News

Pupil Premium: New research estimates £118m wiped off funding

There is no sign of a government backtrack over changes to Pupil Premium funding as yet more research shows that schools are to miss out on tens of millions of pounds.

An “administrative change” to how the Pupil Premium is allocated means that the Department for Education (DfE) is using October 2020 census data – and not the usual January census – to decide on Pupil Premium eligibility for the 2021/22 financial year.

It means that any children who became “eligible” between October and January have not attracted Pupil Premium funding from April 2021. Instead they will have to wait a year.

A new survey conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) has estimated that the move has seen £118m wiped off school budgets.

The findings break down to a loss of Pupil Premium funding of around £93 million for primary schools and £25 million for secondary schools.

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