Why I'm proud of the pupil premium - The pupil premium was a key Lib Dem election pledge. We must prove we can deliver it

For Liberal Democrats, one of the silver linings in last week's necessarily tough spending review was the introduction of a £2.5bn "pupil premium" to help close the unacceptable gap between the life chances of advantaged and disadvantaged children. This was one of the four main pledges on which the Lib Dems fought the general election, and as a former schools spokesman for the party I was particularly pleased and proud to see the delivery of this promise. This shows that the coalition is determined to pursue an agenda of creating real opportunity for all, even as it has to grapple with the problem of the budget deficit.