Pupil Premium Funding
The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the government to schools in England to help ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, regardless of background or circumstance. The funding is intended to support schools in addressing barriers to learning and improving educational outcomes for eligible pupils.
Pupil Premium funding is allocated to schools based on specific eligibility criteria and includes support for:
- Pupils who have been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years
- Pupils who are or have been looked after by the local authority, including those who have left care through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order
- Pupils from service families, through the Service Pupil Premium (SPP)
The Service Pupil Premium (SPP) recognises the unique challenges that children from Armed Forces families may face, such as mobility, transition between schools, and parental deployment. While SPP funding is paid as part of the overall Pupil Premium grant, it is not linked to financial disadvantage and is used to support pupils’ wellbeing, stability and engagement in learning.
Pupil Premium funding is not a personal entitlement for individual pupils. Schools are expected to use the funding strategically to improve outcomes by providing targeted academic support, high-quality teaching, pastoral care and wider opportunities, based on identified need.
Schools are also required to publish information outlining how Pupil Premium funding is used and the impact it has on pupils’ progress and attainment. This ensures transparency and enables parents, carers and inspectors to understand how funding supports pupils across the school.
