Grants

Have you claimed all the support you can get with school costs?

At Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Maes y Gwendraeth, we want to ensure that every child receives the help they need. The Welsh Government offers support with Free School Meals and School Essentials such as uniform, kit and stationery.

Make sure you’ve checked your child’s eligibility for Free School Meals as more help could be available!

If eligible, you can get up to £200 per child for School Essentials, plus extra funding for our school.

Check eligibility: www.gov.wales/get-help-school-costs

Pupil Deprivation Grant Statement

The Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) is allocated to schools with pupils who come from low-income families and are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (e-FSM) and pupils who have been’ looked after’ continuously for more than six months (LAC). Schools are expected to make the best use of this funding to implement sustainable strategies that will bring about changes quickly for learners eligible for free school meals or who are LAC. As a school we have agreed the following three steps:

To identify the target groups of pupils, their characteristics and learning needs

To plan interventions which make the most effective use of resources

To monitor and evaluate the impact of resources

School Essentials ( PDG Access)

If your child already gets free school meals, there could be more help available for School Essentials (PDG Access). Check if you’re eligible for help with school essentials.

The Pupil Development Grant (PDG) grant provides financial assistance to families on low incomes for the purchase of:

School uniform including coats and shoes;
School sports kit including footwear;
Uniform for enrichment activities, including but not limited to, scouts; guides; cadets; martial arts; sports; performing arts or dance;
Equipment e.g. school bags and stationery;
Specialist equipment where new curriculum activities begin such as design and technology;
Equipment for out of school hours trips such as outdoor learning e.g. waterproofs;
IT equipment - laptops and tablets only. You will need to confirm that your child’s school cannot loan them a laptop/tablet for use at home.

Funding of up to £125 is available to each eligible child, with the exception of those in Year 7 who are entitled to £200.

Who is eligible?

Funding is available to pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals in year groups Reception to Year 11.

The funding is also available to all looked-after children of compulsory school age. Looked after children (LAC) means children in public care, who are placed with foster carers, in residential homes or with parents or other relatives through an Act of Court.

School Essentials (PDG Access) Grant payments will be made automatically to those families whose Free School Meal (FSM) details on file provide sufficient information for approval. Payments will be made during July.

Please note that pupils receiving Free School Meals due to Transitional Protection and pupils leaving Year 11 in July 2023 are NOT eligible for School Essentials (PDG Access) Grant payments.

Please also note that pupils moving into Reception and Year 7 in September 2023 will need to submit an application for School Essentials (PDG Access) Grant payments via the following link, which will be available from Monday July 3rd onwards. Payments for those pupils eligible for the grant will be made as soon as possible.

APPLY FOR SCHOOL ESSENTIALS (PDG ACCESS) GRANT

For information on Free School meals and how to apply, please click here