Nurseries to be given £300 for poor infants with launch of Early Years Pupil Premium

Schools, nurseries and childminders will receive extra funding to help disadvantaged infants catch up with their peers, the government announced today.

Three and four-year-olds from low-income families will attract an additional £300 in funding to help close the attainment gap by the time the start school.

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The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), a charity which funds trials into ideas aimed at closing the gap between poor children and others, will now include educational research covering early years on its website and will be funding research in the area.

Dr Kevan Collins, chief executive of the EEF, said: “There is extensive research demonstrating the existence of an attainment gap in the early years, the impact of this gap on later educational outcomes, and the value of high-quality early years provision for disadvantaged pupils.

“The new Early Years Pupil Premium increases the amount of support available for children from low income families, but its impact will depend on how well it is spent.”

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