Education chiefs at Cambridgeshire County Council are urging parents to apply for free school meals if their children are eligible.

If they do, schools will receive an extra £600 in ‘pupil premium' per eligible child next year - up from £430 in the current year.

But the applications must be registered by 19 January in order for schools to benefit from the extra funding.

Latest figures suggest there are more than 2,500 children from families with a low income in Cambridgeshire who are eligible for free school meals but are not receiving them.

This means schools in Cambridgeshire have missed out on around £1 million in pupil premium funding this year. The Council's Education Welfare Benefits Team is currently working hard to increase registrations by 19 January in order to increase funding to schools next year.

It also means, as families feel the pinch after Christmas, that many could save £400 a year per child if they are currently paying for school meals. Some children who take packed lunches could also benefit from eating hot, nutritionally balanced meals which may help them to concentrate in the afternoon.

The pupil premium scheme allows schools to use the funding to improve the achievements of pupils who receive free school meals. This could mean one-to-one tuition, cultural activities or extra teaching staff.

Next year's funding allocation for Cambridgeshire schools will be based upon the number of children who are registered for free school meals on 19 January 2012, as well as those who have received them at any point in the last six years. An allocation of £250 will also be made for children whose parents are in the armed forces.

Lisa Faulkner, Cambridgeshire County Council's Child Poverty Co-ordinator said: "Children from more deprived backgrounds often do less well at school than their peers, and the pupil premium funding is designed to help our schools to address this. Our schools in Cambridgeshire are already less well funded than most other schools in the country, and this extra money through the pupil premium is really needed to be able to provide the right support for children who need it."

Parents can apply for free school meals for their children online at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals . Parents can also call the Education Welfare Benefits team for more information or help with making an application on 01480 372307 / 08.