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How to review your pupil premium policy

Be clear on what questions you can ask, and what to look out for in your school's pupil premium policy so you can review it confidently. Use our model to see what good looks like, and see examples of policies from other schools.

Updated
on 18 August 2026See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 38425
Contents
  1. Key facts
  2. Key points to look out for
  3. 3 key questions to challenge the policy
  4. See examples from schools
  5. Model policy

Key points to look out for

Below we suggest what might be included in a pupil premium policy, based on the DfE's guidance on the pupil premium and conditions of grant 2026 to 2027. However, since this policy isn't statutory, it can vary.

It’s not meant as a guide for writing a policy, since that’s your school leaders’ job – instead, use it to get a sense of what to look for when reviewing your school's policy.

Aims and objectives

For example:

  • Making sure that all members of the school community understand the purpose of the pupil premium and who's eligible
  • Setting out how the school will make decisions about its use of the pupil premium

Eligible pupils

However, eligibility for the pupil premium will not be extended. It will be based on the current FSM criteria: households receiving Universal