Transparency data

16 to 19 funding allocations: 2020 to 2021 academic year

Updated 9 June 2021

Applies to England

1. Introduction

This publication covers funding allocations made to 16 to 19 institutions funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). We publish the 16 to 19 funding allocations annually and previously published allocations are also available.

We issued explanatory notes and video briefings to help institutions interpret changes to the funding system and allocation statements.

The 2020 to 2021 academic year covers the period from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 for academies; and from 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021 for all other institutions.

2. Changes in 2020 to 2021

We published 16 to 19 funding information for 2020 to 2021 on 4 November 2019 which set out the main policy and funding rates for the year.

The main changes are:

• the national funding rate for full-time 16 and 17-year-olds and students aged 18 and over with high needs was increased by 4.7% to £4,188
• programme cost weightings were increased by 10 percentage points for 6 sector subject areas
• 2020 to 2021 is the first year of delivery for T Levels - the number of funded T Level students is shown as an ‘of which’ alongside the total funded students and the T Level industry placement funding is also shown
• we have included funding for the level 3 programme maths and English payment, this was introduced in 2020 to 2021 to support providers in their delivery of these subjects for students on substantial level 3 study programmes and T Levels
• we have included high value courses premium (HVCP) funding - this was introduced in 2020 to 2021 to support the sector to grow the number of students studying selected substantial level 3 study programmes (including T Levels) in selected A level subjects or sector subject areas
• the allocations data is now formatted to clearly show the core programme funding, total programme funding and total funding allocation in line with the funding formula
• the full breakdown of student financial support funding is now shown on a separate worksheet within the published dataset named ‘Student support funding’

3. Changes in previous years

3.1 Changes in 2019 to 2020

The main changes in were:

• we included advanced maths premium funding for additional students studying specified level 3 maths qualifications in 16 to 19 allocations for the first time. It is paid at a rate of £600 per year per additional student for 1 or 2 years, depending on the type and size of qualification studied. The number of additional students was calculated using the average of academic years 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017 as the baseline which was deducted from academic year 2018 to 2019 students
• we have included funding for ‘alternative completions’, including the Diploma in Sporting Excellence, which are funded outside the main funding formula
• high needs funding for maintained school sixth forms and maintained special schools is no longer included in the figures as this is now paid to local authorities in the dedicated schools grant

3.2 Changes in 2018 to 2019

The main changes were:

• we included funding for the Work Placement Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF) for qualifying institutions in 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for 2018 to 2019. The funding will help institutions prepare to deliver substantive work placements for students on vocational and technical study programmes at levels 2 and 3. The eligibility criteria may change in future years to line up with developing Tech Level policy
• the funding for the CDF is additional to the mainstream allocation, which already funds work experience for all students through the planned hours for qualifications and employability, enrichment and pastoral activity
• we embedded the funding for 19+ continuing students previously funded by the former Skills Funding Agency (SFA) into the 16 to 19 funding allocations on a lagged basis
• we amended the retention calculation so that institutions delivering 2 year linear A levels are not penalised. From 2018 to 2019 until further notice, we will treat all students recorded on a 2 year academic or vocational programme as retained in their first year if they have completed that year

3.3 Changes in 2017 to 2018

The main changes were:

• in previous years, we calculated disadvantage block 2 funding using matched administrative data with a 3 year lag. From 2017 to 2018 onwards we started to use information collected in the individualised learner record (ILR) enabling us to use data from the same year (2 year lag) as other factors. For 2017 to 2018, we mitigated the impact on institutions where the block 2 funding as a result of using their data was reduced, by moving halfway towards the ILR-driven factor. Where the impact was an increase in funding, we used the ILR-driven factor. We included the funding amounts for all 19+ continuing students in 16 to 19 allocation statements for the first time this year. Up to 2016 to 2017, this funding was already included in 16 to 19 allocations for sixth form colleges, schools and academies, but was allocated separately to further education (FE) colleges and independent learning providers by SFA. Where this provision was formerly funded by SFA, the relevant amounts have been transferred based on institutions’ ILR data for 2016 to 2017 and we show the figures separately in the allocations publication

3.4 Changes in 2016 to 2017

The main changes were:

• formula protection funding (FPF) was introduced from 2013 to 2014 for institutions subject to significant decreases in funding as a result of the introduction of funding per student in that year. We announced that it will be phased out over the next 6 academic years so the final year in which any FPF will be payable will be 2020 to 2021
• for institutions in receipt of FPF in 2015 to 2016 we said we would recalculate FPF for 2016 to 2017 to take account of funding changes previously announced for that year, specifically the large programme uplift and the increase in the specialist programme cost weight
• the specialist programme cost weight for land based provision delivered by institutions with recognised specialist resources increased from 1.6 to 1.75 as announced in July 2014
• we implemented the large programme uplift which reflects the fact that some study programmes are necessarily much larger than 600 hours. It is only available for high quality study programmes providing students with substantial stretch and challenge
• we map deprivation data from the indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) to each student’s home postcode to determine whether disadvantage funding should be allocated. This year we updated the indices to IMD 2015 from IMD 2010 which have been used previously. IMD 2015 is the latest version of this index, released in September 2015
• we applied the condition of funding for maths and/or English and published the details on how this is applied. Any student that does not have a maths and/or English GCSE at grades A* to C, is not enrolled on either an approved maths and English GCSE or stepping stone in academic year 2014 to 2015, and is not recorded as exempt has an impact on the 2016 to 2017 allocation

3.5 Changes in 2015 to 2016

The main changes were:

• the cessation of transitional protection funding. Transitional protection funding was introduced in 2011 to 2012 for 4 years and ensured that, following changes in policy, institutions did not lose more than an agreed amount in cash terms per student compared with the 2010 to 2011 baseline. The year 2014 to 2015 was the final year of transitional protection funding which was represented within the total programme funding column
• changes in how the Residential Student Support scheme is administered meant that in 2015 to 2016 we calculated it as part of an institution’s allocation and so it was included in the published dataset for the first time

3.6 Changes in 2014 to 2015

The main changes were:

• a change to the funding rate for those aged 18 and over. Further information on this change was set out in a letter to the sector issued in December 2013 and subsequent mitigation measures for 2014 to 2015 only were announced on 13 March 2014
• for special schools and academies, both the programme and high needs funding was combined into a single flat rate of £10,000 per student
• in the 2013 to 2014 published data, element one (programme funding) appeared within the programme funding column and element 2 (a flat rate of £6,000) appeared in its own column
• in the 2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016 published datasets the single flat rate of £10,000 per student appears within the high needs funding column at special schools and academies
• for other institutions, high needs funding was shown in the same way as in 2013 to 2014
• allocations made for the new free meals scheme were also included in the 2014 to 2015 dataset

3.7 Changes in 2013 to 2014

Since 2013 to 2014 we have calculated post-16 funding using the published post-16 funding formula based on lagged data. There are some significant differences between this methodology and that used historically including:

• students following programmes of less than 2 weeks in duration are no longer funded
• high cost additional learner support was replaced with a flat-rate allocation of £6,000 which was topped up based on individual student need by local authorities who have the commissioning and funding responsibility for high needs students
• 2013 to 2014 was the first year in which allocations were made to independent specialist providers and special schools and academies

Due to changes made across academic years, the published allocations data is not directly comparable with similar datasets published in prior years.

The figures published are intended to give a picture of the annual allocations to institutions and may differ from the monthly amounts shown in an institution’s individual funding agreement, particularly in relation to the conversion of schools to academy status. For example, if a school converted to become an academy in September, two-thirds of their bursary fund allocation will already have been paid via the local authority in August, and the remaining third will be paid to the academy in April.

In these published figures, to give a true picture of the overall bursary payments, the full annual bursary allocation is shown against the academy. For definitive figures on monthly payments institutions should refer to the amounts in their annual funding agreement rather than those shown in this publication.

4. Scope of the published data

The publication provides 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations data for institutions funded by ESFA for 2020 to 2021.

Education funded by ESFA through the published 16 to 19 funding formula and high needs post-16 place funding is included. The data does not therefore include funding allocated for non-mainstream activity or funding for provision not funded by ESFA.

The 16 to 19 funding formula includes funding for education for students up to the age of 19, or up to the age of 25 for those young people who have been issued an education, health and care (EHC) plan by their local authority. We report students aged 19 to 25 with an EHC plan alongside other students funded through the 16 to 19 budget.

Further information is available on the high needs funding arrangements for 2020 to 2021 including the definitions of a high needs student.

Students aged 19 who are completing a programme which they began aged 16 to 18 (19+ continuing learners) are also included in the data. As indicated above, some of this provision was funded by SFA up to 2016 to 2017 so was not included in the equivalent publications to this in those years.

We publish the funding allocation data for students aged 16 to 18 on apprenticeships and most students who are aged 19 or over (other than as stated above) separately.

The Department for Education also publishes statistics for young people’s participation in education, employment and training and those not in education, employment or training.

This funding allocations data shows the full academic year allocation as at September 2020. The institution category reflected in the published data is correct as at September 2020. Schools that converted to academies in September are shown as an academy. Other published allocations such as pre-16 academies show the institution category as it was at the end of the last financial year. Further information on 16 to 19 funding is available in the funding guidance.

5. The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund was introduced in 2011 to 2012. It is money the government allocates to local authorities, schools, colleges and other education and training providers (institutions) to support financially disadvantaged students. Its purpose is to provide financial support to help students overcome specific barriers to participation, so they can remain in education. Institutions are given allocations for discretionary bursaries and draw down funds for the bursary for vulnerable groups from us via the Student Bursary Support Service.

The methodology used to calculate the bursary funding changed in 2020 to 2021, it has 2 elements:

• element 1: financial disadvantage
• element 2: student costs to support travel and industry placements

Both elements are based on 2018 to 2019 full year data.

Further information on the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is available in scheme guide.

6. Free Meals in further education

In 2014 to 2015 academic year, additional funding for free meals for 16 to 19 students attending further education funded institutions was introduced to provide parity with those young people attending school sixth forms. Prior to 2014 to 2015, institutions had been supporting the cost of meals for students who needed them on a discretionary basis from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. We adjust discretionary bursary allocations to take account of this double funding.

In 2016 to 2017, we removed the ring fence between the discretionary bursary allocation and the free meals in further education allocation. This flexibility in use of the funds remains in place.

Where possible, ESFA has based 2020 to 2021 academic year free meals funding for further education institutions on their 2018 to 2019 full academic year data and their funded student number for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. ESFA has used the number of students assessed as eligible for, and in receipt of, free meals in the 2018 to 2019 academic year as a percentage of the total number of reported students aged 16 to 19 in that year. This establishes the number of students we might reasonably expect to be eligible for free meals support in the 2020 to 2021 academic year

Further information about free meals is available in the scheme guide.

7. Residential Bursary Fund

The Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) provides financial help towards the costs of accommodation for students attending one of the designated institutions delivering specialist provision. Specialist provision is not available locally and/or requires the student to attend at unsociable hours on a regular basis and consequently the student needs to live away from home.

RBF enables young people to gain a substantial qualification in a specialist subject that they would not be able to get at a non-specialist institution. RBF should not be used to enable a student to participate in additional activity, for example, to take part in a specific sport, whilst they are participating in general FE provision that is widely available.

RBF allocations for the 2020 to 2021 academic year have been generated using the methodology below:

• for institutions that spent at least 90% of their 2018 to 2019 allocation, 5% growth has been added to their 2019 to 2020 allocated amount to generate the 2020 to 2021 allocation
• for institutions that spent less than 90% of their 2018 to 2019 allocation, a 5% reduction has been applied to their 2019 to 2020 allocated amount to generate the 2020 to 2021 allocation
• an exception has been made where the outcome of the calculation generates an allocation that is greater than both 2018 to 2019 actual spend and the 2019 to 2020 allocation. In these instances, the 2020 to 2021 allocation is the same as the 2019 to 2020 allocation

The allocations methodology disregards any spend by institutions that is outside policy guidelines (inappropriate use of RBF for travel for non-resident students, for example).

Further information is available in the scheme guide.

8. Residential Support Scheme

The Residential Support Scheme (RSS) is designed for the exceptional situations where the same or similar substantial level 2 or level 3 qualification the student needs to pursue to achieve their desired career or higher education goal cannot be accessed locally to their home. Most students supported by RSS tend to live in rural areas and have limited access to a wide range of 16 to 18 further education provision. RSS uses nationally set income thresholds and maximum funding amounts. Institutions must verify each student’s substantial level 2 or level 3 qualification with ESFA as part of the application process.

ESFA has generated RSS allocations in the 2020 to 2021 academic year for institutions that had students verified as eligible for support from the scheme in the 2019 to 2020 academic year where those students are expected to return for a second or subsequent year of study. ESFA used the course verification form as the source of this information.

More information is available in the scheme guide.

9. Dance and Drama Awards

The Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) scheme offers income assessed support for tuition fees and living costs at a number of high quality private dance and drama institutions in England. DaDA funding is intended to provide a contribution to the costs of participating for talented individuals who want to become professional actors and dancers.

ESFA has based 2020 to 2021 academic year DaDA allocations on data on student numbers and spend from the last full year (the 2018 to 2019 academic year). Projected numbers for the 2019 to 2020 academic year have also been factored in.

More information is available in the scheme guide.

10. Further information

We have published further information about the remit of ESFA for our customers. If you have a query about the data or this publication, please contact us.