The Government introduced the pupil premium grant in April 2011. This grant, which is additional to main school funding, is seen by the Government as the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers, by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The pupil premium is allocated to schools and is clearly identifiable. Schools can decide how the pupil premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils.
