If your family gets additional support, you should apply for a free school meal for your son or daughter – it could save you £350 a year.
Our smart-card system and Wisepay means that nobody knows who pays for their meals or who is entitled to a free meal. In order to make it more convenient and easier than ever for families entitled to education benefits to access support, applications for free school meals can now be made using a digital TV service, via a smart phone, web-enabled mobile phone and game consoles (such as XBox, Wii and Playstation).
There is a lot of evidence about nutrition and achievement. A good meal at lunchtime helps students achieve. Our catering team provides a selection of bread-based snacks, fresh fruit and drinks, which all meet current Government guidelines for healthy eating. In addition, we provide two main meal options at lunchtime, one of which is always suitable to a vegetarian diet.Â
However there is an added bonus for your child if they are entitled to a free school meal. For every child who takes a free school meal we presently get £935. We use this money to invest in improvements in teaching and learning, in support programmes and in curriculum initiatives to ensure students who receive free school meals are making as good progress as any other students in the school.Â
We therefore ask you to support our school by taking what you are entitled to. In so doing you support your family, give your child a decent midday meal each day, and provide our school with extra money to improve your child’s education. In life win-win situations are rare. This is one of those rare occasions and we urge you to take advantage of it.Â
We automatically renew existing applications for free school meals in June each year, so if you still qualify there is no need to send in another application. We will only write to you if you are no longer entitled to receive free school meals.
The Thomas Alleyne Academy receives a Pupil Premium Grant for students who currently claim Free School Meals or have claimed FSM in the last six years, for any Looked After Children and for those children of armed service personnel.
The pupil premium is additional funding provided to state funded schools in England. The aim is to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.
In 2023 to 24, the deprivation pupil premium (the element linked to FSM eligibility) is worth £1,035 per student.
The funding does not have to be spent solely on the pupils that attract it. Further information is available in a DfE policy paper that provides an overview of the pupil premium.
At The Thomas Alleyne Academy we use this money to invest in improvements in teaching and learning, in support programmes and in curriculum initiatives to ensure students who receive free school meals are making as good progress as any other students in the school.Â
Our pupil premium students are a key focus of our school development plan, which includes measurable targets aimed at improving outcomes for under-served students in each year group. Pupil premium advocacy is via the pastoral team led by the Assistant Headteacher. Pupil progress is monitored through analysis of the academy’s progress data three times a year and is monitored by the Head of Year and the tutors. Teachers will report on a child’s progress at parents’ evenings. Parents may ask at any time what support is available or what strategies are being used if their child is not achieving their potential in a subject, by contacting the Head of Year for their year group.
We are required to publish online information about how we have used the pupil premium. We guarantee to parents that all matters regarding use of the Pupil Premium Fund are treated with discretion and in confidence.
- Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2023-24 (166.38KB)
- Bursary Policy (post-16) (335.59KB)
FAQs
Pupil Premium Support
Please contact your Head of Year
How to apply for Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is a grant of money available to schools if students are eligible for free school meals. This grant is then paid directly to the school to use to improve the academic attainment of students.
To apply for free school meals you must go to the following Hertfordshire County Council website.
If you have been successful in the application, Hertfordshire County Council will contact the school.
It is also useful if you contact the school to make them aware of an application as we sometimes don’t get notified by Hertfordshire in a timely manner.
Is there Support for School Trips?
Opportunities for students to develop and extend their wider knowledge areas have in some studies been shown to improve student’s outcomes. As such, we try to partly fund trips which foster the aims of the school.
At Key stage 4, where the trip is compulsory for the course we will fully fund this. The only trip that is specified as being compulsory is the GCSE Geography fieldwork.
All trips and visits are granted on a case by case basis with varying levels of support.
Overall, extensive research has shown that these opportunities are high cost with less impact at raising achievement.
Some curriculum and educational trips will have more positive outcomes than others and as such applications are more likely to receive higher funding than others. We do not fund the trips abroad for pupil premium students.
Can I get help with purchases for design and food technology?
We support students with the purchase of materials for these subjects at KS3 and 4
should they require anything.
If you have any issues please contact Mrs McDowall
