Research School Network: BLOG: Unlocking potential: the power of the Pupil Premium Unlocking potential: the power of the Pupil Premium

Kirsten Mould, the EEF’s Senior Content Manager introduces three new resources to support schools in understanding socio-economic disadvantage in their settings.

Supporting every child to succeed, whatever their background and wherever they grow up, is a mission that unites everyone working in schools and settings around the country. But despite the hard work going on in schools everyday, inequality remains entrenched in our education system.

There is a well-documented and stubborn link between socio-economic background and education outcomes – with disadvantaged pupils consistently falling behind their more affluent peers.

The barriers that these children face are multiple and complex – but we have a collective responsibility to support individual eligible pupils to achieve their potential, and champion fairness in wider society.

One of the most important tools we have at our disposal to meet this challenge is the Pupil Premium funding, which specifically targets extra resource towards those children who need it most.

Today, we publish three important new resources designed to support school leaders in maximising the impact of their Pupil Premium spending, including actionable, time-saving advice on.

Structuring spend

Our updated Pupil Premium Guide will support senior leaders championing the structured use of Pupil Premium spend. The five-point plan will help sustain your strategy as you incorporate it into wider school improvement planning.

Diagnosing and defining disadvantage

Now, more than ever, we need to make the best choices with the resources we have, engaging with and using high quality, robust external research evidence. Governors and Trustees, who support and challenge senior teams to ensure this conversation remains live throughout the year, can make use of a strategic discussion tool.

Taking a tiered approach

Taking a tiered approach to Pupil Premium spending will help school leaders balance the essential ingredients of an effective Pupil Premium plan: high-quality teaching, targeted academic support, and supporting wider strategies. This sits at the heart of our updated Evidence Insights Tool which complements the DfE’s Menu of Approaches.

The most successful Pupil Premium Strategies should be cyclical and integrated into whole school development planning, involving a range of colleagues, not just the Pupil Premium Lead. Monitoring and evaluating the impact of approaches should be threaded throughout the year.

You may be at the beginning of a new three-year cycle and creating a new plan, or reviewing an existing one. We hope that these resources help you come together in staff teams to plan a clear path forward to improve outcomes for your pupils who need it most.

How your school spends its Pupil Premium funding is worth taking time and care to get right: the power of the prize on offer is great – an education system in which all children are able to reach their potential.

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