Guidance

Funding guidance for young people 2024 to 2025 rates and formula

Updated 27 March 2024

Applies to England

1. Introduction

This guidance covers the period 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 for all types of providers (except for academies whose funded year is 1 September 2024 to 31 August) and is our current advice for the funding year.

This summary applies to all of the young people’s funding guidance that will be available from Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) once published:

• funding regulations
• rates and formula (this page)
• individualised learner record (ILR) funding returns

These pages outline the main features of ESFA funding arrangements for young people in 2024 to 2025 and are an integral part of ESFA’s funding agreements for young people aged 16 to 19 and those aged 19 to 24 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The guidance should be read in this context, unless specifically stated otherwise. This is the definitive ESFA guidance for 2024 to 2025 and supersedes any previous funding guidance for young people.

Providers must take into account General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in respect of the information they retain, particularly when it is personal or sensitive. It is the provider’s responsibility to ensure that it is fully compliant with GDPR.

ESFA sets out in its privacy notice how data is collected and used to perform statutory functions on behalf of the Secretary of State. We will rarely ask for data from you outside of the ILR and school census.

Where we do ask for information outside of the ILR and school census, we will set out clearly what we need and why we need it. We will always request that all personal or sensitive information is sent via a secure method of transfer that is fully compliant with GDPR. You must not send us personal or sensitive information at any other time or in any other way.

1.1 Contact us

If you have questions after reading our guidance, or if there’s anything else you need help with, you can find more support in our customer help centre. Maintained schools should contact their local authority.

2. What’s new?

• we have updated the funding formula diagram
• we have updated the information on programmes and planned hours with the new policy that T Level hours include maths and English study
• we have also updated the information on programmes and planned hours to make it explicit that T Level hours recorded are for the whole of the programme, not just one year
• student eligibility for the large programme uplift no longer includes the TechBacc
• we have removed the Cambridge Pre-U qualification from the list of academic qualifications in table 5, as it has been withdrawn
• the programme cost weighting section now includes information on weightings for T Levels and T Level foundation year. Annex A has 2 new tables (table A2 and table A3) setting out the weightings
• we have made changes to the funding for English and maths. We have replaced the level 3 programme maths and English payment with a broader funding element
• we have removed core maths qualifications from eligibility for the advanced maths premium. This is because students studying for these qualifications now qualify for funding under the new core maths premium
• T Level transition year is now called T Level foundation year. We have updated all references to transition year to the new name

3. Scope of the 16 to 19 funding model

1. The 16 to 19 model covers provision (including T Levels^{[footnote 1]} but not apprenticeships) for young people aged 16 to 19. It also covers the following groups:

a. young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan

b. students aged 19 or over who are continuing a programme they started aged 16, 17 or 18

c. 14 to 16 year olds who are directly recruited into eligible further education (FE) and sixth-form colleges on full-time programmes. Allocations for this delivery use modified elements of the standard formula

d. electively home educated children of compulsory school age who are enrolled at FE and sixth-form colleges^{[footnote 2]}

2. The model funds provision in different kinds of providers, including but not limited to:

a. FE and sixth-form colleges

b. designated institutions^{[footnote 3]}

c. maintained school and academy sixth forms

d. 16 to 19 academies

e. higher education institutions (HEIs)

f. independent learning providers (ILPs)

g. special post-16 institutions (SPIs)

3.1 Funding methodology

3. The funding methodology is used to provide a nationally consistent method of calculating funding for all providers delivering 16 to 19 provision based on:

a. the number of students

b. a national funding rate per student

c. retention factor

d. programme cost weighting

e. English and maths funding

f. disadvantage

g. large programme funding

h. area cost allowance

3.2 The formula

4. Figure 1 shows the 16 to 19 funding formula that we use to calculate institutions’ allocations each academic year.

Figure 1

Core programme funding

5. To calculate core programme funding, we take the student numbers and multiply them by:

• funding rate per student (dependent on funding band)
• retention factor
• programme cost weighting

6. We then add:

• English and maths funding
• disadvantage funding
• large programme funding

7. and multiply the total by:

• area cost

Total programme funding

8. To calculate total programme funding, we take the total core programme funding and:

• subtract the condition of funding adjustment, then add
• advanced maths premium
• core maths premium
• high value courses premium (HVCP)
• T Levels industry placement funding

Total funding

9. We add the following elements, where appropriate, to the total funding:

• care standards funding
• high needs students funding
• student support funding, above the minimum discretionary bursary funding of £500

4. Programme funding: core formula funding elements

4.1 Student numbers

10. The funding formula measures the volume of delivery through student numbers and the size of their programme. Funding allocations use a lagged approach and take student numbers from the number of young people participating in the previous year and programme size from the year before that (that is, the last full year’s data return).

