Agenda item

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It was moved by Councillor Roscoe, seconded by Councillor Dowd and unanimously

RESOLVED:

Extension of Pupil Premium Plus for +16 to all Local Authorities

This Council notes:

Pupil premium plus is specifically for pupils who are care experienced or leaving local authority care up to year 11 (usually age 16). It is a funding initiative to target disadvantaged pupils, level up the playing field and enable them to reach their full potential at school. It can be used by schools and virtual schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

Evidence shows that pupil premium spending is most effective when used across 3 areas:

1.             high-quality teaching, such as staff professional development

2.             targeted academic support, such as tutoring

3.       wider strategies to address non-academic barriers to success in schools, such as attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional support

It is not available to post year 11 students.

That Government piloted the expansion of Pupil Premium Plus for +16 to 19 for 30 local authorities in 2021/22 and then confirmed that it would continue this scheme from September 2022 until July 2023.

An additional 28 local authorities were then added to the scheme making 58 in total.

The original post-16 pupil premium plus pilot ran from October 2021 until the end of March 2022 with an allocation of £900 per pupil which is less than half the £2,345 per pupil for those on the scheme aged up to 16.

Research carried out by the University of Oxford’s Rees Centre was published by the DfE in December 2022⁽¹⁾ and found that this pilot scheme strengthened relationships between virtual school heads, colleges and social workers, and resulted in tailored interventions such as work to boost attendance of youngsters and provide enrichment activities to motivate them.

The report recommended the DfE commission a longer-term evaluation of the potential impact of adopting extending the pilot to all local authorities, extending funding beyond the age of 18 for those still in or newly entering education and extending provision beyond further education colleges to include years 12 and 13 in schools and those on apprenticeships or employment programmes.

The House of Commons Education Committee published a report in June 2022⁽²⁾ “Educational poverty: how children in residential care have been let down and what to do about it” which noted:

“That there is a cliff-edge in Pupil Premium Plus funding when a looked-after pupil turns 16 and that the needs of looked-after pupils do not suddenly cease to exist when they turn 16.”

It recommended that the Department of Education extend Pupil Premium Plus funding beyond age 16 to ensure looked-after pupils are receiving the support they deserve to succeed throughout their education and that post-16 Pupil Premium Plus funding must be calculated using the same funding formula as for the pre-16 cohort.

This Council proposes

Writing to the Secretary of State for Education to request that he/she extend the Pupil Premium Plus post-16 pilot to all local authorities and furthermore calculate post-16 pupil premium funding using the same formula as for the pre-16 cohort to ensure that ALL care experienced pupils/students are receiving the support that they deserve to succeed throughout their education, employment or training.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1123287/VSH_extension_evaluation_December_2022.pdf accessed May 2023

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/23006/documents/168514/default/ accessed May 2023