What is the ‘Pupil Premium’?

 

The Pupil Premium is a grant allocated to schools in addition to the main school budget and relates to pupils from reception year through to the end of Year11. It is awarded on the basis of the number of children eligible currently for Free School Meals (FSM) or has been eligible since May 2012 and to pupils with a parent/parents currently serving with the armed forces. The funding is seen by the Government as a way to address the current inequalities between children eligible for the Pupil Premium and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. Children Looked After and in the care of the local authority face additional barriers to reaching their potential and so these children too will receive a premium; as will children who were looked after before being adopted or have/have had a special guardianship order.

 

‘It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to them is spent since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility’ (source: Department for Education website). As you see schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see best. However, we are still held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support Pupil Premium pupils.

 

New measures are included in performance tables that will capture the achievement of those pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. From September 2012 schools have been required to publish online information about how they have used the Pupil Premium. This is to ensure parents, guardians, carers and other stakeholders are made fully aware of the attainment and progress of pupils covered by the Pupil Premium.