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Written question asked by Navendu Mishra (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Pupil Premium

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she has considered the merits of extending Pupil Premium funding to support disadvantaged students aged 16 to 19.

Answer

The 16 to 19 funding formula includes extra funding for disadvantaged students made up of two blocks:

  • Disadvantage Block 1 funding recognises that there are additional costs incurred in engaging, recruiting, and retaining young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Disadvantage Block 2 funding accounts for the additional costs incurred for teaching and supporting students who have low prior attainment to achieve their learning goals. This is defined as not achieving English and/or mathematics GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 by the end of year 11 (typically age 16).

English and maths funding is also available to support students who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and mathematics to participate across all study programmes and T Levels.

For the 2025/26 academic year, the mathematics and English funding rate rose by over 11%, alongside a nearly 7% increase in disadvantage funding and we have allocated over £1 billion for disadvantage block 1, disadvantage block 2 and English and mathematics funding.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
487
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Pupil premium
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk