Guidance

Service pupil premium

Information for service personnel with children in state schools, and for the schools themselves, about eligibility for the service pupil premium (SPP).

• From: Ministry of Defence and Department for Education
• Published: 7 December 2012
• Last updated: 16 April 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 16 April 2026

     Updated 'Service pupil premium: what you need to know' and 'Service pupil premium: further information' for the 2026 to 2027 financial year.

  2. 2 May 2025

     Updated 'Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know' and 'further information'.

  3. 29 August 2024

     Updated Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know; examples of best practice; and further information.

  4. 19 May 2023

     Updated 'Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know'.

  5. 8 September 2021

     Updated the contact email address.

  6. 16 June 2021

     Updated the eligibility section in Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know.

  7. 4 January 2021

     Updated information in the what you need to know and further information attachments to reflect the fact that the October 2020 census will determine school allocations of SPP funding for the financial year 2021-22.

  8. 3 September 2020

     Updated page content and all HTML attachments.

  9. 12 March 2020

     Updated the census deadline to January 2021.

  10. 11 March 2020

      Updated the 'Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know' page with updated information.

  11. 5 December 2019

      Updated SSP further information.

  12. 31 October 2019

      Updated the 'what you need to know' page with the latest information on 2015 census.

  13. 8 August 2019

      Changed census deadline to 16 January 2020.

  14. 8 August 2019

      Added a link to the Education and Skills Funding Agency's guidance: pupil premium 2018 to 2019: conditions of grant to 'Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know'.

  15. 2 August 2019

      Fixed broken link.

  16. 6 June 2019

      Removed an out of date deadline.

  17. 6 June 2019

      Added updated examples of best practice and Service Pupil Premium (SPP) further information

  18. 3 October 2018

      Added the Service pupil premium (SPP) information sheet.

  19. 23 July 2018

      Updated the page with the confirmed census date of 17 January 2019.

  20. 22 May 2018

      Updated email addresses and the closing date for applications.

  21. 4 April 2018

      Updated dates as requested by the Directorate for Children & Young People (DCYP).

  22. 9 January 2018

      Updated eligibility criteria.

  23. 4 January 2018

      Updated information for 2018 applications

  24. 21 December 2016

      Added updated information about the SPP and added examples of best practice document.

  25. 1 December 2016

      Updated deadline date.

  26. 20 November 2015

      Added updated Service Pupil Premium poster, amended due to take place on date and Department for Education website link.

  27. 13 January 2015

      Corrected date.

  28. 9 January 2015

      Added new version of poster.

  29. 20 November 2013

      Added updated SPP details and new poster.

  30. 7 December 2012

      First published.

Applies to England

• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Documents

Service pupil premium: what you need to know

HTML

Service pupil premium: examples of best practice

HTML

Service pupil premium: further information

HTML

Details

Service personnel with children in state schools must notify the school of their eligibility for the service pupil premium (SPP).

For more information, email the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding Team at People-AFFS-Mailbox@mod.gov.uk.