4.2 Lagged student numbers

11. Our default approach is to base allocations on lagged student numbers. This gives an appropriate allocation for each provider for the current year. Therefore, we describe it as an allocation based on lagged numbers, rather than lagged funding, funding in arrears or a guarantee of a lagged allocation. The lagged approach applies when there is a reasonably consistent level of delivery over time. It covers most, but not all, circumstances.

12. The lagged approach does not apply where there is a material change in the volume of provision offered by a provider. In these cases, we remove the provider from the lagged approach and calculate the funded student numbers as described below in the sections on new providers, closing providers, transferred provision, exceptional in-year growth and in-year closures.

13. We calculate lagged student numbers in different ways for different types of providers:

a. school sixth forms and most academies: we base the lagged student numbers on the number of funded students recruited in 2023 to 2024, taken at the autumn 2023 census point

• for a small number of academies, we base student numbers on estimates provided by the provider, if this is specified in their funding agreement. These academies are also subject to a pupil number adjustment in-year based on their actual delivery

b. FE colleges, some other FE providers, 16 to 19 academy converters (former sixth-form colleges) and some ILPs: we base the lagged student numbers on the number of students funded in 2023 as of 1 November and recorded in the ILR R04 return. To count, students must have at least one aim funded by ESFA under the 16 to 19 young people’s funding model that starts on or before this date. As the student numbers are taken partway through the year, we look at the previous full year’s data (2022 to 2023 R14) to find out by what proportion student numbers increased from 1 November to the end of the year. We use this ratio to work out the projected student numbers by the end of 2023 to 2024; this is used for the funded student number in 2024 to 2025

• we also compare the student numbers recruited by 1 November from the November (R04) data return with the student numbers calculated from the February return (R06), both the year-to-date (the position at 1 February) figure and the number recruited by 1 November. If there is a significant increase or decrease in student numbers, we may revise the numbers accordingly

c. ILPs that have significant year-round enrolment: we count students in learning at a rolling 12-month period between February 2023 and January 2024. Students who are in learning in both 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 are only counted once:

• for some ILPs, neither approach is appropriate. In these cases, we use a hybrid of the methods described in b and c
• we will cap ILPs’ final allocated student number so that the allocation is not more than £1 million above the higher of the 2023 to 2024 allocation and the 2023 to 2024 R06 funding outturn figure

d. SPIs: we allocate programme funding (element 1) and high needs funding (element 2) using the number of valid students from 2023 to 2024 ILR R06 data returns. We use a census date of 1 February 2023

e. non-maintained special schools (NMSS): we base the funding allocation on the pupil number data from the autumn 2023 school census, uplifted by the difference between the autumn 2022 and spring 2023 census pupil number data

f. for local authorities and other smaller providers: the above approaches may not be appropriate. In these cases, we use the number of funded students from 2022 to 2023 (the latest year for which a full year’s data is available)

Student numbers for T Levels

14. We calculate the number of fundable T Level student numbers by adding together:

• the number of T Level students from the 2023 to 2024 ILR R04 return or autumn 2023 census return who are planned to continue into 2024 to 2025
• the number of T Level students a provider plans to recruit in 2024 to 2025 (the number of new starts) as returned in autumn 2023

15. We will publish information on under- and over-delivery adjustments on GOV.UK.

16. We will keep this approach under review and confirm from when we will apply lagged student numbers to T Level students.

Student numbers for new providers

17. We derive student numbers for new providers in different ways for different types of providers:

a. new maintained school sixth forms: at opening, student numbers will be one third of the sixth form’s full capacity. In the second year, student numbers will be double the first year’s actual recruitment, and in the third year we will use lagged student numbers

b. new academy sixth forms and 16 to 19 academies: we use the same method as for maintained school sixth forms. In a small number of cases, we will base the number on the estimated number of students to be recruited in the first year, as agreed between ESFA and the provider

c. new free schools, university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools with sixth forms: the estimated number of students to be recruited in the first year, as agreed between ESFA and the provider

d. new providers with ESFA funding for high needs students only: the number of places commissioned by the local authority

e. new SPIs: we allocate programme funding (element 1) and high needs funding (element 2) using the outcomes of the 2024 to 2025 academic year high needs place change notification process

f. other new providers: we agree student numbers on a case-by-case basis

18. In all cases, we will review the standard approach when a provider makes a case based on exceptional circumstances.

Student numbers for providers stopping 16 to 19 provision

19. Providers and local authorities (for maintained schools) must inform ESFA when they intend to stop delivering ESFA-funded 16 to 19 provision, whether this is temporary or permanent.

