Pupil Development Grant needs to be better targeted and monitored says Children, Young People and Education Committee
The Children, Young People and Education Committee has scrutinised the impact of the Welsh Government’s Pupil Development Grant (PDG), which provides extra money to schools per pupil eligible for a free school meal.
The Committee concluded that the Welsh Government was right to use the grant, but were concerned with evidence from schools inspectorate, Estyn, showing that only two thirds of Welsh schools were using the money effectively.
Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, Lynne Neagle AM, said:
“The Committee supports the use of the Pupil Development Grant to help narrow the gap between disadvantaged and deprived pupils and their peers but we believe much more needs to be done to ensure this funding helps more able pupils from deprived backgrounds get the highest grades.”
The Committee’s thirty-one recommendations included recommending that the Welsh Government regularly assess the scale of investment required for the PDG in terms of value for money.
For more information, please visit the National Assembly for Wales website.
