What is the Pupil Premium Grant?

 

The government believes that the additional funding provided for Pupil Premium children is the best way to tackle inequalities, to enable all children to have the best possible outcomes.

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Which pupils are entitled to the Pupil Premium Grant?

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The Pupil Premium Grant is allocated to schools based on the number of eligible pupils from EYFS to Year 6. 

Eligible pupils fall into the categories shown below. 

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• Pupils who are currently registered for Free School Meals

• Pupils who have been registered for Free School Meals at any point during the last six years

• Pupils in the care of a Local Authority;

• Pupils who have been adopted 

• Pupils with a parent serving with the regular UK Armed Forces

• Pupils whose parents have no recourse to public funds

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 How must the Pupil Premium be spent ?

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How individual schools use their Pupil Premium grant is left to each school with the expectation that they will strive to close any gaps in attainment and progress between those eligible and other children.   

 

“It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.” (DfE). 

 

Whilst schools decide how they will allocate their Pupil Premium grant, spending decisions must be justified and published within their ‘Pupil Premium Strategy Report’.   

 

In September 2023, the EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium was updated and published.  

 

This supports schools in spending their Pupil Premium grant to maximise the benefit for their students.  The report recommends schools take a 3 tiered approach to Pupil Premium spending focusing on:

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• High Quality Teaching                        

• Targeted Academic Support

• Wider Strategies. 

 

It also suggests that schools choose from a ‘Menu’ of evidence based approaches which are proven to be the most effective in improving pupil outcomes.