Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given schools in Haringey a £13 million Christmas present.

The cash is an increase in the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have.

The Pupil Premium is a major Liberal Democrat priority that is being delivered by the Coalition Government.

In Haringey, 14,650 pupils are expected to be eligible, meaning that the borough’s schools are set to benefit from an extra £13,183,000 to support disadvantaged children.

The Pupil Premium covers any primary or secondary school pupil that has been registered for Free School Meals in the past six years. For 2013/14, the Premium will be worth £1.65bn, or £900 per pupil, in total.

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, commented

“We are already seeing across the country how the Pupil Premium is making a difference to children’s lives. Extra tuition, better IT resources and closer work with parents are all examples of how the Pupil Premium is being used to support the most disadvantaged pupils and benefit all their classmates too.

“That’s why I’m so pleased that, next year, we’ll be extending the Pupil Premium to another half a million children, and increasing the money that schools get to £900 per pupil.

“This will mean an extra £13 million in funding for Haringey schools since the Lib Dems entered Government.”