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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 8 recommendations 21 conclusions 1 report

The attainment gap sees disadvantaged children, on average, perform less well than their peers, affecting their future life chances. Government has a strategic objective to narrow the gap. The Department for Education (DfE) defines 2.1 million, or 27%, of children in state-funded schools as disadvantaged, based on registered eligibility for free school meals, or if …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
13th Report - Improving educational outcomes for disadvanta… HC 365 7 Mar 2025 29 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
5 Conclusion 13th Report - Improving educational out… Acknowledged

Provide greater clarity on supporting schools to make effective evidence-based funding decisions.

The Department supports schools in making effective local decisions, but there remains variability in practice, performance and how schools use evidence. The Department provides support to schools and other providers to help them effectively target their funding for disadvantaged children. This support includes a menu of evidence–based approaches for Pupil …

Government response. The government outlined its existing support for evidence-based decisions through the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and its promotion of EEF evidence. It committed to continuing to monitor how schools use evidence and working with the EEF to consider how to …
HM Treasury
20 Conclusion 13th Report - Improving educational out… Acknowledged

Department acknowledges schools may divert disadvantage funding but relies on accountability for good choices.

The Department told us that schools valued the freedom to choose how they managed their budgets but said this did not mean a lack of accountability for spending. It described understanding that schools, particularly poorer performers, may divert funding for disadvantaged children to other areas. However, it believed that setting …

Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and the department is reviewing options to improve reporting arrangements for the pupil premium grant, including potential digital solutions by Academic Year 2027-28.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
13 Jan 2025 Juliet Chua CB · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education, Tony Foot · Department for Education View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
4 Feb 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education relating to…