More schools using pupil premium to plug budget gaps

A rising number of schools are using funding for disadvantaged pupils to offset budget cuts elsewhere, according to new research.

Think tank the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation said “a small but growing” number of schools are using the pupil premium this way, with six per cent of teachers reporting that plugging budget gaps is the main priority for the funding, up from two per cent in 2015.

The pupil premium is designed to close the attainment gap between the most disadvantaged children and their peers. It is available to local authority-maintained schools in England, including special schools and pupil referral units, along with academies and free schools. In 2015-16, for each pupil registered eligible for free school meals in the last six years schools received £1,320 for those in reception to Year 6 and £935 for Years 7 to 11.

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Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “It is worrying that a growing number of schools feel they have to use funding for disadvantaged pupils to offset budget cuts.

“The pupil premium is a key lever for raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and it’s vital that it continues to be focused on their education.”

Read the full report here.