20. When a provider closes, or stops ESFA-funded 16 to 19 provision, we will reduce the lagged numbers to reflect the planned decline in student numbers.

21. We will not allocate 16 to 19 funding to a provider that is completely stopping 16 to 19 provision. We will also reduce funding before that if the change in delivery is material – for example, a rundown of provision over 2 years.

22. For a provider such as a school or academy sixth form, whose students are mainly on 2-year programmes, a typical trajectory for the reduction is half the lagged numbers in the year before closure and no funding in the year of closure.

In-year closures

23. When a provider notifies ESFA after the start of the academic year that they have stopped offering ESFA-funded 16 to 19 provision, or when they do not recruit or enrol any students, we will withdraw the allocation. We will also recover funds if we have already made any payments.

Transferred provision

24. When 2 providers agree to transfer students, the funding for those students will also transfer.

25. In some circumstances we will also transfer the funding when a funded lead provider ceases a subcontracting arrangement and the subcontractor transfers the provision to a different prime contractor: the funding follows the student. You can find more information on subcontracting provision in the guidance on subcontracting controls.

Exceptional in-year growth

26. Each year we review the levels of student number delivery of all colleges, schools, academies (except if funded on estimates), SPIs, local authorities and HEIs based on the autumn school census or ILR R04 data (using the reference date 1 November). When providers deliver exceptional in-year growth compared with their allocation, we may increase their allocations. These arrangements are separate from the reconciliation arrangements that apply to ILPs, which we set out in the ILR funding returns guidance. As this is a data driven exercise, providers do not have to submit a business case to be considered for growth.

27. We identify exceptional growth through analysing the current allocated student numbers against actual evidenced recruitment and the projected year-end position. We also consider under-delivery at the provider in the previous year and the national picture of growth. We will base growth funding on a standard threshold determined by affordability, and growth is likely to be funded at a marginal rate. We may require additional eligibility or audit checks before allocating growth funding. We will notify providers that will receive exceptional in-year growth in February or March 2025. We base growth awards on the assumption that the in-year data return is accurate. If we find later that the data was inaccurate, then we will partly or fully recover the growth award.

4.3 Student numbers and funding factors for merged and disaggregating providers

28. For future year allocations, when mergers take place before 1 August – that is, before the start of the funding year – we will calculate the allocation for the merged provider based on combined data (the underlying data method).

29. When providers merge in-year, we will either add together the allocations for the 2 providers for the current year or calculate the allocation for the merged provider based on combined data. In-year mergers are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, applying the most appropriate allocation method for the circumstances of each case.

30. In subsequent years, we will combine the data for the constituent providers and use this to calculate the allocation for the new provider until all data is covered by one return.

31. We may adjust the area cost weighting according to the methodology set out in the area costs section, so that the weighting is appropriate to the provider’s delivery pattern.

32. When some or all of the provision at an existing provider moves to one or more other providers, this is known as disaggregation. We review each individual disaggregation and treat it outside the normal processes on an exceptional basis. We will discuss the split of provision with the providers affected and recalculate their allocations as appropriate.

4.4 National funding rates

Full-time

33. When we say ‘full-time’ for the 16 to 19 funding model, we mean funding bands 5, 4a and the T Level bands. Therefore ‘part-time’ is funding band 4b or lower.

National funding rates for study programmes

34. For study programmes, we base the funding rate for a student on the planned hours in their study programme. All full-time students are funded at the same basic rate per student, per year. We derive the funding rates for part-time students from the full-time rate, proportioned according to the mid-point of the hours range.

Table 1: National funding rates for study programmes (excluding T Levels)

Band	Annual planned hours	Applicable students	National funding rate per student
5	580+ hours	16 and 17 year olds and students aged 18 and over with high needs[footnote 4]	£4,843
4a	485+ hours	Students aged 18 and over who are not high needs	£4,006
4b	485 to 579 hours	16 and 17 year olds and students aged 18 and over with high needs	£4,006
3	385 to 484 hours	All students	£3,258
2	300 to 384 hours	All students	£2,576
1	Up to 299 hours	All students	£4,843 per full-time equivalent (FTE)

35. We expect that full-time study programmes for 16 and 17 year olds will be 640 planned hours on average per academic year, and we set the funding rate on this basis. For funding purposes, the minimum threshold for 16 and 17 year olds’ full-time programmes is set at 580 planned hours.

