Extra money to help Carmarthenshire’s most disadvantaged pupils

Details of a major new funding boost for the least well-off pupils in Wales have been announced for the first time by the First Minister Carwyn Jones. 

The new £32.4 million a year Pupil Deprivation Grant will provide practical action to help reduce the impact of poverty on educational attainment. 100% of the funding goes directly to school budgets.

Schools in Carmarthenshire will receive £1,690,200 from the fund for this financial year.

Improving educational attainment’s influence on poverty is a key pledge in the Programme for Government – a programme of action across all areas of Government. The First Minister will publish his first progress report on the programme on May 29th.

Schools have the flexibility on how to spend the extra pupil deprivation funding. They are being encouraged to think about literacy and numeracy in particular, how the progress of particular pupils can be better tracked and how voluntary statutory and community services can play their part as well as parents.

Each school will receive an allocation according to the number of pupils aged between 5 and 15 who are eligible for free school meals which will equate to an additional £450 per eligible pupil.

The First Minister said:

“This new money is a major boost for our schools and has one clear aim – to reduce the link between deprivation and educational attainment. The Welsh Government is taking practical action to deliver better educational opportunities for our most disadvantaged children.

“We will work closely with schools to make sure this grant makes a real difference to the life chances of those who need extra support. My government is deeply committed to making sure everyone, no matter what their background, can reach their full potential.

“We are helping deliver improvements for the lives of our children to create a fairer, more prosperous country.”