The Early Years Pupil Premium

From April 2015, nurseries, schools and other childcare providers have been able to claim extra funding through the Early Years Pupil Premium to support children’s learning and development. Clearly any additional funding can make a considerable difference to any setting and we are, therefore, asking you to help us ensure that we are in receipt of all funds available to us. This letter will explain what the Early Years Pupil Premium is, who is eligible and how you can support us in receiving this additional funding.

What is Early Years Pupil Premium Funding?

Additional funding for eligible 3 and 4 year olds in our Nursery and Reception

How will I know if I am entitled?

Your child is eligible if you are in receipt of one or more benefits, eg:

• Income Support
• Income based Job Seekers allowance
• Universal Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (Unless you’re also entitled to Working Tax Credit and earn no more than £16,190)
• Is looked after by the local authority for 1 day or more in England or Wales
• Has been adopted from care or has left care through special guardianship

How will my child benefit?

• Any child eligible for the funding will receive up to £302 a year paid to the school to provide additional support. This money could make a significant difference to us and therefore your child.
• We can use the extra funding in any way we choose to improve the quality of our provision. This could include, for example, additional training to further our expertise or supporting our staff in working on specialised areas such as speech and language.
• It is well documented that high quality early education influences how well a child does at both primary and secondary school so we do want to make the most of this additional funding. You may be aware if you have older children that a pupil premium has been available for school age children and it has proved to have given a real boost to the children receiving the funding. We want to do the same for our early years children entitled to this funding.

How do I apply?

If you are eligible please call in to the school office to fill out the registration form. This will allow us to claim the additional Early Years Pupil Premium funding.