Pupil premium funding should be increased and targeted at pupils facing long-term disadvantage to help close the attainment gap, the education secretary has been told.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, the Centre for Young Lives and SHINE have written to Bridget Phillipson ahead of the Budget, setting out three measures which they claim can close the disadvantage gap by the end of the decade.
The groups propose targeting funding towards children facing long-term disadvantage, reforming the accountability system to incentivise inclusion, and devolving power in the education system.
1. Enhance pupil premium ‘for persistently worst off’
Northern Powerhouse Partnership has suggested that chancellor Rachel Reeves should target additional pupil premium funding for persistently disadvantaged pupils.
The partnership estimated around 728,000 pupils would attract additional funding through this targeting and calculated adding £1,000 to the pupil premium rate would therefore cost £728 million a year.
Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive Henri Murison said: “I have every hope that under this new government, the pupil premium can be enhanced for those who are the persistently worst off and who are heavily concentrated in a relatively small number of secondary schools here in the North and West Midlands in particular.
“Alongside a concerted effort to address the challenges in places, and by making schools more inclusive, we can make a real difference to both the disadvantage gap and regional disparities in how well our children do in exams, particularly GCSEs.”
2. Inclusive practice as a ‘core expectation’
Sam Freedman, former Department for Education adviser, said in a report earlier this week that the pupil premium funding not keeping pace with inflation was one of the elements of a “reversal” of focus on closing the disadvantage gap under the previous government.
The letter, seen by Tes, was signed by SHINE chief executive Fiona Spellman, Mr Murison, and multi-academy trust chief executive and visiting fellow at the Centre for Young Lives, Jonny Uttley.
It warns that the current accountability system can incentivise schools to refuse admission to pupils with high needs or have high exclusion rates.
The signatories called on the DfE to strengthen safeguards in the system so inclusive practice in schools becomes a “core expectation”.
3. ‘Empower those closest to the issues’
Finally, the letter calls on the DfE to devolve power in the education system out of Whitehall.
“Government must be prepared to empower those closest to the issues with necessary tools to build an education system fit for the future,” the letter states.
This should include “area-wide incentives” for collaboration between schools, and partnerships with organisations supported by councils and combined authorities.
Tes reported last month that two Northern metro mayors have called for an increased role for mayors in overseeing schools.
Targeted resources can ‘lay foundations for every child’
A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) published in the summer - based on evidence gathered under the previous government - warned the DfE does not have a strategy or monitoring plan for reducing the disadvantage gap.
As part of the report, the NAO said the DfE could not explain why it had increased funding for disadvantage through the National Funding Formula rather than the pupil premium.
This is despite the DfE considering there to be better evidence of the pupil premium effectively supporting disadvantaged children.
The disadvantage gap has widened since before the pandemic, and at key stage 4 was the widest it has been since 2011 in the latest GCSE data. Before the pandemic, the gap had been closing.
Ms Spellman said: “Targeting additional resources on the most disadvantaged students, intelligent reform to the accountability system and devolving power from Whitehall, have the power to lay the foundations for a more successful and prosperous future for every child.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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