A NEW “student premium” for disadvantaged 16- to 19-year-olds should be brought in to address the “cliff-edge” facing students falling behind their peers, the Education Policy Institute said today.

The plea comes after previous research by the think tank suggested that economically disadvantaged students are 3.2 A-level grades behind their peers across their best three subjects.

The gap for persistently disadvantaged students — those who were in poverty for at least 80 per cent of their time in school — was even higher at almost four A-level grades, it showed.

Pupil premium funding is currently offered to disadvantaged children up to 16 in state schools in England.

The think tank has called on the new government to introduce it for those over 16, costing about £340 million annually and helping 28 per cent of such students.

“Setting the student premium at least as high as the secondary school pupil premium — £1,035 — would help address this cliff edge in the funding system at age 16,” the report said.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it has committed to working with the sector to break down barriers to opportunity.