Opportunities Fund allocation criteria guidelines
Use of the Opportunities Fund
When no other statutory funding is available, the Opportunities Fund can be used to raise aspirations and improve educational attainment for children from low-income families.
Funding cannot be provided to pupils who do not live in the Borough of Elmbridge.
Fund allocation criteria
The fund can be used to support children and their families living in Elmbridge who are facing financial hardship, defined in this instance as:
Those eligible for Pupil Premium funding.
Those who are employed, but who the school has identified as experiencing financial difficulties.
What can the fund be used for?
Funding can be used to contribute towards the items on the list below, and any other needs the school considers essential to the pupil’s educational attainment.
Purchase of school uniform or relatively low-cost items of equipment/materials/one-off travel costs.
Contributions towards school trips and activities which enhance academic performance and provide further enrichment opportunities that these pupils would otherwise not experience.
Extra-curricular activities based at the school, including those which enable equity of access and participation for young people.
Counselling or therapy sessions within the school set-up for those experiencing abuse, neglect, or other severe circumstances.
Please note, the fund can be extended to other uses that the school deems appropriate. The school must contact us to discuss any funding over £400 per pupil. For example, funding towards residential school trips or regular extra-curricular activities exceeding that amount. Please note that contributions to residential school trips for secondary schools should be associated with a subject the pupil is studying.
When do we make payments to schools?
Payments are usually made at the beginning of the academic year subject to:
Receipt of the final monitoring report for the previous academic year.
Receipt of the signed offer letter and agreement.
It is also important to note that if there are funds remaining from the previous year, this may delay any new grant offer for the current academic year.
How much can be allocated to each recipient?
Grant awards can be up to a total of £400 per pupil.
How is the fund disbursed to the recipients?
The school has the flexibility to choose how to disburse the fund. The school may pay suppliers directly or provide recipients with gift cards or cash, on the understanding that financial accounting checks are in place as per our agreement.
How often can the fund be used?
The fund aims to support pupils during times of difficulty, often during a transition. We suggest that schools emphasise that one-off support is provided and then signpost to longer-term help to avoid creating dependency. However, we do understand that, at times, the same families may have different needs within the same academic year. Therefore, schools should use their discretion on those occasions, for example up to a maximum of three times per academic year.
When should monitoring reports be submitted?
Monitoring reports and case studies (including quotes, videos, photos, or other relevant feedback) must be submitted by 26 March 2026 and 10 September 2026, via the link provided in reminder emails.
Please note that any delay in submitting these reports will affect when new offers are made to the school.
What other support is available in Elmbridge?
For full details of other support agencies and sources of funding, please see our directory of other local support.