Pupil Premium Strategy Checklist

The Pupil Premium Strategy Checklist helps headteachers, senior leaders and governors check that pupil premium funding is being spent well. It is based on the DfE's Pupil premium guidance and follows a five-step approach: identify, evidence, develop, implement and evaluate.

Which guidance it reflects

• Written against the September 2024 version of Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders. DfE updated it for the 2026 to 2027 financial year on 27 March 2026, and the 5 steps are still how that guidance is set out: identify challenges, use evidence, develop the strategy, deliver and monitor it, evaluate and sustain it.
• The conditions of grant for 2026 to 2027 say every activity funded by pupil premium must fall under DfE's menu of approaches (section 4.1). Service pupil premium is the exception.
• Schools whose allocation is based on more than 5 eligible pupils must publish a strategy statement on the DfE template by 31 December 2026, one for each academy in a trust (section 5.2.1).
• The expanded free school meals entitlement for Universal Credit households, from the 2026 to 2027 academic year, covers meals only. It does not bring pupil premium.

2026 to 2027 rates, to check against the figures in the checklist

• £1,550 per primary-aged and £1,100 per secondary-aged pupil eligible for free school meals in the past 6 years
• £2,690 per previously looked-after child; service pupil premium £360 per eligible pupil
• Academies are paid on 8 July 2026, 8 October 2026, 11 January 2027 and 8 April 2027; local authorities on 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2026 and 31 March 2027 (Pupil premium: overview)

Who it is for and when to use it

For headteachers, pupil premium leads and the governors or trustees who scrutinise the strategy statement. Use it in the autumn term, when you evaluate last year's outcomes and update the statement before 31 December.

What's inside

• Identifying the challenges faced by disadvantaged pupils
• Using evidence to support your strategy
• Developing your strategy
• Implementing your strategy
• Evaluating your strategy
• Funding rates for primary and secondary-aged pupils, and the payment schedule (check these against the DfE's current allocations)

Format: editable Word document, 5 pages. Approximate time saved: 10 hours.

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