Disadvantaged children lose out on £118m due to pupil premium changes, LGA reveals

A total of £118m for disadvantaged pupils could be lost from school budgets in England this year due to a government change in how pupil premium funding is calculated, a survey of local authorities has revealed. The funding, which is designed to improve attainment for the most disadvantaged pupils, amounts to £1,345 a year for every eligible primary school-age pupil, or £955 for every eligible secondary-age pupil. It has previously been calculated using schools census data from January of any given year, however, last year the government announced that pupil premium funding for 2021/22 would be calculated using data from the October 2020 schools census as opposed to the January 2021 census. According to the Local Government Association (LGA), this means that schools will miss out on an entire years’ worth of funding. Read more.