Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 44
44
Rejected
Introduce 16-19 student premium for disadvantaged post-16 students, pegged to the Pupil Premium.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department for Education introduces a 16–19 student premium for disadvantaged post-16 students. This funding should be pegged to the Pupil Premium and would be a targeted investment for post-16 students who have been eligible for the Pupil Premium in the last six years. The Department should monitor the effectiveness of this premium on education outcomes and publish its findings. (Recommendation, Paragraph 170)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government rejects the introduction of a new 16-19 student premium, stating it already funds existing financial support programmes for 16-19 year olds, including the Bursary Fund and other support mechanisms.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
PLANS ALREADY IN PLACE The funding formula for 16–19-year-olds already includes extra funding for disadvantaged students to recognise that there are additional costs incurred in engaging, retaining and supporting young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and to account for the additional costs incurred for teaching and supporting students who have low prior attainment to achieve their learning goals. Additional English and maths funding is also available to support students who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and maths to participate across all study programmes and T Levels. This funding ensures institutions have the resources to provide tailored education or other extra support where needed alongside qualifications. For academic year 2025/2026 we have allocated: £349 million Disadvantage Block 1 funding £427 million Disadvantage Block 2 funding £245 million English and maths funding In addition, we allocated approximately £175 million of Bursary funding to institutions to help disadvantaged 16–19-year-olds with costs such as travel, books, equipment and trips, with a further c. £20 million available for students in defined vulnerable groups.
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