Pupil Premium – funding for schools for pupils with No Recourse to Public Funds

The pupil premium grant can be claimed by schools for every pupil in their school who is eligible for free school meals. As a result of legal challenge, the Government has now agreed to extend the pupil premium for the financial year 2021-22 with respect to some children from NRPF households and implement a process whereby eligible schools can make claims for the grant. Primary schools can recover £1,345 a year for each eligible pupil and secondary schools can claim £955 a year. It is up to schools how they spend the funds.

The criteria outlining which pupils are eligible is here, the guidance for schools document is here and the application form for schools can be accessed here. Schools have until 5pm on 30 June to apply. 

Recording and slides from Public Health webinar

The recording and slides from Wednesday afternoon’s Public Health webinar are available at this link.

Proposed School Admissions Code 2021: webinar and actions required of schools

A proposed new School Admissions Code was laid before parliament in May 2021 and is due to come into force on 1 September 2021. The proposed Code is available at this link.

The proposed Code focusses on in-year school admissions and is in part a result of the findings of the children in need review and recognition of the support required for vulnerable children in the school admissions process. 

The proposed Code requires internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC), that is children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in care as a result of being adopted to be given equal first priority in admission arrangements, alongside looked after children (LAC) and children who were previously looked after by English local authorities (PLAC).

There is an urgent action for schools which are their own admission authority who are required to determine a variation to their admission arrangements for 2021/22 and 2022/23 before 31 August 2021 in line with the guidance provided by the DfE’s Admissions Unit. Variations must be conditional on the Code passing through Parliament.

The guidance also explains that schools are required to publish details of how the In-Year admissions process will operate on their website by 31 October 2021.

Other key changes relating to In-Year admissions include:

• Schools must provide details of places available to the Local Authority within two school days of a request for the information;
• Schools should aim to notify parents of the outcome of their in-year application within 10 school days, and must notify them in writing within 15 school days;
• Schools must notify the local authority of the application and its outcome as soon as reasonably practicable, but should aim to do so within two school days;
• Children referred for placement via the Fair Access Protocol must be allocated a school place within 20 school days.

A webinar for schools to outline the main implications for them of the new School Admissions Code is scheduled for Wednesday 30 June at 2pm. To book a place at the webinar, please use this Eventbrite link and a Teams link will be sent to you ahead of the session.

The presentation and recording from the webinar will be shared with all schools.