Pupil premium priority exists at every West Midlands grammar school, it is worth real places, and a large number of eligible families have no idea it is there.
It is also the area where the rules differ most sharply from school to school, and where assuming one school's rule applies at another costs families places every year.
What it is, and who qualifies
Pupil premium is funding attached to children who have been eligible for free school meals, and schools use that status as an admissions criterion.
The practical gateway is usually free school meals eligibility, which is applied for through your local authority. the government's free school meals page explains who qualifies. If your child is eligible and you have never applied, that is the first thing to fix, and it needs doing before the test, not after.
The crucial part: it does not work the same way everywhere
This is the table I most want parents to see, because the differences are large and counter-intuitive.
| School | What pupil premium does |
|---|---|
| King Edward VI Foundation (Birmingham) | Does not lower the score. The qualifying score applies to all. It changes which category your child is considered in |
| Haberdashers' Adams | Qualifying score 5% lower, no geographical condition |
| Newport Girls' High School | 95% of the qualifying score, but only with a listed Telford and Wrekin primary school |
| Wolverhampton Girls' High School | A separate, lower qualifying score, plus 25 reserved places |
Read the first row twice. In Birmingham, pupil premium does not get your child in on a lower mark. the King Edward VI Foundation applies its qualifying score to everyone. What pupil premium changes is the category, and therefore the order, in which your child is considered.
A family who hears "pupil premium lowers the score" from a friend whose child applied to Adams', and applies that to a Birmingham school, will be badly misled.
The form, and where families get stuck
The administration has become the real barrier, and it is worth walking through.
You now have to complete a free school meals form as part of the process. It is downloaded during the test application, taken to your child's school to be completed and signed, then scanned and reattached to the application.
That is four steps, two of them involving a scanner. For a family who is not confident with technology it is a genuine obstacle, and it is the point at which eligible children quietly drop out of the process. If that is you, ask the school office or ask us. It is not a reflection on anybody, and it is far too valuable to lose over a PDF.
Deadlines are strict. Several schools state explicitly that nothing can be submitted after the registration deadline closes in late June.
What to do, in order
- Check free school meals eligibility now, even if you think you are marginal.
- Apply through your local authority and keep the confirmation.
- Declare it at registration in May or June of Year 5, not later.
- Complete the form properly: download, take to school, sign, scan, reattach.
- Read each school's own criterion. They genuinely differ, as above.
See our registration guide for the deadlines.
See where your child stands today
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Most families do not know this exists
Pupil premium is a lot of work, and a lot of families do not even know it exists. It is one of the things I have to inform parents about. When they register with us, one of the questions I ask is whether their child is getting free school meals, and then I talk through the options and the advantage it can carry.
From what I have seen, pupil premium children who do well tend to score just above the qualifying score. Some score very highly indeed, but on average they sit in that area, as opposed to students not on free school meals who more often come in above 220. So the whole concept makes sense, and it is built on a framework of past statistics.
The confusing part now, as opposed to a couple of years ago, is the form. There is a free school meals form provided during the application which has to be downloaded, taken into school, filled in correctly, signed, then scanned and reattached. If a parent is not remotely tech savvy, that is where it falls apart. I have had to walk parents through it so many times that we now just make a simple video and send it to them, and they follow the steps.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
Does pupil premium lower the 11+ qualifying score in Birmingham?
No. The King Edward VI Foundation applies its qualifying score to all candidates, so pupil premium does not get a child in on a lower mark at its Birmingham schools. What it changes is the category, and therefore the order, in which the child is considered for a place.
Which West Midlands grammar schools lower the score for pupil premium?
Several outside Birmingham do. Haberdashers' Adams sets a qualifying score 5% lower with no geographical condition. Newport Girls' High School uses 95% of the qualifying score but only for children at listed Telford and Wrekin primary schools. Wolverhampton Girls' High School sets a separate lower score and reserves 25 places.
How do I apply for pupil premium priority for the 11+?
Check free school meals eligibility through your local authority first and keep the confirmation. Then declare pupil premium status when you register for the entrance test in May or June of Year 5, and complete the free school meals form: download it during the application, take it to your child's school to be signed, then scan and reattach it.
What is the deadline for pupil premium evidence?
The registration deadline, which falls in late June. Several schools state explicitly that no pupil premium submission can be made after that point, so it cannot be added later in the year when preferences are submitted in October.
Do many families miss out on pupil premium priority?
Yes, and for two reasons: a large number of eligible families do not know the priority exists, and the free school meals form involves downloading, signing at school, scanning and reattaching, which is a real obstacle for anyone not confident with technology. Ask the school office rather than abandoning it.