The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011. It was allocated to children from low-income families who were known to be eligible for free school meals in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings, and children who had been looked after continuously for more than six months.
Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However they are responsible for how they use the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families and the other target groups. From September 2012, the government also require schools to publish online information about how they have used the Premium.