Background

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months.

The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.