The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The funding is allocated to schools for the specific purpose of boosting the attainment of pupils from low income families. Funding is based on children registered for free school meals and children who have been looked after for more than six months. The government believes it is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility. Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However, they are accountable for how they have used the additional funding to support pupils from low income families. New measures will be included in the performance tables that will capture the achievement of those deprived pupils covered by the Pupil Premium. From September 2012 schools have been required to publish online information about how they have used the Premium. This ensures that parents and others are made fully aware of the attainment of pupils covered by the Premium.