The government believes that the pupil premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’).
The government has provided an additional amount of funding (£150 million per year) from 2013 onwards, to improve provision of physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools.
This funding - provided jointly by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport - will be allocated to primary school headteachers.
This funding is ring-fenced and therefore can only be spent on provision of PE and sport in schools.
