45% of school leaders use Pupil Premium to plug gaps

The Sutton Trust, using research from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), has released an annual survey that looks at school funding and how 1,208 teachers are using their school budgets this year. 

This survey showed that more and more school leaders are making cuts on teaching staff, teaching assistants, and support staff compared to last year due to tighter budgets. Secondary schools seem to be more affected than primary schools.

In 2024, 51 per cent of secondary school senior leaders reported making cuts in teaching staff, up from 38 per cent last year, while 50 per cent reported cuts to teaching assistants, up from 41 per cent last year. 55 per cent reported further cuts to support staff, an increase from 51 per cent last year. These figures are the highest they’ve been since 2020, with primary cuts being at their highest since the Sutton Trust began polling this in 2017.

88 per cent of senior leaders across all schools said that the pupil premium, extra funding given to support disadvantaged pupils, is less than needed to serve these pupils. 

45 per cent of secondary leaders admitted to using pupil premium to plug gaps elsewhere in their school’s budget, which is up a staggering 13 per cent from last year. 

School budget cuts are frequent across all areas, with 56 per cent of primary school leaders cutting IT equipment, 53 per cent of all school leaders cutting spending on trips and outings, and 33 per cent of school leaders have reported cuts to sports and other extracurricular activities.

The Sutton Trust thus recommends the government restore the pupil premium in real terms, a reformation of the national funding formula, and increasing the Levelling Up Premium for teachers to better support teachers of key subjects in the most deprived schools.

Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said: “State schools are overwhelmed with financial pressures, and many are rapidly heading towards breaking point. This is having a devastating impact on their ability to provide the support that the most disadvantaged pupils need, with almost half of secondary school leaders forced to use funding intended for poorer pupils to plug budget holes.

“If action isn’t taken, we’ll be failing the next generation. School funding must be protected in the forthcoming Spending Review if the government is serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity. Urgent action is needed, starting with carefully targeted measures to rebalance funding towards schools in the most deprived areas.