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Pupil Premium stealth cuts: Williamson accuses Labour of ‘moaning’ over £133m loss

As anger remains over the Pupil Premium stealth cuts, Gavin Williamson has been challenged to “come clean" and publish a “full financial analysis” of the estimated £133m that schools have lost out on.

The education secretary was challenged In Parliament on Monday (April 26) but twice ignored the specific issue in his response and accused his questioner of “moaning”.

The row has come after an “administrative change” in how the Pupil Premium is allocated. Seemingly innocuous, the change has seen the Department for Education (DfE) move to using October 2020 census data – and not the usual January census – to decide on Pupil Premium eligibility.

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

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