School Dinners

At Towngate our lunches are balanced and delicious.

Is your child eligible for free school meals?

Pupil premium is additional funding received by schools for each pupil from disadvantaged families or background. It’s allocated to schools based on the number of children who come from low-income families – this is defined as those who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM). This is one of the current government’s key education policies. It’s based on findings that show that, as a group, children who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in time have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible.

It’s important to know that a pupil does not need to have a school dinner, but the parents / carers should check to see if they are entitled. Please see this link for details of eligibility https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

It also includes pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years; children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months; and children where a parent serves in the armed forces.

First introduced in April 2011, the level of the premium in 2011-12 was £488 per pupil; it increased to £600 per pupil in 2012-13 and then to £900 for 2013-14 (increased to £953 mid-year). This money is for schools to decide how to use but should be spent in order to improve educational attainment of children from less privileged backgrounds. The pupil premium has the potential to have a great impact on the attainment, and future life chances, of pupils. For further information on how Towngate spends its pupil premium grant, please see the ‘Pupil Premium’ tab under the ‘Key Information’ section of the website.