Purpose

Publicly-funded schools in England get extra funding from the government to help them improve the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils.

Evidence shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds:

• generally face extra challenges in reaching their potential at school
• often do not perform as well as their peers

The pupil premium grant is designed to allow schools to help disadvantaged pupils by improving their progress and the exam results they achieve.

Free School Meals

Schools get £1,345 for every primary age pupil, or £955 for every secondary age pupil, who claims free school meals, or who has claimed free school meals in the last 6 years.

Looked after and previously looked after children

Schools get £2,345 for every pupil who has left local authority care through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order.

Local authorities get the same amount for each child they are looking after; they must work with the school to decide how the money is used to support the child’s personal education plan.

Service Premium

The service premium is not part of the pupil premium as the rules to attract the service premium are different.

Schools get £310 for every pupil with a parent who:

• is serving in HM Forces
• has retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence

This funding is to help with pastoral support.

Pupil Premium Grant Expenditure

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children who are, or have been in the previous six years, eligible for FSM (Free School Meals, now called Ever 6); children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months and children of Service families. Historically, FSM pupils make slower progress and achieve lower results than those children who do not receive FSM. This is a national issue. In the main, service children achieve very well at school. However, schools have reported that there can be additional needs relating to service children’s emotional and social well-being. The purpose of the Pupil Premium is to target support to ‘narrow the gap’ and schools will be able to use the Service Premium to fund this support, as they feel appropriate.