The new schools minister is 鈥渓ooking at鈥� how schools use the pupil premium to make sure some schools are not spending it 鈥渋n ways that the funding is not intended鈥�. Jonathan Gullis told a fringe event that he wanted to examine whether the 拢2.6 billion for disadvantaged pupils was 鈥渂eing used to really target and drive attainment, improve attendance, help with behaviour鈥�. But government sources this week denied this would be a formal review of the policy. Instead, the Department for Education will work with the Education Endowment Foundation to provide better guidance for how the money can best be spent. Created under the coalition government, the premium is paid to schools for each pupil who has been eligible for free school meals at any point in the previous six years. Headteachers choose how to spend the grant, points to evidence that shows it is most effective when used to support high-quality teaching and address 鈥渂arriers to success鈥�, such as attendance and behaviour. Since last year, schools have had to demonstrate 鈥渉ow their spending decisions are informed by research evidence鈥�. ‘Plenty of good examples’ of pupil premium use 鈥淚’m sure there are plenty of examples in schools where that is happening well, but I do worry 鈥� that money is at times being used in other ways, in ways that the funding is not intended,鈥� Gullis said. 鈥淚 want to make sure that that money, a significant amount of funding, is used in the appropriate way.鈥� Any formal review would likely create extreme anxiety in schools at a time when the Treasury is trying to find efficiency savings to fund tax cuts promised in the government鈥檚 mini budget. It follows calls on the government to increase the premium after schools were told they would have to raid their own coffers to pay for tutoring when government subsidies ended. Tutoring is one of the interventions the government has recommended for pupil premium spending. Ministers also said earlier this year they would 鈥渕ake it easier鈥� for schools to use the 拢2.6 billion annual funding to 鈥渟upport literacy and numeracy skills where needed鈥�. However, the fund would retain its 鈥渃ore focus鈥� on improving attainment for disadvantaged pupils, they said.