Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
Child Tax Credit explained for parents of primary school children
Child Tax Credit is a benefit paid to help with the costs of bringing up a child. It’s means-tested and is usually paid every four weeks.
Are you eligible for Child Tax Credit?
Child Tax Credit is gradually being replaced by Universal Credit. If you already receive Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit, you can continue to claim it unless your circumstances change.
If you’re not currently claiming either of these two Tax Credits, you cannot make a new claim for them. Instead, you’ll need to apply for Universal Credit.
The basic rules for continuing to claim Child Tax Credit are:
Claim four puzzle packs!
- Word Puzzle Packs
- Numeracy Puzzle Packs
- Challenging and exciting | Boost key skills
- You are over 16 and responsible for one or more children.
- Your child is under 16, or 16-20 and in approved education or training.
If you need help with childcare costs, this is covered by Working Tax Credit rather than Child Tax Credit.
Other criteria apply, including your age, the number of hours you work, whether you're single or a couple, and any disability.
The Government is gradually moving people from Tax Credits to Universal Credit. This may happen naturally, for instance if your circumstances change (e.g. your income changes). If not, you’ll be transferred to Universal Credit in a ‘managed move’. The aim is for everyone receiving Tax Credits to move to Universal Credit by December 2024.
Working out if you're eligible can be tricky. The Turn2Us Benefits Calculator will help you find out how much you could claim.
How much Child Tax Credit could you be entitled to?
The breakdown of Child Tax Credit for the 2021-2022 tax year is:
| Element | Yearly amount |
| The basic amount (called the Family Element) | Up to £545 |
| For each child (the Child Element) | Up to £2,845 |
| For each disabled child | Up to £3,435 (on top of the Child Element) |
| For each severely disabled child | Up to £1,390 (on top of the Child Element and the Disabled Child Element) |
The Turn2Us Benefits Calculator will help you calculate how much you may be eligible for.
How to apply for Child Tax Credit
You can no longer make a new claim for Child Tax Credit unless you already claim Working Tax Credit and become responsible for a child. Otherwise, you will need to apply for Universal Credit (see above).
How to use Child Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit can be used in any way you choose to help you bring up your children.
