are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits. If you find that your circumstances change over the course of the school year and you feel that your children’s eligibility needs to be re-checked, please let us know.

If your child moves to a new school over the course of the school year and they were eligible while attending this school, please let the new school know and they can contact us for details.

Pupil Premium Funding at PRS

Pupil Premium Strategy Statement  - 3 year plan

Pupil Premium funding supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring equal opportunities for success. At PRS, we use this funding to provide targeted support to improve both academic achievement and personal development for all eligible students.

This funding is allocated as a lump sum based on the number of eligible students, not individually. While the funding supports all eligible students, it may not be fully spent on one child each year, and we do not itemise spending per student. Instead, we use the funding flexibly to meet the collective needs of the group.

Based on Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommendations, we use Pupil Premium funding in the following ways:

• Access to Technology: Fully funding a Chromebook for every student (in receipt of FSM) in Year 7, ensuring they have the necessary technology for schoolwork at home and in class.
  
  
• Support with Uniform & Equipment: Providing support for badged/logo uniform items when students arrive in Year 7 and as they move through the school, based on individual circumstances.
  
  
• High-Quality Teaching: Ensuring all students benefit from excellent teaching through professional development and evidence-based strategies.
  
  
• Targeted Academic Support: Offering tailored interventions, such as tutoring, small group sessions, and additional resources to close any learning gaps.
  
  
• Feedback and Assessment: Regular, constructive feedback and assessments to track progress and provide further support where needed.
  
  
• Social and Emotional Support: Pastoral support, mentoring, and well-being services to help students manage challenges that may affect their learning.
  
  
• Subsidising Trips and Enrichment: Using funding to ensure all students can take part in trips and enrichment activities that enhance their learning.

We are committed to supporting all of our students and ensuring Pupil Premium funding is used effectively. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s Head of Year, Raising Achievement Officer, or our designated Pupil Premium lead on pupilpremium@prsbucks.com.

Service Pupil Premium (SPP) Funding at PRS

 At PRS, Service Pupil Premium (SPP) funding is provided as a lump sum based on the number of eligible children, rather than being allocated individually. This funding allows us to create tailored support for our service pupil cohort, focusing on both academic progress and emotional well-being.

As each child's needs are unique, the flexible nature of SPP funding ensures we can address these needs in the most effective way. This can include a wide range of support, such as academic interventions and emotional well-being services. Because the funding is distributed at a school-wide level, it is not itemised per child but rather used to benefit all eligible students in ways that are most relevant to their development.

Here are some of the ways we use this funding at PRS:

• Emotional and Pastoral Support: Offering counselling and well-being services to help children manage the challenges of having a parent in the armed forces.
  
  
• Academic Support: Providing targeted interventions such as online tutoring, additional learning resources, and small group sessions to bridge any educational gaps caused by school transitions.
  
  
• Enhanced Learning Experiences: Organising 1:1 career meetings, trips to universities and other opportunities to broaden students' horizons.
  
  
• Transition Support: Assisting students during times of parental deployment or relocation, with extra help from our Raising Achievement Officers and an ex-services Learning Assistant.
  
  
• Mentoring and Role Models: Connecting students with mentors or role models from our Sixth Form to offer guidance and support.

If you feel your child would benefit from additional support, please either complete this Google Form or contact your child’s Head of Year or Raising Achievement Officer. We are here to explore how we can assist both academically and pastorally.