Guidance from the Department of Education Website:
"This money is allocated to schools by the Dept for Education in addition to main school funding. The Government believes that the Pupil Premium is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most."
"Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However they are held accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families. New measures are being included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those deprived pupils covered by the Pupil Premium."