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 Year 11. It is awarded on the basis of the number of children eligible currently for Free School Meals (FSM), or have been eligible within the last six years, 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 who are 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.

 

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.