Commenting as the Local Government Association (LGA), today (Friday 21 May) publishes a new survey showing how much money for disadvantaged pupils could be lost from school budgets this year due to a government change in how Pupil Premium funding is calculated, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“The government has made bold claims about their ambitions for recovery and said that no child will be left behind. But by implementing this pupil premium change in the middle of the pandemic the government has actively removed support for children who are most in need of help. The government is failing to back their words with action and is leaving schools without the funding and resources they need for the job ahead.

“A significant number of children have become eligible for help via pupil premium but they will now not receive any additional funding for another whole year. A recent NAHT survey showed that the amount of money lost is more than schools are being given for education recovery. The government is giving with one hand while knowingly taking away with the other. This must be put right. Government must come clean about how much they have saved with this change, and they must put that money back into school budgets immediately.

“The government can no longer ignore the concrete evidence that is coming through from councils, nor can they try to explain it away as a ‘technicality’. This is real money, affecting real children’s lives.”

Press and Media contacts:

Steven George
NAHT Head of Press and Media
01444 472886
07970 907730

Rose Tremlett 
Senior Press Officer 
07545 354363

Email : press.office@naht.org.uk