Pupil premium strategy statement
Schools that receive pupil premium publish a strategy statement each academic year, in the DfE template, by 31 December: how the funding is being spent and the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Only applies to
- Schools receiving pupil premium
- Does not apply to
- Nursery schools and sixth-form only providers
When is it due?
- How often
- Every academic year
- Due by
- 31 December each year
The strategy must be published by 31 December for the current academic year.
What's needed
Publish the pupil premium strategy statement for the current academic year, using the DfE pupil premium strategy statement template, on the statutory information page.
What it must contain
5 parts- Publishes a pupil premium strategy statement each academic year using the DfE templateMust
- Says how the school is spending its pupil premium fundingMust
- States the education outcomes being achieved for disadvantaged pupilsMust
- Sets out how pupil premium is being spent this academic yearMust
- Reports the impact of pupil premium spending in the previous academic yearMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 4 official sources:
What maintained schools must or should publish online
Schools that receive pupil premium funding must publish a strategy statement on their school website by 31 December each year. It must explain: – how the school’s pupil premium funding is being spent – the education outcomes being achieved for disadvantaged pupils
Must§ Pupil premium > What schools must publish
Schools must publish the statement in the DfE template provided on the pupil premium guidance page .
Must§ Pupil premium > What schools must publish
Show 1 more from this source
DfE recommends that schools plan their pupil premium spending over 3 years. If they do so, they must still update their statement annually to reflect: – their spending activity for the current academic year – the impact of pupil premium in the previous academic year
Must§ Pupil premium > What schools must publish
What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Academies that receive pupil premium funding must publish a strategy statement on their school website by 31 December each year. It must explain: – how the academy is spending its pupil premium funding – the education outcomes which disadvantaged pupils are achieving
Must§ Pupil premium > What academies must publish
Academies must publish their statement in the DfE template provided on the pupil premium guidance page.
Must§ Pupil premium > What academies must publish
Show 1 more from this source
DfE recommends that academies plan their pupil premium spending over 3 years. If they do so, they must still update their statement annually to reflect: – their spending activity for the current academic year – the impact of pupil premium in the previous academic year
Must§ Pupil premium > What academies must publish
Pupil premium: conditions of grant for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
Schools whose PP grant allocation for the 2026 to 2027 financial year is based on more than 5 eligible pupils (not including pupils that are eligible only for SPP ) are required to publish an updated PP strategy statement annually.
Must§ 5.2.1 School records
All individual schools that are required to publish a strategy statement for the academic year 2026 to 2027 must do so by 31 December 2026, using the PP strategy template.
Must§ 5.2.1 School records
Pupil premium: overview (strategy statement requirement)
– by publishing a statement on their website each academic year using the DfE template
Must§ Accountability
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the pupil premium strategy statement?
Academies and maintained schools must publish it. It only applies to schools receiving pupil premium.
When does the pupil premium strategy statement need to be published?
How often: Every academic year. Due by: 31 December each year. The strategy must be published by 31 December for the current academic year.
What must the pupil premium strategy statement include?
Publishes a pupil premium strategy statement each academic year using the DfE template; Says how the school is spending its pupil premium funding; States the education outcomes being achieved for disadvantaged pupils; Sets out how pupil premium is being spent this academic year; Reports the impact of pupil premium spending in the previous academic year.
Where does the requirement for the pupil premium strategy statement come from?
It is set out in What maintained schools must or should publish online, What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online, Pupil premium: conditions of grant for the 2026 to 2027 financial year and Pupil premium: overview (strategy statement requirement).
Changes to the official sources
Dated change notes published by the Department for Education on the sources above.
23 September 2026 · Pupil premium: conditions of grant for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
Added 'Pupil premium: allocations for the 2026 to 2027 financial year (September 2026)'.
24 August 2026 · Pupil premium: overview (strategy statement requirement)
Updated 'Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders' to add links to information on approaches to supporting attendance.
23 June 2026 · Pupil premium: conditions of grant for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
Added 'Pupil premium: allocations for the 2026 to 2027 financial year (June 2026)'.
11 May 2026 · Pupil premium: overview (strategy statement requirement)
Updated 'Pupil premium: overview' for 2026 to 2027.
31 March 2026 · Pupil premium: conditions of grant for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
Added a spreadsheet and information about pupil premium allocations for the 2026 to 2027 financial year.
27 March 2026 · Pupil premium: overview (strategy statement requirement)
Updated 'Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders' for the 2026 to 2027 financial year.
30 earlier changes are listed on the source pages.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4