Guidance

Pupil premium 2024 to 2025: conditions of grant for local authorities

Updated 17 March 2025

Applies to England

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow this guidance.

1.바카라 사이트¯I²Ô³Ù°ù´Ç»å³Ü³¦³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô

The Secretary of State for Education lays down the following terms and conditions on which assistance is given in relation to pupil premium (PP) grant payable to local authorities for the financial year beginning 1 April 2024.

PPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù rates and detailed eligibility criteria for the financial year 2024 to 2025 are set out in theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³ÙÌýtechnical note.

PPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù funding is allocated to local authorities for 2 separate objectives:

• raising the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities to help them reach their potential
• providing support for children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces

2.Funding criteria

There are different funding criteria for each objective set out above.

2.1바카라 사이트¯R²¹¾±²õ¾±²Ô²µÌý³Ù³ó±ð educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils

PPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is allocated to local authorities, who must distribute it to each school they maintain based on the number of pupils in year groups reception to year 11, who are:

• recorded as eligible for free school meals (FSM) or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (FSM Ever 6)
• previously looked-after children (PLAC): pupils who were looked after by a local authority or other state care immediately before being adopted, or who left local authority or other state care on a special guardianship order or child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order). This includes children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales

PPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is also allocated to local authorities based on the number of

• looked-after children (LAC) supported by the authority.ÌýLACÌýare defined in the Children Act 1989 as those who are in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English local authority. It is for the local authority to decide how much of this funding to pass on to the child바카라 사이트™s school. If LAC PP funding is retained by the local authority it must still be spent to improve the attainment of eligible pupils and in accordance with the menu of approaches (see section 3.1 for further detail)

The portion ´Ç´ÚÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù funding forÌýLACÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýPLACÌýpupils is often referred to as 바카라 사이트˜pupil premium plus바카라 사이트™ (PP+).

Local authorities also receive PP바카라 사이트¯grant for any pupils eligible for PP in any independent setting where the authority pays full tuition fees. As with LAC PP, it is for the local authority to decide how much of this funding to pass on to the child바카라 사이트™s school.

2.2바카라 사이트¯P°ù´Ç±¹¾±»å¾±²Ô²µÌý²õ³Ü±è±è´Ç°ù³Ù for children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces

The portion ´Ç´ÚÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù for children and young people with parents in the regular armed forces is referred to as service pupil premium (SPP).ÌýIt has been combined into PP payments to make it easier for schools to manage their spending, but the group of pupils that SPP is intended to support are not necessarily from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

SPPÌýis allocated to local authorities, to distribute to each school they maintain, based on the number of pupils who meet the following criteria:

• one of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces, including pupils with a parent who is on full commitment as part of the full-time reserve service 바카라 사이트“ this includes pupils with a parent who is in the armed forces of another nation and is stationed in England
• they have been registered as a 바카라 사이트˜service child바카라 사이트™ on any school census in the past 6 years

They would also be eligible if:

• one of their parents died whilst serving in the armed forces and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme

3.바카라 사이트¯P±ð°ù³¾¾±³Ù³Ù±ð»åÌý³Ü²õ±ð ´Ç´ÚÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù

PPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù must be spent to deliver the objectives and support eligible pupil cohorts as described in sections 2.1 and 2.2 above.

The grant can be spent:

• for the benefit of eligible pupils registered at the school who meet the funding criteria
• for the benefit of pupils who meet the funding criteria and are registered at other state funded schools - for example, when hosting summer schools which welcome pupils from other schools
• on community services whose provision furthers the benefit of eligible pupils at the school - for example, where virtual school heads (responsible forÌýLACÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù) deem it beneficial to do so, such as art therapy outside of the classroom, or training of local authority staff to raise awareness ´Ç´ÚÌýLAC

Schools do not have to spend PP so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. PP can be used to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer. It can also be used for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils.

3.1ÌýThe 바카라 사이트˜menu of approaches바카라 사이트™

To ensureÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is focused on effective approaches to raising the educational attainment of eligible pupils, schools (including local authority virtual schools) must spend their PP grant (excluding SPP) on evidence-informed activities in line with the 바카라 사이트˜menu of approaches바카라 사이트™ set by the Department for Education (DfE). The menu of approaches is in theÌýusing pupil premiumÌýguidance.

The menu aligns with the Education Endowment Foundation바카라 사이트™s (EEF바카라 사이트™s) evidence-informed tiered approach, which helps schools allocate spending across 3 key areas:

• developing high-quality teaching, for example through professional development and recruitment and retention
• providing targeted academic support, such as one-to-one or small group tuition
• tackling non-academic barriers to academic success, such as difficulties with attendance, behaviour and social and emotional wellbeing

When considering the balance of spending within the 3-tiered model set out in , schools should bear in mind that the EEF recommends that approaches which support and promote high-quality teaching in schools should be a top priority for pupil premium spending. However, the exact balance of spending between categories will vary depending on the specific needs of pupils and the relative size of the school바카라 사이트™s PP cohort.

Schools are not required to allocateÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to every approach on the menu, but any activity funded byÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù must fall under one of the approaches listed.

3.2 Looked-after children

For LAC, it is the responsibility of the designated VSH in the local authority that looks after the child, in consultation with the child바카라 사이트™s school, to ensure thatÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is used on evidence-informed interventions to support the child바카라 사이트™s educational needs. The funding should be used on evidence-informed interventions that are clearly linked to robust personal education plans and in line with the menu of approaches.

The VSH should ensure there are arrangements in place to discuss how the child will benefit from the LAC PP grant with the designated teacher or another member of staff in the child바카라 사이트™s education setting who best understands their needs.

