The pupil premium grant is funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.

The following groups are eligible for pupil premium:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years, including eligible children of families who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
• children looked after by local authorities, referred to as looked-after children
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, referred to as previously looked-after children

To ensure that pupil premium is focused on effective approaches to raising the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils, schools must use their pupil premium in line with the ‘menu of approaches’ set by the Department for Education.  These are: 

• supporting the high-quality teaching, such as staff professional development
• providing targeted academic support, such as tutoring, including through the National Tutoring Programme
• tackling non-academic barriers to academic success, such as difficulties in attendance, behaviour and social and emotional wellbeing

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits eligible pupils. Pupil premium can be used to support other pupils with identified needs, such as pupils who have or have had a social worker, or pupils who act as a carer. It can also be used for whole class interventions, for example high-quality teaching, which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils.