Catch-Up Funding 2020/21

In response to the current pandemic emergency and the loss of face to face schooling many children experienced, the government announced a £1 billion funding package to support a catch-up plan for schools.

What funding is available?

£650 million of universal catch-up premium funding will be available for all state-funded mainstream and special schools for the 2020/2021 academic year. The aim of the funding is to help pupils catch up on education they have missed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The remaining £350 million will pay for the establishment of a National Tutoring Programme, which will run for the duration of the 2020/2021 academic year and give schools access to subsidised tutoring sessions and free coaches for the most disadvantaged pupils.

How will the universal catch-up premium funding be provided?

Allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis, providing each mainstream school with a total of £80 for each pupil in Reception through to Year 11. Special, alternative provision (AP) and hospital schools will be provided with £240 for each place.

Funding will be provided in three payments – spread across the school year.

While funding has been allocated on a per pupil or per place basis, schools should use the amount available to them as a single total from which to prioritise support for pupils according to their needs.

How can the funding be used? 

Funding should be used for specific activities to support pupils to catch up on lost teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. For pupils with complex needs, the DfE strongly encourages schools to spend the funding on catch-up support to address pupils’ individual needs.

Funding will be used for:

Teaching and whole-school strategies

Targeted support

Wider strategies

Will schools be held to account for their use of the funding?

Governors and trustees should scrutinise schools’ approaches to catch-up from September, including plans for and use of catch-up funding.

This should include consideration of whether schools are spending the funding in line with their catch-up priorities and ensuring appropriate transparency for parents.

Schools will also be required to publish plans for the funding on the school web site. Please see the attached file for an overview of how school plans to use the funds.