Pupil Premium and PE & Sports Premium

Pupil Premium and PE & Sport Premium

Helping Every Child Flourish

At Winford Church of England Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Our Christian vision, Together we Flourish, and our values of Aspire, Belong and Care guide our approach to providing an inclusive, ambitious and enriching education.

We receive additional government funding through two important grants: Pupil Premium and PE & Sport Premium. These grants have different purposes, but both help us improve opportunities and outcomes for children.

Pupil Premium

What Is Pupil Premium?

Pupil Premium is additional government funding provided to schools to help improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children.

The funding helps schools address barriers to learning and provide additional support where it is needed most.

Pupil Premium funding is primarily linked to eligibility for benefits-related Free School Meals under the Targeted criteria, including children who have been eligible during the previous six years. Separate funding arrangements also apply to children who are looked after or previously looked after, and to eligible children from service families.

Free School Meals – Important Changes from September 2026

From September 2026, the government has expanded eligibility for Free School Meals to include children from all households receiving Universal Credit.

There are now two categories of benefits-related Free School Meals:

Targeted Free School Meals
Expanded Free School Meals

Both provide eligible children with a free school lunch, but there are important differences in the additional funding and support they attract.

Targeted Free School Meals

Targeted Free School Meals are available to families who meet the existing means-tested eligibility criteria.

For families receiving Universal Credit, this generally means having annual household earnings of £7,400 or less (after tax and excluding benefits). Families receiving certain other qualifying benefits may also be eligible.

Children eligible for Targeted Free School Meals can attract Pupil Premium funding for their school.

Targeted eligibility may also provide access to other support, subject to the relevant criteria, including the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and certain school travel assistance entitlements.

Expanded Free School Meals

From September 2026, children in households receiving Universal Credit who do not meet the Targeted criteria may also qualify for a free school lunch.

This is known as Expanded Free School Meals.

For example, a family receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings above £7,400 may qualify under the Expanded criteria.

Expanded Free School Meals provide a free school lunch but do not, by themselves, generate new Pupil Premium eligibility or entitlement to other support specifically linked to Targeted Free School Meals.

Children who have previously qualified under the Targeted criteria may continue to attract Pupil Premium funding under the relevant six-year eligibility rules.

Understanding the Difference

	Targeted FSM	Expanded FSM
Free school lunch	Yes	Yes
Eligibility	Existing means-tested criteria	Universal Credit households outside the Targeted criteria
Generates new Pupil Premium eligibility	Yes	No
Other support linked to Targeted FSM	May qualify	Not through Expanded eligibility alone

What About Reception, Year 1 and Year 2?

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school lunch through the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme, regardless of family income.

However, it is still important to apply for benefits-related Free School Meals if you think your family may qualify.

This helps ensure that eligible children are correctly identified and that the school receives any additional Pupil Premium funding to which it is entitled.

How Can I Apply for Free School Meals?

If your family receives Universal Credit or another qualifying benefit, you may be eligible.

We encourage families to check their eligibility, even if their child already receives a free school lunch.

Check eligibility and apply through North Somerset Council

If you would like help with an application, please contact the school office. We will be happy to assist you confidentially.

How Do We Use Pupil Premium at Winford?

We use Pupil Premium strategically, drawing on research and evidence, including guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

Our priorities include:

High-quality teaching – Developing staff expertise and ensuring consistently effective teaching in every classroom.
Targeted academic support – Providing additional support in areas such as phonics, reading, writing and mathematics.
Attendance and belonging – Working closely with families to understand barriers to regular attendance and provide practical support.
Social and emotional development – Supporting children's wellbeing through nurture, pastoral support and opportunities to develop confidence, resilience and independence.
Wider opportunities – Helping ensure that financial circumstances do not prevent children from participating in educational visits, enrichment activities and other valuable experiences.

Pupil Premium is not a personal budget allocated to an individual child. Funding is used according to identified needs and may support individual pupils, groups of children or wider school improvements.

Our Pupil Premium Strategy

Our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement explains:

The funding allocated to the school.
The challenges and barriers we have identified.
Our planned spending and interventions.
The outcomes we aim to achieve.
How we evaluate the impact of our approach.

Our latest Pupil Premium Strategy Statement

PE & Sport Premium

What Is PE & Sport Premium?

The Primary PE & Sport Premium is additional government funding provided to eligible primary schools to improve the quality of physical education, sport and physical activity.

The funding is intended to create sustainable improvements that encourage children to develop healthy, active lifestyles and enjoy positive experiences of physical activity.

At Winford, we want every child to enjoy being active, develop physical confidence and discover activities they can continue to enjoy beyond primary school.

How Do We Use PE & Sport Premium Funding?

Our priorities include:

High-quality PE teaching – Supporting staff development and expertise to deliver engaging, progressive PE lessons.
A broad range of activities – Introducing children to different sports, games and physical activities.
Active playtimes – Encouraging movement, teamwork and active play during breaks and lunchtimes.
Participation and inclusion – Ensuring that all children, including those with SEND, can access appropriate physical activities.
Competition and collaboration – Providing opportunities to take part in sporting events, festivals and competitions.
Healthy lifestyles – Helping children understand the importance of physical activity for their physical and emotional wellbeing.

We work with specialist providers and other partners to support our PE and sport provision, including Shine, who began working with Winford in September 2026.

Swimming and Water Safety

Learning to swim and understanding how to stay safe in and around water are important life skills.

As part of the national curriculum, pupils are taught to develop swimming and water safety skills.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils should be able to:

Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres.
Use a range of strokes effectively.
Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Our published PE & Sport Premium report includes information about pupils' attainment against these national curriculum requirements.

Our PE & Sport Premium Report

Each year, we publish information about how our PE & Sport Premium funding has been used and the impact it has had. (see link below)

Our report includes:

Funding received and expenditure.
Activities and improvements supported by the funding.
The impact on pupils and staff.
How improvements will be sustained.
National curriculum swimming and water safety outcomes.

Accountability and Impact

We are committed to using additional funding effectively and transparently.

School leaders and governors monitor the use of Pupil Premium and PE & Sport Premium to ensure that spending is purposeful, evidence-informed and focused on improving opportunities and outcomes for children.

Our published strategy statements and reports provide further details about our priorities, expenditure and impact.

Further Information

For more information about how we support pupils or use additional funding, please contact the school office.

Telephone: 01275 472730
Email: office@winfordprimary.com

Together we Flourish

Removing barriers, creating opportunities and helping every child achieve their potential.