Quarter of schools not targeting pupil premium at disadvantaged, warn teachers

The results of a survey of 1,136 teachers shows 14 per cent said their school spends the pupil premium on raising the attainment of all pupils, while nine per cent said the funding is used to plug holes created by cuts to their school’s budget.

The poll, carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research on behalf of the Sutton Trust, reveals a further 22 per cent said the funding is used to support all pupils who are falling behind the expected academic standard for their age. 

The remaining 53 per cent said pupil premium money – worth £953 per primary school-aged child and £900 for secondary school pupils – is used to raise the attainment of children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

Total pupil premium funding will increase to £2.5bn in September, when schools will receive £1,300 for every eligible primary school-aged child and £935 for secondary school pupils.

Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the Sutton Trust, said it is vital that the funding is used to support the most disadvantaged pupils.

“The pupil premium was established to break the cycle of disadvantage that begins when poor children underachieve at school," he said.

“It’s vital that the funds to help these pupils are well targeted and used in a cost-effective way.”

Chris Keates, general secretary of teachers' union NASUWT, isn’t surprised by the findings.

She said: “They are the consequence of the failure of the coalition to ensure there are appropriate checks and balances in the system to ensure all children receive their entitlement.

“As with so much of the coalition’s education policy, it is the disadvantaged and vulnerable children who are penalised.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said head teachers are free to use the funding in the way they think will most benefit disadvantaged pupils.

She said: “This poll shows that the vast majority of teachers believe their school is spending the pupil premium directly on disadvantaged children, while the remainder is spent on benefiting all pupils, for instance improving the quality of teaching.

“Evidence shows that the pupils who benefit most from this kind of whole-school improvement are disadvantaged pupils.”