Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Deferred
Paragraph: 37
The case for extending Premium Plus is clear.
Recommendation
The case for extending Premium Plus is clear. The Department must extend Pupil Premium Plus funding beyond age 16 to ensure looked-after pupils are receiving the support they deserve to succeed throughout their education.
Government Response Summary
The Department ran a pilot to extend Pupil Premium Plus style funding to looked-after children and care leavers in further education, and the evaluation will inform next steps. Further details about the continuation of the funding will be provided in the autumn.
Paragraph Reference:
37
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
27. We recognise the crucial importance of looked-after children and young people, as well as care leavers, receiving the right level of support to be successful in all stages of their education. Looked-after children can have more difficult transitions into post-16 education, take longer to progress, and often study lower-level qualifications compared to their non-looked-after peers. They are around six times more likely than average to not be in education or employment at any point between the ages of 16–24, and over three times more likely to be on out-of-work benefits. 28. For this reason, in October 2021 the department launched a £3 million pilot in 30 local authorities to test proof of concept of extending Pupil Premium Plus style funding support to looked-after children and care leavers in further education. The department agrees that funding should be used to deliver specific, evidence-based interventions such as employing additional staff in FE colleges and training for FE leads and tutors to improve progress and outcomes, and the pilot has been testing this approach. 29. The department has commissioned the Rees Centre at Oxford University to evaluate the pilot and their report will be published shortly. The evaluation will provide insights to inform how best to take forward. We will provide further details about the continuation of the funding in the autumn.