PRESS RELEASE : Pupil premium – schools to get even more cash this year [October 2011]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 12 October 2011.

England’s most disadvantaged pupils are set to benefit from an extra £58 each after the Department for Education announced this year’s pupil premium will increase to £488.

Schools receive the extra cash for every child eligible for free school meals (FSMs). The money has been released because fewer-than-expected children have registered for FSMs this year.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

The pupil premium will benefit poorer pupils, providing extra money directly for those pupils who need it the most.

We know that just 27 per cent of pupils on free school meals get 5 good GCSE grades compared with 54 per cent of non-free school meal pupils. This extra funding will help tackle this inequality and enable schools to provide the extra support they need to reach their full potential.

News of the extra cash comes after ministers recently announced that the total funding available for the pupil premium in 2012 to 2013 will rise to £1.25 billion, double the amount in 2011 to 2012. It will rise again each year until 2014 to 2015 when it will be worth £2.5 billion.

Evidence shows children from low income families generally do not achieve as well as pupils from more advantaged backgrounds. Schools receive this additional funding on top of the existing school budget to support them in reaching their potential and help schools reduce educational inequalities.

Children who have been looked after by local authorities for more than 6 months also qualify for the pupil premium.

Just 12 per cent of these children achieve 5 good GCSE grades, including English and maths, and the government wants them to benefit from the extra funding through the premium.

The funding premium for children of service families will remain at £200 per pupil for 2011 to 2012.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recently announced a new £50 million pupil premium summer school programme to help the most disadvantaged pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school.

The scheme will help up to 100,000 pupils per year. They will benefit from two weeks of additional teaching through the scheme.