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. 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 and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
The Government believes that headteachers and school leaders should decide how to use the Pupil Premium, but should be accountable for how it is spent. You can read more about these requirements on the Department for Education website.
