NPP Calls for Urgent Pupil Premium Reform to Address Post-Pandemic Long-Term Disadvantage Gap

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), in collaboration with the University of Bristol, has released new research highlighting a significant rise in educational inequality since the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals a widening attainment gap between long-term disadvantaged pupils and their peers, emphasizing how deprivation and demographics contribute to the North-South education divide. The North East faces the greatest challenge, with the highest and growing proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) for at least four consecutive years.

Key Findings:

• Widening Gap: Between 2019 and 2023, attainment among long-term disadvantaged children—those eligible for FSM for four years—declined, while attainment for those never on FSM improved. The attainment gap has grown from 1.30 grades in 2019 to 1.56 grades in 2023, representing the difference between a ‘4’ (standard pass) and a ‘5’ (strong pass).
• Ethnic Disparities: The disadvantage gap remains three times larger for White Irish, White British, and White pupils compared to Gypsy/Roma, Chinese, and Bangladeshi groups in both 2019 and 2023.

A coalition including NPP, SHINE, Tutor Trust and the Centre for Young Lives is urging the government to reform the Pupil Premium to address this growing inequality. Specifically, they propose:

• Increasing the primary Pupil Premium from £1,455 to £1,693 per pupil.
• Increasing the secondary Pupil Premium from £1,035 to £1,218 per pupil.
• Introducing a long-term disadvantage top-up of £308 for primary pupils and £255 for secondary pupils.
• Extending Pupil Premium support to 16-19-year-old students in further education, at a cost of approximately £290 million annually.

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said:

“As a coalition of the leading northern focused organisations we want a better deal for all the poorest children, locked in persistent poverty, not only here but across England.”

“The Education Policy Institute has brought forward a number of options for reform including for pupil premium to be restored it to its previous real terms value with a top up for persistently poor children, which alongside support for those in colleges and sixth forms is a billion pound package. The falling numbers of children on primary school rolls means we have the chance to make this choice – to ringfence these available funds for those who need them most from early years to the end of compulsory education.”

“We must act now with financial commitment in the Comprehensive Spending Review to give us a chance to meaningfully close the disadvantage gap over the coming ten years.”

Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE (Support and Help IN Education), said:

“It is deeply concerning to see that the attainment gap between persistently disadvantaged pupils and their peers is continuing to grow. This report should be a call to action for the government to ensure schools serving the most disadvantaged pupils get the resources and backing they need.”

Read and download the full report here: