Pupil Premium to give schools 430 per child

The Pupil Premium will see schools given the money for every pupil whose parents have an annual income of less than £16,000. Looked-after children will also recieve the funding.

It is thought schools will be free to spend the money as they wish but that there will be clear requirements for it to go towards improving the lives of the most deprived children, for instance by reducing class sizes and providing more one-to-one tuition.

The Pupil Premium was referred to in the schools White Paper 'The Importance of Teaching' (News, 1 December), which suggested that an extra £2.5 billion would be spent on the initiative by 2014/15.

However, the move has been criticised by Labour, which says it will result in the most deprived areas losing money.

Shadow schools secretary Andy Burnham accused the Government of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'. He told the Guardian newspaper, 'The pupil premium is a con. There is no extra money for schools. So this premium, which was meant to be additional money for the most deprived, will simply recycle funds from one school to another.'

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said, 'Schools will feel let down by the Government's announcement on the Pupil Premium. The Premium is a great idea - seeking to support schools in addressing disadvantage must be right. However, the amount of money involved borders on derisory. It is hard to see how we can break down deeply rooted barriers with this funding.

'Small schools in particular will be left wondering how these amounts are going to make the difference anticipated by the Government and, worryingly, for which they will be held accountable.'