The pupil premium policy for England was first announced in October The poorest pupils in England will get an extra £430 spent on them next year under the government’s pupil premium scheme, it has been revealed.
Schools will receive the money for every pupil whose parents have an annual income of less than £16,000.
Head teachers will be encouraged to spend it on reducing class sizes or more one-to-one tuition.
But critics argue the scheme will be meaningless if cuts are made elsewhere in education to fund it.
The pupil premium has long been a flagship Liberal Democrat policy and it was already known that £2.5bn would be given to schools through the scheme by 2014/15.
However, the cost to the government in 2011/12 – £625m – has been announced for the first time.
Schools will be allowed to choose exactly how the extra money should be used and it is hoped the scheme will also act as a financial incentive to encourage successful schools to take in poorer children.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the move would have more benefit for social mobility than keeping a cap on tuition fees.
“When money is tight, you have to be really clear about what your priorities are,” he said.
“One of mine has always been making sure that the most disadvantaged children in this country get the help they need.
“Despite the recent controversy, all the evidence shows that the best way to help bright kids from poor families get to university is to target additional resources at them when they are younger and so give them a head start in life.
“By targeting money directly at our poorest children, the coalition government is starting on the long and hard road to breaking down one of the most socially segregated education systems in the developed world.”
The government says the amount per child will rise and more pupils will be covered as the cash allocated to the policy increases in future years. Funds will also be weighted to areas of the country where they are most needed.
However, when the policy was first announced in October, Education Secretary Michael Gove admitted the scheme would lead to a cut in funding for some schools.
At the time, Labour said the Lib Dems had been “sold a pup” by the Tories over the policy.
Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham said the Conservatives had promised Mr Clegg that funding for the premium would be additional to the overall schools budget but this was not the case.
Details of the pupil premium will be confirmed on Monday by Mr Gove when he announces the schools settlement.
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