Pupil Premium Plus (PP+)

Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales.

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It 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
• for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils.

Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding is allocated to local authorities based on the number of:

• looked-after children, supported by the local authority
• pupils who meet any of the eligibility criteria and who attend an independent setting, where the local authority pays full tuition fees.

For pupils who are looked-after children, funding should be managed by the local authority’s virtual school head (VSH) in consultation with the child’s school.

When can Pupil Premium Plus be used?

Consideration should be given on whether the child is making expected academic progress, primarily in maths and English. If the child is not making expected progress, the focus should turn to the reasons for not doing so; there may be social, emotional, or mental health (SEMH) issues that need addressing before a child can access learning. SEMH concerns should be discussed with the child's social worker and relevant professionals before PP+ is allocated in support of this need.

If measures are in place to address SEMH issues appropriately, consideration should be given to investing in supplementary maths and English provision (or any other subject identified as requiring support). Even if the child is making expected progress, it may aid the child to progress even further and support even more positive educational outcomes.

What can Pupil Premium Plus be used for?

Here are some examples of how schools have used Pupil Premium Plus:

• 1:1 tuition in an academic area (including, but not limited to maths and English).
• Private lessons for example, touch typing, music/dance/drama/singing lessons (particularly where the child can gain accreditation. Up to 40 UCAS points are available for grade 6 in both speech and drama, as well as graded dance and 15 points are available for grade 6 music theory).
• Purchase of equipment for the child's sole use to support learning or development of a skill for example, laptop, musical instrument.
• Costs associated with undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
• Alternative provision, only for children outside the local inclusion partnership remit.

What should Pupil Premium Plus not be used for?

Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) should not be used to provide provision that would be in place anyway if the child was not in care. It should not be used to supplement the 'pot' for provision that the child would access anyway were they not to have PP+ support. For example, if the child has SEN and is behind age-related expectations, would that child have routinely accessed additional input for example, attending a small group intervention class. If so, PP+ money should not be allocated to fund this intervention.

Expenditure must neither be used on indirect costs such as administrative meeting time, nor on things that should be funded from elsewhere.

The Fostering Handbook advises that the foster carer's weekly allowance should cover the following:

• food including school lunches
• activities including clubs, hobbies and family days out
• school activities including trips, holidays and associated equipment
• day-to-day transport by car or public transport
• clothing and school uniform.

Visit the Goverment website for more information and guidance.