Baroness Hughes of Stretford
Main Page: Baroness Hughes of Stretford (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Hughes of Stretford's debates with the Department for Education
(11 years, 10 months ago)
Lords ChamberOne of the important principles of the pupil premium is that schools can decide how to spend that money. If they are sensible they will go to a range of providers to help to narrow those gaps.
My Lords, it is welcome news that in the future schools will be required to report on how they spend the pupil premium but many pupils have already lost out because, according to Ofsted, the money that schools have had has been misspent. Will the Government go further now and ring-fence the pupil premium and give schools the proper guidance that my noble friend Lord Touhig referred to? That would ensure that the money really is focused on individual disadvantaged children with schools purchasing interventions that we know work.
Spreading good practice, yes, ring-fence, no, my Lords.