Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted
Department provides expanded guidance and evidence-based recommendations for effective Pupil Premium spending.
Conclusion
The Department stressed to us the importance of schools and other providers being able to spend funding effectively.74 The Department has expanded the support provided to schools to help them decide how to spend pupil premium funding. This includes signposting schools to the work of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), one of government’s designated What Works Centres.75 In relation to pupil premium, the Department stressed that it asked schools to spend funding through evidence–based interventions using EEF’s toolkit that provided a clear guide to schools. The toolkit recommended that about a half of pupil premium be spent on high–quality teaching, a quarter on individual–level targeted interventions and a quarter on supporting wider outcomes such as attendance.76 The Department also described providing guidance to help schools develop mandatory pupil premium statements, amending the template to encourage adding links to evidence, and providing a “menu” of evidence–based approaches to consider.77 It said that most of the statements it had sampled linked back to the evidence base.78
Government Response Summary
The department supports effective evidence-based decision making through grant funding of the EEF, promoting the EEF’s evidence to frontline decision makers, and monitoring how schools use evidence of what works in developing their pupil premium strategies, working with the EEF to build schools’ capability and confidence.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2027 5.2 The department supports effective evidence-based decision making in early years, school and 16-19 sectors principally through its grant funding of the EEF, the designated What Works Centre for education. Following its re-endowment in 2022, the EEF’s work is funded to at least 2032. 5.3 The EEF’s core purpose is to be the independent arbiter of evidence on effective practice in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. It does this by funding rigorous trials of teaching and learning interventions; assessing the findings from these trials – including their impact on disadvantaged pupils – as well as other high-quality research studies worldwide; and distilling and communicating evidence to the sector in ways that drive the adoption of proven approaches. 5.4 The department actively promotes the EEF’s evidence to frontline decision makers in various ways – notably through published guidance and wider communications on effective 30 use of the pupil premium; and via DfE-led school and early years teaching and leadership development programmes, which are underpinned by EEF evidence on effective practice in teaching, learning and education management. 5.5 The department will continue to monitor how schools use evidence of what works in developing their pupil premium strategies and is considering how to target support to improve schools’ use of the pupil premium. Recent survey data shows school leaders find implementation and evaluation to be the most challenging aspects of developing and delivering effective pupil premium strategies. The department will work with the EEF to consider how best to build schools’ capability and confidence to benefit their disadvantaged pupils. 5.6 The department continues to work with EEF as evidence partner for the Stronger Practice Hubs programme to strengthen understanding of evidence informed practice and grow the evidence base of what works in Early Years settings.