The pupil premium is a grant given by the government to schools in England to decrease the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged children, whether by income or by family upheaval. The grant is intended to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. The following are key points about the pupil premium:

• Eligibility: Children in Reception to Year 6 who are currently entitled to free school meals based on their family income, children in Reception to Year 6 who were previously entitled to benefits-based free school meals, even if theyre no longer eligible, and children in care are eligible for the pupil premium.

• Funding: The amount of pupil premium funding schools receive is decided by how many disadvantaged pupils they have, and schools receive funding per pupil premium-eligible child.

• Purpose: The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates. It is based on research showing that children from low-income families perform less well at school than their peers.

• Accountability: Schools in receipt of the pupil premium grant are required to account for its use and report this on their websites, with specific reference to how it is used to help disadvantaged pupils, as part of the OFSTED inspection framework. Ofsted will recommend that a school should conduct an independent pupil premium review if, as a result of a section 5 inspection, it has identified specific issues regarding the provision for disadvantaged pupils.

• Effectiveness: The Department for Education published an evaluation of the introduction of the pupil premium by the University of Manchester and Newcastle University in 2013 which reviewed how schools were identifying and targeting disadvantaged pupils for support. The report found that schools were using the funding in a variety of ways, including one-to-one tuition, extra staff, and after-school clubs, and that the funding was having a positive impact on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

In summary, the pupil premium is a grant given to schools in England to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Eligibility is based on family income, care status, and previous eligibility for free school meals. Schools are accountable for the use of the grant and must report on how it is used to help disadvantaged pupils. The funding is used in a variety of ways, and research has shown that it has a positive impact on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.