Date change means children recently eligible for free school meals will not benefit from pupil premium
School leaders say they are missing out on millions in pupil premium funding because a shift in eligibility dates means children who became entitled to free meals during recent lockdowns would not be counted.
Last year the Department for Education announced that eligibility for the funding – an additional £1,345 or more for schools for each primary school pupil in England who received free school meals – would be based on the school census held in October 2020, rather than in January as in previous years.
