Best Practice

Seven Pupil Premium challenges for secondary schools

What are the main Pupil Premium difficulties faced by secondary schools? Catherine Stevens from the Challenge the Gap initiative outlines seven key challenges to effective Pupil Premium strategies and offers some solutions and advice.

The Pupil Premium is now so embedded in schools as a key government priority, that it is easy to forget it was only introduced back in 2011. 

The programme is now worth £2.5 billion, and the 2014/15 financial year will see secondary schools receive £935 for each pupil registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years – and £1,900 for each looked-after pupil.

Generally perceived as a strong government policy by the sector, the devil has been in the detail of implementation. There are many hurdles for schools to overcome in how they spend their Pupil Premium funding and how it is evidenced. It cannot disappear into a budgetary “black hole”.

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