Mark Ellis reports on our pupil premium polling.

The pupil premium funding is supposed to help the education of poorer kids but the system is struggling to make ends meet.

Cash to help disadvantaged pupils is being used by a “growing” number of schools to offset general budget cuts, a new poll reveals.

In a survey of 1,607 teachers, 6% reported this as the main priority for their school’s pupil premium spending – an increase from 2% in 2015.

….

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “It is worrying that a growing number of schools feel they have to use funding for disadvantaged pupils to offset budget cuts.

“The pupil premium is a key lever for raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and it’s vital that it continues to be focused on their education.”

Read the full report here.