This research project aims to understand how schools are reporting spending their Pupil Premium funding through analysis of a sample of Pupil Premium strategy statements.

The EEF commissioned Verian to conduct this project over a two-year period, analysing a sample of statements from academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26.

This project page relates to the second cycle of the project, exploring strategy statements covering academic year 2025/26. Information on the first cycle of the project that explored statements covering academic year 2024/25 is available here.

The Pupil Premium grant is additional government funding provided to publicly funded schools in England to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Each year, schools are required to publish a Pupil Premium strategy statement on their website. These statements provide valuable information about how schools intend to use their funding to support disadvantaged pupils.

The outcomes of this analysis will inform the EEF’s activity – including its guidance to schools on how to use their Pupil Premium funding effectively – and to support policymakers and the EEF to better understand how Pupil Premium is spent.