Free School Meals and Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium grant is funding to improve educational outcomes for pupils in state-funded schools in England.

Pupil Premium funding is allocated to schools based on the number of:

pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years
children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales
children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces, referred to as Service Pupil Premium (SPP).

At Gossops Green, we work hard to ensure that all children and families who are eligible get access to the funding that they are entitled to and we are passionate in ensuring that the money we receive is carefully spent to ensure that it enhances the education and lives of our children. A full breakdown of how we spent last year’s grant and our plan for this year can be found in our strategy document below

Gossops Green Pupil Premium 25-26

Free School Meals

Some children are entitled to benefits-related free school meals.

If your child is eligible for benefits-related free school meals, they will be able to get a free school meal from The Diner every lunchtime from Reception through to Year 6. All of the options on the normal menu are available for benefits-related free school meals to choose from and dietary requirements are accommodated. Parents can choose the meals that their child would like on Arbor. Children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals can still bring in a packed lunch from home if they prefer.

Please note that, while all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals and so are entitled to a free meal from The Diner every lunchtime when they are in school, they are not entitled to the other benefits listed on this page unless they also qualify for, and parents apply for benefit-related free school meals.

If you think that your child may be eligible for Benefits-related Free School Meals, please apply. It is quick, easy and free to apply online. Your child may be able to get free school meals and ALL of the benefits above if you get any of the following:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

In addition, you may be eligible if you are classed as having “no recourse to public funds” as a condition of your immigration status. In this case, your household income will need to be less than the following thresholds:

£22,700 – if you have one child
£26,300 – if you have more than one child

You’ll need to provide proof of both your income and your immigration status. Please click here for further information from West Sussex County Council.

Please click here to apply online

Our staff can be available to help with the completion of forms or to organise a translator in a number of languages. You can also contact Mrs Bullen who is the Pupil Premium leader in the school.

Holiday Food Vouchers

As children eligible for benefits-related free school meals will not have access to school meals over the school holidays, West Sussex also provide them with food vouchers for each school holiday. These amounted to £120 per child over the course of the 2025/26 academic year – £10 during each half term, £30 at Christmas and Easter and £50 over the summer (TBC for the 2026/27 academic year).

These vouchers are emailed out to parents by The Collegiate Trust at the end of each half term – please ensure that your email address is up to date on Arbor so that your children do not miss out.

Holiday Activity and Food Programme

If your child is eligible for benefits-related free school meals, they are also able to take part in the Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) that takes place over the Summer, Easter, and Christmas holidays.

The HAF programme is run by West Sussex County Council and is designed to give children aged 4+ access to enriching activities, and at least one free meal a day. You are able to choose from a range of activities for your child to enjoy which are spread around the county, including several options in Crawley.

West Sussex provides the equivalent of six weeks’ of support per year to all eligible children. This is split over each of the long school holidays. So, if you apply, you’ll be able to get:

Four days help over Easter
Four weeks help over summer
Four days help over Christmas

Access to HAF isn’t automatic; you must apply each holiday.

When your child is accepted for benefits-related free school meals, you will be given a HAF code, which you can use to book activities with providers. Full details of local providers and how to book are sent out by our Pupil Premium leader, Mrs Bullen, each term.

Other Benefits

In addition to the benefits above, in 2025-2026, Pupil Premium children at Gossops Green also receive:

a free branded PE or school sweatshirt or cardigan
subsidised residential trips (depending on individual circumstances)
funding for music lessons and towards instrument hire (depending on individual circumstances)