Pupil Premium and Finances - Guidance and Support for Families

Is your child entitled to Pupil Premium? If so we can fund £180 of clubs outside of school for your child, and cover the costs for your child’s school trips and residentials.  It also brings £1455 additional funding into the school to help support teaching and learning.  

To apply you simply need to register for Free School Meals, even if you opt for your child to have packed lunches.  If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 so already has Free School Meals, eligible families can still apply for 'Eligible by Benefit' Free School Meals and access the Pupil Premium Funding.

 How to apply:

You can register your entitlement for Pupil Premium/Free School Meals - Eligible by Benefit (EBB) if you have children who attend a school in Bath and North East Somerset*, and you are in receipt of any of the qualifying benefits listed below: 

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support   
• Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income Related Employment Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (WITHOUT Working Tax Credit) and have and annual household income (as assessed by HMRC) below £16,190
• Working Tax Credit Run-on which is only paid for 4 weeks after you STOP qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Support under PartV1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Please click here for Free School Meals Guidance

How to register

Please contact the team at: freeschoolmeals@bathnes.gov.uk

Apply online at https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals  

Or call 01225 394317 (if you leave a message, we will return your call).

Please note that the Local Authority will check your initial and on-going eligibility to qualifying benefits on your behalf using the DFE online Free School Meal Eligibility Checking Service. Your National Insurance or National Asylum Seeker Support Number and Date of Birth must be completed clearly and accurately.

To claim for your funding for your child's club

You can choose a club that is run at school or outside of school.  You simply have to ask the club leader to invoice the school directly for that term.  We have paid for swimming at the Leisure Centre, football clubs, craft club etc.  Try to choose something that you know your child is going to enjoy.  If the club is over £180 per year, we will fund the first £180 and you will pay the rest.  Click here for the clubs letter for parents and carers of children in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding.

How do we spend our Pupil Premium Money?

Click here to view our updated Pupil Premium Strategy Statement (2022-25)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2024/25)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2023/24)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2022/23)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2021/22)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2020/21)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for the next academic year (2019/20)

Click here to view our Pupil Premium Spending Plan for this academic year (2018/19) 

Finances – Advice and Contacts for Families

At St John’s Catholic Primary School, we understand that the cost of supporting your children through school can put pressure on your household budgets. Rises in the cost-of-living have seen increases in the costs of essentials like food, fuel and housing.      

We want all our pupils to feel comfortable and confident in school and to be able to participate in everything that is on offer.  We want to do all we can to make every school day affordable for all our families and to help you find the support you might need if you have money concerns.

Getting help

It can be difficult to talk about money worries.  People finding it hard to make ends meet often hang on and try and sort things out themselves; not seeking help until the situation has become very difficult.  Whatever the issues you are facing we would encourage you to ask for support before things get that way.  There is no shame in seeking support when you need it and both the school and the help organisations listed below will help with sensitivity and confidentiality.

There are also many sources of support from both local and national organisations. BANES Affordable Schools Network signpost parents and carers to the following key agencies:

Local support

B&NES Community Wellbeing Hub: 0300 247 0050 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The team can link you up with organisations such as B&NES Citizen’s Advice that help with money, housing, employment, and health issues. One call can get you in touch with a range of services, all under one roof, including several in the list below. 

B&NES Welfare Support  offers short-term emergency help with living, travel or housing costs through vouchers or direct purchase. The team also offer help with Council Tax and Discretionary Housing Payments, clothing for interviews and costs of moving home. All available for people in crisis and living on low incomes.   

St John’s Crisis Fund  provides support to people who are struggling financially and funds essential practical items like beds, white goods, furniture, carpets, counselling, debt support and basic employment skills and training. You do need to be referred by a professional like a health visitor or housing association support worker.

B&NES Citizen's Advice : FREEPHONE 0808 02787897 Mon-Fri 9.30am - 2.30pm. Free expert advice from an independent and trusted charity. Citizens Advice can also help with complex problems, where you might feel really stuck or overwhelmed including debt, benefits, housing, family issues, discrimination, and immigration.  

Clean Slate QuidsIn weekly emails Free sign-up for weekly email full of ways to help increase income and savings and manage on a low income. No distracting adverts for credit cards or loans, just straightforward, solid guidance on how to make the most of the money you have and how to maximise your income. Clean Slate also have local advisers in B&NES that you can speak to or see face-to-face.

B&NES Livewell B&NES  links to many services for local families including childcare, health, money, learning and skills, social and leisure resources and more.  Enter what you are looking for in the search box.

Debt Free South West provides help and advice to people in B&NES on matters such as rent arrears, council tax, utility bills, credit cards and loans.

Free clothing and uniform

 B&NES School Kit Project SKiP provides new school related items such as uniforms and bags to local schoolchildren whose families, whether they are currently in work or not, are experiencing financial hardship. You need to be referred to SKiP by the school, so contact Catrin Geeson (cgeeson@stjohns.bathnes.sch.uk) to access this support. 

Action Pantry Clothesline offers free clothing for children aged 5-15 from good quality donated goods. Some school uniform items available.  You can visit and choose from the clothes rails or ask for a bundle of age-suitable clothing to be made up for you. 

The Nest Project provides free clothing and equipment for children aged 0-5 from good quality donated goods. They run drop-in toddler groups with a friendly welcome, a listening ear, and a cup of tea too.

The Uniform Cupboard  free, good quality donated school uniform for B&NES Schools.  Situation on Lower Bristol Road, Bath.

Affordable Food

B&NES Food Finder local listings for B&NES affordable food projects including foodbanks, food clubs, pantries, and community cafes. The food clubs and pantries offer a range of fresh and store-cupboard food at very discounted prices so you can make your food budget stretch much further. They are also, increasingly, hosting teams who offer money advice for example form Citizen’s Advice and Clean Slate.

National advice and information

Money Helper Government website offering comprehensive guidance on all aspects of money, benefits, debt and investments. Includes a ‘Couch to Financial Fitness’ tool to help you get back on track.  

Money Box on Radio4 There are lots of money-related tips on this programme on BBC i-player. You can listen any time. Topics have included surviving debt, tips for rented housing, coping with cost of living rises, avoiding scams and fraud calls, applying for benefits and much more. 

Entitled To is a website that helps you work out if your family is entitled to any benefits.