To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether all funding from his Department to assist children from more deprived backgrounds will be routed through the pupil premium.

The current school funding system already includes funding to assist pupils from deprived backgrounds. The targeting of that funding is, however, flawed and insufficiently transparent. We intend to introduce a pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils. On 26 July 2010, the Secretary of State for Education, announced in a written ministerial statement, the launch of a consultation on the introduction of the premium. In that consultation, we have said that for 2011-12 we intend to continue with the current methodology for the distribution of school funding to allow for a clear and transparent introduction of the pupil premium. We also recognise, however, that the funding system should more accurately reflect pupil characteristics and so we intend to review the system for funding schools beyond 2011-12.