Nursery World - Liberal Democrats pledge to triple pupil premium in early years

The Liberal Democrats would raise the pupil premium for nursery-age children to £1,000 a year, under plans released as part of the party’s election manifesto.

The Early Years Pupil Premium was announced in March and is currently worth £300 a year for children from low-income families.

The funding would rise gradually over the course of the next Parliament until it reaches £1,000 a year.

According to the Liberal Democrats, around 170,000 children will benefit from the EYPP when it is introduced for three- and four-year-olds in April 2015.

Children’s entitlement is based on the criteria used for eligibility for free school meals, and children in care and adopted children are also eligible for the funding.

The Liberal Democrats said that as children are only funded for part-time education the extra money is worth more than the primary school pupil premium, which is £1,300 a year per child.

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