Pupil premium: what it means
Extra funding for state schools in England for each disadvantaged pupil, such as those eligible for free school meals in the past six years or who are looked after.
The pupil premium is additional funding paid to state-funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. It is allocated per eligible pupil, mainly for those recorded as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, and at a higher rate for looked-after and previously looked-after children. A separate service pupil premium supports children of armed forces families.
Why it matters when checking a claim
- Rates change each year. Per-pupil rates and total allocations are published by the Department for Education for each financial year; check the year a figure refers to.
- Eligibility is not the same as current free school meals. More pupils are eligible for the premium than currently receive free meals.
- Cash or real terms? A rise in the cash rate may be a fall in real terms.
See disadvantage gap and how many children get free school meals.
Also searched as: pupil premium funding, pupil premium eligibility, pupil premium meaning, Ever 6 FSM
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Related terms
- Disadvantage gap: The difference in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils. In England it is published as the disadvantage gap index.
- Real terms: A figure adjusted to remove the effect of inflation, so amounts from different years can be compared by what they would buy rather than their face value.
- Education, health and care plan (EHCP): A legal document in England setting out the support a child or young person up to age 25 with special educational needs must receive.
More schools and education terms: Attainment 8 · Progress 8 · Key stages · Education, health and care plan (EHCP) · Persistent absence · Disadvantage gap · English Baccalaureate (EBacc).