Please find below information about the various ways in which the school is able to help families who may be in need of some financial help.

Pupil Premium

Here at Backwell School we offer financial support to Pupil Premium students. Applications may be made by parents/carers whose child/children qualify for Pupil Premium funding (i.e. they currently receive free school meals or have done so in the last six years). Students who are in care or in service families also qualify for Pupil Premium funding. 

Support can include:

• ​Free breakfast (to the value of 65p) and breaktime snack (to the value of 81p) from the school canteen

• Vouchers towards school uniform

• Financial support towards the costs of school trips, supplies and activities

• Funding towards the costs of Music lessons

• Academic support in Maths and English

​For more information about Pupil Premium and details on how we spend our Pupil Premium funding, please visit our Pupil Premium page.

Free School Meals

Students attending a North Somerset School whose parents are in receipt of the following benefits are eligible for free school meals:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• ​Income Support

• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance

• Income based Employment and Support Allowance 

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The guarantee element of Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and do not have an annual gross in excess of the current threshold of £16,190)

• Working Tax Credit run-on paid for 4 weeks after their parents stop qualifying for Working Tax credit

​Further details about free school meals, including details on how to apply, can be found by visiting the Free School Meals page on North Somerset Council's website.

​Students claiming free school meals* are also entitled to free breakfast (to the value of 65p) and breaktime snack (to the value of 81p) from the school canteen. 

*Daily free school meal allowance is £2.65.

Financial Assistance for School Activities

We recognise that some parents find it difficult to fund the costs of school activities or resources, so we allocate a small amount of funding to provide financial assistance to those parents/carers whose child/children qualify for Pupil Premium funding (ie they currently receive free school meals or have done so in the last six years) or who are eligible for Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit.

​Applications for financial assistance must be made using the Financial Assistance form when costs/fees associated with learning or school trips are actually known and must be accompanied by a letter from North Somerset Council confirming eligibility for free school meals.

Financial Assistance application forms can be found at the bottom of this page.

Wider Financial Assistance

We may be able to offer exceptional financial assistance, i.e. if you are not in receipt of either free school meals, Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit. Please complete the Financial Assistance form above once you know the cost of the trip or activity for which you require support.

School Fund

We run a school fund, which is covered entirely by parental donations. This fund is used to support students with extra-curricular activities as well as to develop the school environment. All donations to the school fund are gratefully received – please contact the Finance Office for more information.

Useful Forms