Guidance

Academies planning calendar 2024 to 2025

Updated 5 September 2024

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-planning-calendar/academies-planning-calendar-2024-to-2025

September 2024

Trust action

  • Academies must complete the National Tutoring Programme 2023 to 2024 Year End Statement

Information and guidance to be published

  • Academy trust handbook for 2024 comes into effect
  • Land and buildings collection tool guidance and workbook
  • Academies accounts return  guidance and workbook
  • Findings following the assurance work for the year 2023 to 2024 relating to:
    • academy trust financial statements
    • academy funding audits
    • financial management and governance reviews
  • Pupil number adjustment (PNA) plans start for the 2023 to 2024 debts

Payments

  • Initial teacher training early adopter general mentor grant

October 2024

Trust action

  • Autumn school census day, 3 October 2024
  • Academies land and buildings collection tool online form available from 8 October 2024
  • Academies can begin consultation on admission arrangements for September 2026 from 1 October 2024 - academies must publicly consult for a minimum of 6 weeks by 31 January 2025 if they:
    • are proposing changes to their admission arrangements
    • have not consulted in the past 7 years
  • Academies in scope submit estimated pupil numbers for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
  • Academies must return the school census by 30 October 2024

Information and published guidance

  • 16 to 19 revenue funding allocation data for 2024 to 2025
  • PNA calculator and guidance notes for 2024 to 2025
  • PE and sport premium conditions of grant and allocations issued for the 2024 to 2025 academic year
  • Academic year high needs place change guidance for the academic year 2024 to 2025
  • Accounts submission coversheet (ASC) online form available for trusts to submit their audited financial statements, auditors management letter and annual summary internal scrutiny report
  • School resource management self-assessment checklist support notes

Payment

  • Second quarterly pupil premium for 2024 to 2025 financial year
  • Universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) for newly eligible academies
  • Reimbursement of senior mental health leads grant claims made in financial year (quarter 2)
  • National professional qualification – late claim payment

November 2024

Trust action

Payment

  • First PE and sport premium payment for the 2024 to 2025 academic year
  • Second payment of teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG) for 2024 to 2025 financial year
  • Payment of early career framework time off timetable and mentor backfill claims
  • Payment of teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG 2024) grant covering September 2024 to March 2025

December 2024

Trust action

  • Deadline for trusts to submit their 2023 to 2024 audited financial statements, auditor’s management letter, annual summary internal scrutiny report and accounts submission coversheet by 31 December 2024

Announcement

  • DfE announces the schools revenue funding settlement for 2024 to 2025

Payment

  • Payment of initial teacher training early adopter general mentor grant late claims
  • First payment for core schools budget grant (CSBG)

January 2025

Trust action

  • Academies accounts return submission deadline 28 January 2025
  • Spring school census day - 16 January 2025
  • Schools resource management self-assessment checklist online form available
  • Trusts publish their 2023 to 2024 audited financial statements on their website by 31 January 2025
  • Academies expecting high needs place funding in 2024 to 2025 academic year to check place change published outcomes for use in funding allocations
  • Complete consultation on admission arrangements for September 2026 (if required) by 31 January 2025

Information and published guidance

  • Outcomes of requests from local authorities for changes to high needs places for 2025 to 2026 – academies have 2 weeks to submit a query about the outcomes
  • Guidance on estimating your funding for April 2025 to March 2026 openers
  • Revised general annual grants (GAGs) uploaded to Document exchange for 2024 to 2025 (including letters) following the early PNA exercise

Payment

  • Third quarterly pupil premium for the 2024 to 2025 financial year
  • Reimbursement of senior mental health leads grant claims made in financial year (quarter 3)
  • Recovery of unspent National Tutoring Programme funds following year end statement reconciliation

February 2025

Trust action

  • Academies must submit their spring census return by 12 February 2025
  • Academies must agree their admission arrangements for entry in September 2026 by 28 February 2025
  • Academies must publish their admission appeals timetable for 2025 on their website by 28 February 2025

Information and published guidance

  • 2025 to 2026 general annual grant funding allocations guidance for all academies
  • 2025 to 2026 16 to 19 allocation calculation toolkits (ACT), including funding factors and student numbers
  • Allocations of teachers’ pay additional grant to new and growing schools for the 2024 to 2025 financial year

Payment

  • Positive early PNA payments made to academies for 2024 to 2025 - these payments are backdated to September 2024, with the remainder of the uplift profiled over the period from March to August 2024

March 2025

Trust action

Information and published guidance

Payment

  • PE and sport premium for newly eligible academies for 2024 to 2025 financial year

  • Teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG) for new and growing schools

April 2025

Trust action

  • 16 to 19 revenue funding allocation business case for major data errors deadline 30 April 2025

Information and published guidance

  • 16 to 19 funding regulations guidance, funding rates and formula guidance for 2025 to 2026
  • 16 to 19 student support eligibility and guidance, including 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guidance
  • Guidance and workbook for the budget forecast return

Payment

  • Final quarterly pupil premium payment for the 2024 to 2025 financial year
  • Final payment for senior mental health lead claims

May 2025

Trust action

  • Summer school census day, 15 May 2025
  • Trusts must submit their audited financial statements to Companies House within 9 months of the end of the accounting period which is 31 May 2025

Information and published guidance

  • Statements and letters uploaded to Document exchange confirming funding allocations for 2024 to 2025 based on actual pupil numbers
  • Chart of Accounts 2024 to 2025

Payment

  • Second payment of the teachers’ pay grant and teachers’ pension grant for the 2023 to 2024 academic year (early years and post 16 providers only)
  • Final PE and sport premium for the 2024 to 2025 academic year
  • Teachers’ pay additional grant allocations for April to August 2025

June 2025

Trust action

Information and published guidance

  • 16 to 19 sub-contracting controls guidance for 2023 to 2024

July 2025

Information and published guidance

Payment

  • Final payment for universal infant free school meals for the 2024 to 2025 academic year
  • Quarter 1 payment of pupil premium for 2025 to 2026 financial year
  • Main PNA positive payments made to academies for 2024 to 2025

August 2025

Trust action

  • Complete and submit the budget forecast return

  • By 1 August, academies must inform the local authority whether they intend to:
    • be part of the local authority’s in-year co-ordination scheme for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
    • handle their own in-year applications for that period

  • By 8 August, academies must provide the local authority with information on its admission arrangements for September 2026, to allow the local authority to compile the composite prospectus.

  • By 31 August, academies must publish information about making in-year applications on their website, including any application forms parents need to submit if they handle their own in-year applications
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