The Pupil Premium funding is additional to main school funding, and is used to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘FSM Ever 6’).

Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and children of Service personnel. According to the DfE “It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium, allocated to schools per FSM pupil, is spent, since they are best placed to assess what educational provision be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.” Source DfE Website).