Liverpool Life Sciences UTC provides Pupil Premium funding as a way of bridging the attainment gap throughout our student community. First introduced in 2011, Pupil Premium funding is available to the following students:

• Students who are eligible for free school meals.
• Students who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the past six years.
• Students who have been continuously looked after for the past six months.
• Students who have family serving in the armed forces.
• Students who are adopted from care under the 2002 Adoption Act, or who left care under a Special Guardianship Order on or after 30 December 2005. We also provide Pupil Premium for those students who left care under a Residence Order on or after 14 October 1991.

Policy and Report

Liverpool Life Sciences UTC is held accountable for spending the Pupil Premium; our current Pupil Premium strategy statements can be found here

If you would like more details, please contact Rupert Evans on [email protected].

Did you know by registering your child for Free School Meals Liverpool Life Sciences UTC receives extra money from the Government to support your child’s needs?

The Government gives extra money to schools and academies to help children in receipt of free school meals achieve their potential.

If you live in the Liverpool City Region and receive any of the following benefits you can claim free school meals for your school-aged child.

• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit – as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit.

How to claim: CAPITA Online Free School Meals

Online Free School Meals (OFSM) simplifies the process by removing the paperwork. Parents can either complete the online application themselves or give the school consent to fill it in on their behalf. The OFSM form complies with the DfE Eligibility Checking Service connection requirements, removing the responsibility to make a decision regarding free school meals from the school. Schools are immediately alerted on receipt of new applications and when a student is no longer eligible.

OFSM is securely hosted in the cloud. The web based application automatically keeps an audit log to record the activities of all users. Exceptions and information security events are produced to assist in future investigations where required.

Check if you are eligible for Free School Meals

Why is it important to identify all children who are eligible for Free School Meals?

A meal at lunchtime ensures children have energy to concentrate on their learning and also gives children the opportunity to socialise and develop their social skills. Financially, capturing this information maximises Pupil Premium funding and helps disadvantaged children.

How does Online Free School Meals benefit families?

The OFSM system makes it easier for parents to apply for free school meals online and confidentially. Once the application has been submitted, parents and carers receive a confirmation email. Applications only need to be made once as OFSM will continue to manage the entitlement for each child automatically until they leave the school.

Is the data in OFSM secure?

The Online Free School Meals (OFSM) system is provided by SDA which as a company are fully ISO 27001 compliant. OFSM is hosted on their servers and provides the highest level of data security and complies with all appropriate regulations and codes of practice. The SDA system also fully complies with the Department for Education (DfE) Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) connection requirements

Registration is completely confidential and it will not affect any other benefits.

If you would like any further information or support, please click here to contact us by email.

Liverpool Citizens Support Scheme

If you find yourself in crisis you can apply for support to get food and basic necessities for you and your family including gas and electric vouchers (urgent needs) and furniture and household essentials (home needs). An emergency or crisis might be a fire or flood, or you have had to move due to violence or fear of violence, or you are leaving care or prison and need support to stay in the community. Find all the details on the Free School Meals page of our websites.

Am I eligible for support?

If you live in Liverpool or you’re moving to the area, you can apply for support if you are over 16 and unemployed or on a low income, or receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit only)
• Tax Credits
• Personal Independence Payments
• Universal Credit

How to apply

Call Freephone 0800 456 1523 or 0151 233 3053 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

You will need to confirm your identity and address and we will get in touch with you if we need further information to support your application. Funding for the scheme is limited and we need to consider the number of people applying for help and what funds are available.

How many times can I apply for a home needs or urgent needs award?

There is normally a limit of two awards in a 12-month period following the date you receive your first award.

If you receive a home needs and urgent needs award as part of your first application, this counts as one award.

However, we know that additional problems or crises occur and in special circumstances we may consider making another award.

What happens next?

Where possible, we will let you know our decision within two working days for urgent needs and 15 working days for home needs. If we need more information it may take longer.

If you are unhappy with our decision you can ask for a review by emailing [email protected] or write to Liverpool Citizen Support Scheme, Revenues and Benefits Service, Cunard Building, Water Street, L3 1AH.

You can also call the Freephone helpline on 0800 456 1523 or 0151 233 3053 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

How will I receive an award?

• We will email or text you a voucher or you can collect it from any One Stop Shop if you don’t have a mobile or email.
• We give paper Energy vouchers for fuel costs.
• You can cash in the vouchers at PayPoint outlets across the city.

General Student Bursary - Students who meet the criteria of the student bursary are able to apply to receive additional financial support with their studies. The base criteria to apply for the bursary is that the student receives free school meals and the annual household income does not exceed £25000.

Students will be asked to provide evidence to support their application.

Travel Bursary - Students who travel a long distance to and from the UTC may also be entitled to financial support. If you are travelling from outside of Liverpool authority, please contact student services using the email below to find out how much you could save.

If you feel that you meet the criteria, please complete the attached application form and send by email to [email protected].

• Liverpool Citizens Support Scheme – Help for vulnerable residents on a low income in urgent need
• Homeless or at risk – Housing Options Support Services can help
• Foodbanks – Find foodbanks, get help accessing food and find local organisations offering support
• Benefits advance – You can ask at your local job centre for a short term benefits advance
• Fuel bills and energy efficiency – Get support to stay warm this winter