MS, Cabinet Secretary for
Education: Tackling the impact of poverty on educational outcomes
is at the heart of our ambitions for education in Wales. The
Pupil Development Grant (PDG) has a key part to play in
delivering on this ambition by helping to tackle the barriers to
attainment faced by our most vulnerable learners.
For the 2025/26 financial year, I allocated £128m to schools,
settings, and local authorities to continue supporting these
learners in key areas such as delivering high-quality learning
and teaching, developing community-focused schools, and promoting
learners' health and wellbeing. This level of funding has been
maintained in the draft budget for 2026/27, published in
November.
Changing social dynamics, the cost of living, and increased
pressures on schools and families mean that there are more
children in need of support to help reach their potential. This
has led to concerns that, despite the significant level of
investment we are making, the PDG is not achieving all we want it
to.
Eligibility for both the PDG and our School Essentials Grant is
linked to entitlement to Free School Meals. While we continue to
work with local authorities and schools to make families aware of
the support available through registering for Free School Meals,
we know that this is not reaching everyone who needs support.
The PDG is central to our ambitions to close the attainment gap.
We will only see progress on that ambition if we are confident
the funding is reaching all those it needs to support and is
being spent on the most effective interventions.
To ensure the PDG has the greatest impact for our learners, I
have instructed my officials to undertake a policy review of the
PDG. This will contribute to our work to address the
recommendations of the independent review we commissioned from
Bangor University and Cardiff Metropolitan University,
published in two parts in 2023 and 2024, and build on the
work already underway to improve and expand guidance on the use
of the PDG.
My officials will work with the sector to develop options for
improving:
- How we allocate and fund the PDG
- How we monitor the use and impact of the PDG
- How we evaluate the success of grant funding
The review will encompass all funding streams of the PDG,
including PDG for Children Looked After, Early Years PDG, and PDG
for learners in Education Other than at School. It will identify
how we can improve the grant's design to best enable our schools,
settings and local authorities to deliver high standards and
aspirations for all, so that every child, regardless of their
socio-economic background, can achieve their potential.
However, I do want to be clear that there will be no changes to
the PDG ahead of 2027. It is important we ensure that schools,
local authorities and wider partners are given an opportunity to
consider and comment on any proposals arising from the review,
and that we allow a clear timescale for transition in the event
of any changes.
I expect early advice before the end of this Senedd Term and will
update Members accordingly.
