Free School Meals & Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided to schools to support the education and wellbeing of pupils who may face disadvantage.
At Thames Ditton Infant School, we use Pupil Premium funding to help ensure that eligible pupils have the support, opportunities and resources they need to thrive, both academically and personally.
Who is eligible for Pupil Premium?
From September 2026, there is an important change to the way Free School Meals and Pupil Premium eligibility work.
Pupil Premium funding is available for:
- Pupils eligible for Targeted Free School Meals (FSM) or who have been eligible for Targeted FSM within the previous six years (known as Ever 6 FSM).
- Looked After Children (LAC).
- Previously Looked After Children, including children who have left care through adoption, a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order.
- Eligible Service Children, who attract Service Pupil Premium.
Targeted Free School Meals
From September 2026, children living in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to Free School Meals.
There are now two categories:
Targeted Free School Meals
Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.
Children who are eligible for Targeted FSM also attract Pupil Premium funding for their school.
Expanded Free School Meals
Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings above £7,400.
These children are entitled to a free school meal, but Expanded FSM does not attract Pupil Premium funding.
This distinction is important because receiving a free school meal does not necessarily mean that your child's school will receive Pupil Premium funding.
Why should I apply?
Even if your child is already entitled to a free school meal through the universal infant free school meals scheme, it is still important to check whether your family is eligible for Targeted Free School Meals.
If your child qualifies for Targeted FSM, the school can also receive Pupil Premium funding to support their education.
At Thames Ditton Infant School, this funding may contribute towards support such as:
- targeted academic support
- additional teaching or intervention
- wellbeing and pastoral support
- educational visits and enrichment opportunities
- access to activities and experiences
- support for families where appropriate.
We use our Pupil Premium funding carefully and review our provision regularly to ensure it has a positive impact on pupils.
Free School Meals and Pupil Premium 2026–27
From September 2026:
| Free School Meal | Pupil Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted FSM – Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less | ✓ | ✓ |
| Expanded FSM – Universal Credit with annual household earnings above £7,400 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Universal Infant Free School Meals – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 | ✓ | ✗ |
The third category is important for TDIS: all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are already entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals, regardless of household income. This entitlement is separate from benefits-based Free School Meals and Pupil Premium.
How to check whether your child is eligible
To check whether your child is eligible for Free School Meals and whether they may attract Pupil Premium funding, please complete our Free School Meals & Pupil Premium Funding 2026–27 form.
The information you provide allows us to establish whether your child meets the relevant eligibility criteria.
If you have more than one child at Thames Ditton Infant School, please provide the information requested for each child.
Looked After and Previously Looked After Children
Pupil Premium is also available for:
- children who are currently Looked After by a local authority
- children who were previously Looked After and have subsequently left care through adoption, a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order.
If this applies to your child, please speak to the School Office so that we can ensure the appropriate information is recorded.
Service Pupil Premium
Service Pupil Premium provides additional funding for eligible children from Service families.
A child may be eligible where:
- a parent is serving in the Regular Armed Forces;
- a parent is serving in the armed forces of another nation and is stationed in England;
- the child has been registered as a Service Child within the previous six years; or
- a parent died whilst serving in the Armed Forces and the child receives a relevant pension.
For 2026–27, Service Pupil Premium is £360 per eligible pupil.
If this applies to your child, please contact the School Office.
How we use Pupil Premium
At Thames Ditton Infant School, Pupil Premium funding is used to support pupils' individual needs and to remove barriers to learning.
Our provision may include:
Targeted academic support
Additional teaching, intervention and support to help pupils make progress.
Pastoral and wellbeing support
Support to develop confidence, resilience, independence and positive relationships.
Enrichment and wider opportunities
Helping pupils access educational experiences, activities and opportunities that enrich their learning.
Support for families
Where appropriate, providing or signposting support to help overcome barriers that may affect a child's education.
We regularly review the impact of our Pupil Premium provision and adapt our approach according to the needs of our pupils.
Pupil Premium Strategy
Our Pupil Premium Strategy explains how we use this funding to support disadvantaged pupils and the impact of our approach.
You will find our current statement below.