DfES commissioned this interim evaluation of the £35m Pupil Learning Credits scheme, which ran from September 2001-March 2003, providing 260 secondary schools with extra funds to enable them to provide additional learning opportunities for over 60,000 pupils whose social circumstances were exceptionally challenging. 

The key findings were that :

• the PLC initiative was widely regarded by participating schools as very successful;
• schools deployed PLC resources across a wide range of activities and areas;
• headteachers appreciated the considerable additional funding in conjunction with ease of administration and the freedom to use it to meet individual school (and pupil) needs;
• schools benefited from the opportunity to improve the quality of the education provided and meet the perceived needs of disadvantaged pupils;
• there were positive effects on both participating pupils and staff, particularly in cases where funds were used to facilitate a number of innovative teaching and learning approaches;
• weak points were linked to the short-term nature of the funding, and an initial lack of guidance as to how the funding could be deployed. 

To obtain hard copies of the research report (order code RR 543, price £4.95) and research brief (order code RB 543)

tel: 0845 602 2260