Biddenham School provides a free education to all students but also provides a number of additional services and activities for which charges will be made. The school is committed to the belief that no student should be at a disadvantage. We may be able to offer some financial assistance to those students for whom the school receives pupil premium or whose parents or carers are in receipt of one of the following benefits or on a very low income:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190 - subject to review*)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- 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 - subject to review*)
- Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
* This threshold is provided by the DFE and is subject to change.
Free Meal Allowance
A free school meal allowance will be allocated daily to eligible students.
Entitlement to free school meals brings in additional pupil premium funding and access to much more than a free meal.
From September 2024, children who are eligible will be automatically signed up for free school meals.
To support families whose children do not receive a free school meal, we ensure families are alerted when their account becomes low and goes below £0. Once a debt is over £10, the students' lunch accounts automatically lock and we inform families that we are no longer able to serve a routine lunchtime meal. We will then request a meeting in school if they are experiencing hardship. This prevents parents and carers getting into unmanageable debt and we can explore what people might be entitled to, or if we can offer help in other ways. We would never let a child go hungry, but would first contact the family and request a packed lunch be sent in.
Uniform
Assistance with the provision of uniform will be provided for those students whose parents are in receipt of free school meals including a one-off uniform grant for children new to the school in receipt of pupil premium.
The school also has a pre-loved selection of uniform items free of charge.
Please contact julie.giles@biddenham.beds.sch.uk for stock enquiry.
Trips and Visits
Deposits should, in all cases, be paid for in full by the parent/carer. To apply for assistance with the remaining amount, a letter should be sent to the trip party leader stating the reasons for the request.
Useful Organisations
The following are some of the support organisations in the Bedford Borough area with current contact details.
Food and Support Providers in Bedford Borough
Click on the names of the organisations below for more details on the services they provide, referral process and contact details.
Some providers will only accept a referral from another agency. Please read the details on those organisations' websites to find a suitable referral agency.
Directory of Food Providers in the Bedford Borough Area (updated 25th November 2024)
Bedford Foodbank
Bedford Langar Project
Bedford Pentecostal Church
Church of the Transfiguration Kempston
Dine with Us on The Streets
Ethnic Food Bank
FACES Bedford
Food etc.
IMPAKT
Jubilation Action Group
Kings Arms Church
Salvation Army
SMART CJS
Social Supermarket
SOS Saturday Outreach Service
St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
Testimony Outreach
4Seasons Outreach
The Pavement Project
ParentPay
To help make payment as simple and secure as possible, we provide parents and carers with the option to make on-line payments for items such as lunch money, the purchase of school uniform and school trips.
Using a secure website called ParentPay you will be able to pay online using your credit or debit card. ParentPay is our preferred method for parents to make payments to the school.
What are the benefits to parents, carers and students?
ParentPay is easy to use and offers you the freedom to make online payments whenever and wherever you like.
The technology used is of the highest internet security available ensuring that your payment will reach school safely - offering you peace of mind.
Payments can be made by credit/debit card or also through PayPoint.
Full payment histories and statements are available to you securely online at any time.
Your children will not have to worry about losing money at school.
Parents can choose to be alerted when their balances are low, via email and/or SMS text.
What are the benefits to our school?
The more parents and carers that use ParentPay, the greater the benefit is to our school. You can help us reduce workloads for all staff, creating more time to lend to educational support and the smooth running of the school. Using ParentPay also ensures that all financial transactions are safe and secure - helping us to remove costs associated with us having to manage cash securely on the school premises.
How to get started with ParentPay
Please contact the school Finance Office for your account activation details (if you don’t already have them). Once you receive these your details, visit the ParentPay website
Enter your Activation username and password on the Account Login section of the homepage.
(Please note these are for one-time use only, you will choose your own username and password for future access during the activation process).
Provide all the necessary information and choose your new username and password for your account - registering your email address will enable us to send you receipts and reminders
Once activation is complete you can go straight to Items for payment, select which item(s) you want to add to your basket and proceed to complete your payment.
Please read our Q&As for further information
If you have any questions, please contact the school Finance Office.
