Pupil Premium Awards 2016 launched

Department for Education | 5 February 2016

Education and Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah today (5 February 2016) praised the efforts of schools across the country to tackle disadvantage as he launched the Pupil Premium Awards.

Prizes include the chance to see Shakespeare productions and visit museums, such as London’s world-renowned Science Museum, to take part in exclusive activities and learning programmes.

The awards will be presented by Tracey Emin, one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists at a ceremony in May; while internationally respected education expert Andreas Schleicher, who is Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, will chair the high-profile panel of judges.

The pupil premium – worth £2.5 billion this year – has enabled schools across the country to provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable children in their care.

These schools have consistently shown high levels of attainment or significant rates of improvement among their disadvantaged pupils over time, particularly in English and maths. Study groups and one-to-one tuition are just some of the ways the pupil premium has been used by schools to meet this aim.

Among 20 organisations offering prizes this year are the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Science Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts.

The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Schools Festival will work directly with award-winning schools to help pupils gain a deeper appreciation of England’s greatest playwright – marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death.