Local MP Tom Brake has expressed his delight at the announcement of the biggest ever rise in the Pupil Premium which will see an extra £888,600 available for primary schools in Carshalton and Wallington.

The Pupil Premium provides schools with extra money to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This helps whole classes move forward faster together and helps ensure that more pupils are able to achieve higher standards.

Tom Brake, a long-standing champion for local education, said:

“Every child deserves a fair and decent start in life. The fact that some pupils fall behind, because of social disadvantage, is utterly unacceptable.”

“As an MP I’ve seen firsthand how the Pupil Premium can help to boost attainment across the board, by involving all children, regardless of social background, in enrichment and extension activities.”

“Schools need to ensure that the extra money is spent wisely to effectively tackle disadvantage and provide additional help for vulnerable learners.”

Local school governor Cllr. Alan Salter says: “According to January 2013 census, there were over 2220 pupils in Carshalton and Wallington included in the Deprivation Pupil Premium allocations. The total funding for Pupil Premium will increase from £1,999,350 in 2013-2014 to £2,887,950 in 2014-2015. This constitutes £1,300 per eligible primary school pupil in 2014/15, up from £900 per child this year. Schools will be able to spend this money in ways that they feel help their pupils best.”