We are pleased that the spending plans set out for 2026/27 to 2028/29 in today’s Spending Review include additional investment in high-quality training opportunities for young people, as well as support for expanding free meal eligibility in post-16 settings. However, we are disappointed that the review does not commit additional funding to support the attainment of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds in post-16 education.
At Get Further we are keen to see the extension of Pupil Premium funding to age 18. The introduction of the Pupil Premium to help raise the educational outcomes of 5-16-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds has been widely supported by all political parties and across the education sector. Following its introduction in 2011, the disadvantage gap at key stage 4 narrowed and held steady until the pandemic.
However, current Pupil Premium funding to support disadvantaged students stops at age 16 – two years before the end of their compulsory education. Get Further has been working with a coalition of organisations including the Association of Colleges, The Sutton Trust and the Fair Education Alliance to campaign for the Government to resolve this.
Over half of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds do not achieve a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths at the age of 16. This makes the final two years of compulsory education critical for enabling them to secure these essential gateway qualifications, which open doors to higher-level education, training, and rewarding employment.
While both pre-16 and post-16 education providers are allocated disadvantage funding based on the prior attainment and postcodes of their cohorts, the rate paid to post-16 providers is lower than that paid to schools to support learners below the age of 16. Moreover, where schools have ringfenced Pupil Premium paid on top, colleges have nothing.
Without targeted support during this pivotal period, too many young people risk being left behind. By the age of 19, economically disadvantaged students are over three grades behind their peers across their best three subjects. Lower educational attainment has a direct impact on their life chances, with young people from the most deprived backgrounds on average earning over 10% less than their wealthier peers by age 28.
The introduction of a 16-19 Student Premium would directly contribute to the government’s mission to boost economic growth, break down barriers to opportunity and ensure a fairer, thriving society. It would enable schools, sixth forms, and colleges to invest in proven, evidence-based approaches – such as small-group tuition and staff CPD – that narrow the attainment gap and, by extension, reduce NEET rates by preparing more young people for further study and sustained employment.
Pupil premium spending is estimated to total around £3 billion next year. According to models put forward by the Sutton Trust and the Education Policy Institute, introducing a 16-19 Student Premium would cost between £240 million and £340 million per year. With post-16 students closest to entering the workforce, targeted support at this stage offers a timely and cost-effective return on public investment.
The Department for Education are currently reviewing how pupil premium and related funding is allocated to schools and local authorities. In lieu of additional investment in disadvantage funding from the Spending Review, we hope that colleges and other post-16 providers are considered within the DfE’s internal review, and that steps are taken to resolve the stark disparities between pre-16 and post-16 support for economically disadvantaged young people.
–
11th June 2025, 15:02