Will the Cabinet Secretary state how many pupils the Pupil Development Grant supported in 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19, and explain how it was decided that £125 specifically is to be given to those who qualify?
The Pupil Development Grant (PDG) is made up of a number of elements, providing support to learners eligible for free school meals (eFSM); looked after children; learners who are eFSM and solely registered in education other than at school (EOTAS); and those that are eFSM and in early years provision. This funding goes directly to schools and other settings, with the exception of funding for looked after children, which is overseen by the four regional education consortia.
The various elements of PDG are funded at the following levels:
- £1,150 for eFSM learners and who are educated in maintained schools;
- £1,150 for eligible learners who are singly-registered in pupil referral units and EOTAS;
- £700 for eligible learners in early years settings where the Foundation Phase is delivered; and
- £1,150 for looked after children aged 3-15.
Below are the numbers of learners supported by the PDG in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19:
|
|
Number of learners supported through the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) (including the EOTAS and early years elements) |
Number of Looked After Children supported through the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) |
|
2016-17 |
83,679 |
3,000 |
|
2017-18 |
82,367 |
3,130 |
|
2018-19 |
82,367 |
3,130 |
In addition to the PDG elements outlined above, on 7 June I announced a new addition to the PDG suite – PDG-Access. This aspect of the grant has replaced the previous school uniform grant in a more flexible way and is more relevant to the needs of disadvantaged learners. It is intended to support parents of children and young people eligible for free school meals with some of the costs associated with starting education and moving into secondary school.
All pupils entering reception and year 7 in the 2018-19 school year are entitled to assistance under this funding if they fulfil the eligibility criteria. This applies also to pupils in special schools, special needs resource bases and pupil referral units.
The new funding amounts to £1.7m. As well as supporting more learners than the previous school uniform grant, the new funding is more flexible to the needs of disadvantaged learners by being available to purchase of a wider range of clothing and equipment, including:
- School uniform, including coats and shoes;
- School sports kit, including footwear;
- Uniform for enrichment activities, including but not limited to, scouts; guides; cadets; martial arts; sports; performing arts or dance;
- Equipment such as school bags and stationery;
- Specialist equipment where new curriculum activities begin such as design and technology; and
- Equipment for out of hours school trips such as outdoor learning, for example waterproofs.
In recognition of the wider range of purchases within the scope of the new grant, the amount available for each eligible child or young person was increased to £125. Extensive modelling was undertaken to ensure the new funding was affordable. The aim of the grant is to support as many disadvantaged learners as possible within the available funding envelope.