Key architects of the government’s new national funding formula have suggested the pupil premium could be rolled into core school funding before protection for it runs out in 2020. The government has pledged to keep the £2.5 billion pupil premium throughout this parliament. It gives additional funds of between £935 and £1,320 for every pupil eligible for free school meals, with additional grants for care leavers. But uncertainty over its future has prompted speculation it could be incorporated into the new national funding formula. Tom Goldman, the Department for Education’s director of funding, told MPs on Tuesday that placing pupil premium into the national funding formula was the easiest way to achieve one single deprivation measure by which to allocate funding. Economist Luke Sibieta, programme director for education at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, also gave evidence to the education select committee and said it would take “a matter of minutes” to make the pupil premium part of the national funding formula, adding he didn’t see much value in having “one factor with different values in different formulas”. At present, schools must publish their strategy for using the pupil premium on their website and can be audited for its use…http://schoolsweek.co.uk/roll-pupil-premium-into-national-funding-formula-say-experts/