The Pupil Premium is an allocation of additional government funding provided to schools to support disadvantaged children. The aim of additional support is to improve progress and exam results for these specific children.  Pupils who are entitled to Pupil Premium funding fall into the following categories; those entitled to free school meals, those looked after by the local authority and the children of armed service personnel.

"The grant may be spent by maintained schools for the purposes of the school; that is to say for the educational benefit of pupils registered at that school, or for the benefit of pupils registered at other maintained schools; and on community facilities; for example, services whose provision furthers any charitable purpose for the benefit of pupils at the school or their families, or people who live or work in the locality in which the school is situated.”

Schools are therefore free to spend the pupil premium as they see fit, however, they will be held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families. New measures will be included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. This will ensure that parents, carers and others are made fully aware of the progress and attainment of pupils covered by the premium.