Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the level of take-up of the pupil premium in each year since 2015; and what assessment his Department has made of the causes for such changes in the level of take-up.

Eligibility for the pupil premium is founded on the number of pupils recorded through the annual school census as claiming free school meals (FSM) currently or at any point in the last 6 years. The numbers and proportions of pupils attracting pupil premium each year are published here: https://www.gov.uk/search/advanced?group=guidance_and_regulation&topic=%2Feducation%2Fpupil-premium-and-other-school-premiums.

This shows a small downward trend in the proportion of pupils attracting the pupil premium since 2015, from 27.07% of the pupil population in 2015 to 25.13% in 2018. The reduction is seen in a large number of areas across the country and is related to there being fewer parents than in previous years claiming the benefits which would make their children eligible for FSM.

Schools and local authorities have worked hard over recent years to encourage all eligible families to register for FSM, to ensure that schools receive the full amount of pupil premium funding to which they are entitled. We provide an eligibility checking system to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities, and have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM.