Historically, DfE would share the pupil premium data file with LAs so that the pupils who are eligible for pupil premium (PP) can be identified and analysis of the groups can be monitored.
DfE have moved from using the January school census to compile their PP data to using the October census. This allows the PP file to be shared by the Department earlier in the year, however this also led to some inconsistencies between Nexus (using just the PP file) and the DfE published pupil premium analysis (which was using the PP file data with some additions from the January school census).
Nexus has been updated to bring pupil premium group analysis closed inline with the DfE published stats by using January census data to supplement the pupil premium imported file data.
Nexus users should continue import BOTH the pupil premium file that is shared with the LA by the DfE AND the January census file (which is needed for attainment based analysis more widely). This allows Nova and Insight analysis to include spring (January) census to update the FSM6, adopted from care and service child pupil's data in the PP file.
Adjustments are also made to discount pupils whose last FSM period would fall outside the 6 year moving window.
This does mean that there remains a discrepancy between the Pupil Premium file FSM6 census coverage and the Updated Disadvantaged Methodology (which is more in line with DfE published analysis for this group.)
As an example, you can see the difference in the example year up to spring census 2024. (This eligibility window rolls forwards year by year son in January 2025 it would cover Spring 19 to Spring 2025 etc.)