Processes for allocating funds to a child바카라 사이트™s education setting should be as simple as possible to avoid delay.

The local authority can pool any amount ´Ç´ÚÌýLACÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to fund activities that will benefit a group, or all, of the authority바카라 사이트™sÌýLAC. AnyÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù held centrally must not be used to fund services that the local authority is responsible for funding, such as support for foster carers, school uniforms or transport to get the child to school.

See theÌýusing pupil premiumÌýguidance for further information

3.3 Previously looked-after children

ForÌýPLAC, it is the responsibility of the school to ensure that theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is used on evidence-informed interventions, in line with the menu of approaches, to support the specific educational needs of PLAC attending the school. See theÌýusing pupil premiumÌýguidance for further information.

3.4 Independent special schools

Local authorities may allocateÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to independent schools or spend the funding themselves on additional educational support to raise the attainment of the eligible pupils, in line with the menu of approaches. Local authorities must consult the schools about how to useÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to support eligible pupils.

3.5 Service pupil premium (SPP)

Unlike the rest of PP, schools are not required to spend SPP in line with the menu of approaches. The primary purpose ´Ç´ÚÌýSPPÌýis to enable schools to offer pastoral support to eligible pupils during challenging times and to help mitigate the negative impact of family mobility or parental deployment on service children. It can be used to help improve the academic progress of eligible pupils if schools deem this to be a priority.

Further information on how to use the SPP can be found in the SPP guidance.

4.바카라 사이트¯A³¦³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù²¹²ú¾±±ô¾±³Ù²â

Schools whoseÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù allocation for the financial year 2024 to 2025 is based on more than 5 eligible pupils are required to publish an updated PP strategy statement annually. Those whose allocation is based on 5 pupils or fewer are not required to publish a PP strategy statement.

All schoolsÌýthat are required to publish a strategy statement for the academic yearÌý2024 to 2025 must do so by 31 December 2024, using the template available in theÌýguidance page.

DfEÌýwill review a sample of schools바카라 사이트™ published strategy statements to ensure thatÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù has been spent in line with these conditions of grant.

Given their role in ensuring schools use funding appropriately and in holding schools to account for educational performance, governors should scrutinise schools바카라 사이트™ strategy statements, including their plans for and use of theirÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù and the outcomes achieved in the previous academic year.

Schools are held accountable for the outcomes they achieve with all their funding, including through Ofsted inspections and by governors, and theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is no exception.

5.바카라 사이트¯AllocationÌýand payment arrangements

DfEÌýwill publish initial allocations in May 2024 for all schools that complete the October 2023 census.

Allocations will be confirmed in June 2024, before the first payment. The June allocations will include pupil referral units that complete the January 2024 census.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will payÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to local authorities in quarterly instalments as follows:

• 28 June 2024
• 30 September 2024
• 31 December 2024
• 31 March 2025

Local authorities must make the grant available to their schools irrespective of any deficit relating to the expenditure of the school바카라 사이트™s budget share.ÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is not part of schools바카라 사이트™ budget shares and is not part of the individual schools budget.ÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù is not to be counted for the purpose of calculating the minimum funding guarantee.

Local authorities should payÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù to schools due to convert to academy status as per the proportions set out in theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³ÙÌýtechnical note.

If a school closes during the financial year, the local authority should allocateÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù for the proportion of the financial year the school is open. See further details in theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù technical note.

6.Carrying PP grant forward

Schools are not required to spend all of theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù they receive in the financial year beginning 1 April 2024; some or all of it may be carried forward to future financial years.

Any funding that is carried forward must be used in accordance with the conditions of grant forÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù for the financial year in which the funding is spent. It must be accounted for in the school바카라 사이트™s pupil premium strategy statement for the academic year in which it is spent.

Local authorities must not carry forward funding held centrally into the financial year 2025 to 2026. Centrally heldÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù relating toÌýLAC or eligible pupils in independent schoolsÌýthat has not been spent, or allocated to the child바카라 사이트™s school, by 31 March 2025 will be recovered.

7.바카라 사이트¯C±ð°ù³Ù¾±´Ú¾±³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô

Local authorities will be required to certify that they have passed on the correct amount of funding to schools or, where funding has been spent centrally, that it has been spent in line with these conditions of grant.ÌýESFAÌýwill issue a certification form in spring 2025.

8.바카라 사이트¯V²¹°ù¾±²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô

The basis for allocation of grant may be varied by the Secretary of State from that set out above, if so requested by the local authority or school.

9.Non-compliance

If a local authority or school fails to comply with the terms and conditions set out in this document, the Secretary of State may recover some or all of theÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù that has been allocated. This will be notified in writing to the local authority or school.

10.바카라 사이트¯O±¹±ð°ù±è²¹²â³¾±ð²Ô³Ù²õ

If a school or local authority identifies that it has been overpaid, it must contactÌýESFAÌýto arrange repayment of the excess. WhereÌýESFAÌýidentifies an overpayment, it may seek to recover the excess. The local authority or school will be notified of this in writing.

11.바카라 사이트¯FurtherÌýinformation

The books, other documents and records relating to the recipient바카라 사이트™s accounts must be made available for inspection by the Secretary of State and by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Comptroller and Auditor General may, under section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983, carry out examinations into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the recipient has used its resources in discharging its grant-aided activities.

The local authority or school must provide such further information as may be required by the Secretary of State for the purpose of determining whether, or to what extent, it has complied with these terms and conditions. Failure to provide this information may result in the Secretary of State withholding subsequent instalments ´Ç´ÚÌýPPÌý²µ°ù²¹²Ô³Ù.