As the autumn term kicks off, there is one deadline on the horizon for school leaders that matters more than most: updating their pupil premium strategy statement before 31 December.
In the whirlwind of school life, updating and evaluating this strategy can easily fall down the list. But a considered approach to spending, informed by the best available evidence, can make sure that every pound makes a difference.
After all, the pupil premium is more than just extra funding. It’s one of the of the most powerful tools we have to reduce education inequality. Indeed, it is precisely this clear and urgent aim of boosting outcomes for every socio-economically disadvantaged pupil that makes pupil premium so compelling and so widely-supported.
Since its implementation, it has enabled access to a range of resources that help children facing additional challenges to reach their true potential: targeted interventions, pastoral support, enrichment opportunities or broader enhancements in provision.
Importantly, while the policy offers leaders flexibility, it is also balanced with accountability. That means navigating the glut of potential approaches for pupil premium spending can feel overwhelming.
That’s where our updated guidance on pupil premium spending comes in. It offers clear, actionable and evidence-based support to plan, monitor and deliver a transformative pupil premium strategy.
Here are four ways schools can make use of it to make evidence the engine of impact.
Start with a clear picture of need
Before diving into decisions about strategy and spend, it’s vital to understand the unique context of your pupils and school.
What are the specific challenges facing your disadvantaged cohort? What has worked in the past and what hasn’t?
Taking the time to diagnose your pupil’s needs lays the foundation for every decision that follows. Strong strategies begin with sharp insight.
Adopt a tiered approach to spending
Our tiered approach gives you a framework for thinking about your Pupil Premium spending. It gives examples of interventions with strong impact and helps you find those most suited for your context. It’s also aligned with DfE guidance and encourages you to allocate resource to three areas:
High‑quality teaching
Building teacher expertise through evidence-based professional development benefits all pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Targeted academic support
Employ small-group or one-to-one interventions to support the specific needs of individual pupils.
Wider strategies
Address non-academic barriers such as attendance, social-emotional support, or behaviour.
Embed an evidence-driven culture
Evidence use shouldn’t rest solely on senior leadership or the Pupil Premium lead; it should be a collective mission. Building a culture where every staff member values and uses evidence will fortify your strategy sustainably.
Governors and trustees also play a pivotal role. They should actively endorse and scrutinise spending decisions and the evidence supporting them.
Evaluate and sustain
Delivering impact is not just about planning well; it’s about learning, adapting and embedding. Monitoring should be continuous, not just a one-off review at year-end.
Use both quantitative data and qualitative insights to assess what’s working, where gaps remain and where strategies need to evolve.
Sustaining impact also means making your approach part of the school’s ongoing improvement and professional development cycle. Build in time for regular review points across the year, and ensure staff at all levels understand their role in delivering and refining the strategy.
Additionally, ensure that successful approaches are not reliant on individual staff members or one-off funding cycles. Plan for succession, scalability and sustainability, so that your Pupil Premium strategy can drive improvement not just this year, but long into the future.
So as the deadline draws near, now is your moment to move beyond input-based strategy and into outcome-driven action, to invest your funding not just with intent but with evidence, clarity and conviction.
In doing so, we hope our updated guide provides more than guidance. We offer it as a blueprint for long-lasting impact.
Access the EEF’s guide to the pupil premium here
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