Cordis Bright is delighted to be working in partnership with the Rees Centre, University of Oxford, on the evaluation of the Department for Education’s Pupil Premium Plus Post-16 programme (PP+ Post-16).

This page provides an overview of PP+ Post-16 and the evaluation methodology. The interim findings can be found here. We will keep the page updated with further outputs from the evaluation

About Pupil Premium Plus Post-16

PP+ Post-16 is a funding programme rolled out across all local authorities in England with the remit to support children looked after (CLA) and care leavers with their education, training and employment outcomes between the ages of 16 and 18.

Prior to this funding, Virtual School Heads (VSHs) in each local authority received Pupil Premium Plus funding for CLA aged 4 to 15 only. That funding ceases when the child reaches 16, but VSH duties towards the educational attainment of CLA continue for as long as the child is in care.

PP+ Post-16 was launched in order to provide additional funding for CLA and care leavers post age 16, to support their attendance, retention, and attainment in education, training and employment. PP+ Post-16 funding was piloted for a six-month period in 2021-2022 with 30 local authorities. In Autumn 2022, the funding was rolled out to a further 28 local authorities. From Autumn 2023, all local authorities are now receiving PP+ Post-16, with funding currently available until 2025.

About the evaluation

This evaluation explores the implementation of the funding and considers early evidence about progress towards intended outcomes. The methodology is informed by the evaluation of the PP+ Post-16 pilot, conducted by the Rees Centre, University of Oxford in 2021-2022.

Evaluation questions about implementation of the funding include assessment of:

• how Virtual Schools are using the funding and why;
• enablers and barriers to its use;
• the views of CLA, care leavers, and carers about the support available for post-16 education and training.

The evaluation builds on the outcomes identified in the Theory of Change developed during the pilot phase. Evaluation questions about outcomes include:

• How successful sites are in delivering the intended outcomes for the cohort.
• What appear to be the short, interim and longer-term outcomes for the cohort, post-16 education and training settings, and the wider stakeholders for CLA and care leavers.
• Does the programme represent value for money?

Methods employed across the evaluation include:

• Theory of Change workshops.
• National online surveys of VSHs.
• In-depth case studies in six local authorities involving interviews with a range of professional stakeholders including VSHs, Directors of Children’s Services, Designated Teachers, and Social Workers; consultation with young people and carers; and documentary analysis.
• National dataset analysis.
• Cost benefit assessment.

The evaluation is running from 2023 to 2025.

For more information, please contact Bethan Peach.