Local Conservatives have welcomed new figures which show that disadvantaged children in Coventry are set to receive £4,273,000 this year under the Coalition government’s new ‘pupil premium’.
The pupil premium is a new policy promised by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats before the general election last year. It is an extra lump sum of cash which follows every disadvantaged child and is received by schools, allowing them to provide additional support such as one-to-one tuition and extra pastoral care.
The Government has announced that in the year from April 2011, the pupil premium will be worth £430 for every pupil on Free School Meals, £430 for every looked-after child, and £200 for every child who has a parent in the armed services.
Commenting on the figures, Councillor Heather Johnson, the Conservative Spokeswoman for Education in Coventry, said: “This is fantastic news for children in Coventry. The gap between the academic performance of children from deprived backgrounds and their peers is far too big and has been ignored for too long.
“The pupil premium will tackle this disparity head on, providing targeted funding for those who need it most. This could mean extra one-to-one tuition or more pastoral support.
“The Coalition government didn’t create these problems but, even in these tough times, it is delivering a massive boost to the education of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.”