Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 36
36
Rejected
Extend Pupil Premium Plus and priority school admissions to all kinship care children.
Conclusion
The Department for Education should extend Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children who meet the new statutory definition of living in kinship care. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects extending Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority school admissions to all children in kinship care, citing limited evidence and a lack of national data. They are, however, exploring collecting this data for future policy development.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
We recognise the important role kinship carers play and we are already providing over £3 billion in Pupil Premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils, including those who are looked after or previously looked after by a local authority–some of whom are in kinship care. While children in informal kinship arrangements are not currently eligible, schools can use Pupil Premium funding flexibly to support pupils with additional needs, including those in kinship care. We do not currently plan to extend Pupil Premium Plus or admissions priority to all children in kinship care, as there is limited evidence to support such a change and no national data on the number or location of children in informal arrangements. However, we are exploring the feasibility of collecting this data through the school census to build a stronger evidence base for future policy development.