36. We fund band 1, the smallest part-time band, on FTE values. We calculate FTE values as the total planned hours for the student as a proportion of 640 hours.

37. The definitions of the bands are based on the annual hours that are planned for a student. Providers should refer to the funding regulations for further information on what hours may be included.

38. The funding rates for bands 4 and 5 are intended to fund a student for a programme that lasts the whole of the academic year. Under the 16 to 19 funding methodology, ESFA regards students who start at the beginning of the year and attend a full-time programme as attending for a whole year.

National funding rates for T Levels

39. T Level funding rates have increased as part of the 3-year spending review. The 10% increase to the funding rates agreed in 2023 to 2024 is maintained for one extra year for the academic year for 2024 to 2025. Students can be funded at different rates in the 2 years of their programmes:

a. students who are on continuing programmes in 2024 to 2025 will be funded at a higher rate in this year than their previous year

b. students starting T Level programmes in 2024 to 2025 who continue into 2025 to 2026 will be funded at the appropriate rate in their second year

40. For T Levels, we set the funding band for each occupational specialism based on the expected guided learning hours (GLH) for the core and specialist content.

41. We expect that providers will deliver at least the minimum planned hours unless there are exceptional circumstances. More information on the circumstances in which it is acceptable to record planned hours below the minimum is on GOV.UK. When a planned T Level programme is smaller than the minimum hours for the band, we use the planned hours recorded to determine the appropriate funding band.

42. We do not fund T Levels at a higher band than the one set for the student’s occupational specialism, even when the planned hours exceed the minimum for a higher band.

43. Usually a T Level programme will last 2 years, so the funding rate is for the whole programme and half the funding rate is paid in each year. Students whose T Level only lasts for one year will receive half the national rate. Students who continue on their T Level into a third year do not receive any additional funding. We will fund students for one further year when they meet the criteria for a funded retake set out in the funding regulations.

Table 2: National funding rates for T Levels

Band	Minimum planned hours for the programme	Average planned hours for the programme	National funding rate per student, per programme
9	1,730 hours	1,830 hours	£15,330
8	1,580 hours	1,680 hours	£14,056
7	1,380 hours	1,530 hours	£12,782
6	1,180 hours	1,330 hours	£11,082

44. The planned hours recorded for T Levels must not include industry placements or additional qualifications that are not part of the T Level. Industry placements have a separate funding rate and the large programme uplift gives extra funding for AS and A levels. From 2024 to 2025, providers must include the hours for maths and English qualifications in the T Level hours. There is more information on recording T Levels on GOV.UK.

Programmes and planned hours

45. For study programmes, planned hours are the hours planned for the programme for the year. ESFA does not expect the planned hours values returned in the ILR and school census to reflect the actual hours delivered.

46. For T Levels, the planned hours are the hours planned for the programme for its whole duration, that is across all its years.

47. If a provider makes an error in recording the planned hours for a student, they must correct this in the next data return. Otherwise, there are very limited circumstances when providers must change the planned hours recorded for a student. These are set out in the funding regulations.

48. Providers can record a student on a full-time programme even if it does not cover the whole delivery year – for example, for a student who starts a programme in November after withdrawing from a programme at another provider.

49. Some students will have programmes planned in blocks that extend over multiple funding years – that is, they do not have start and end dates within the usual August to July pattern. We determine the funding band for these students by the number of planned hours assigned to them in the funding year. Therefore, it is possible for a student to be funded as full-time in one year and part-time in the next, or part-time in both years, even though their attendance pattern and timetable is the same as students on full-time programmes.

Students who do more than one study programme in a year

50. ESFA will not fund students to take more than one full-time study programme or the equivalent in multiple part-time programmes in one provider in one funding year. If it is appropriate for students to take multiple part-time programmes in one year, providers must not claim more than the equivalent of a full-time programme. In addition, we will not fund programmes for students who have completed a full-time programme at one provider to start a new programme at a different provider in the summer term of the same academic year. Students who are taking the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE), which is funded by Sport England, are eligible for ESFA funding if they wish to do a 16 to 18 study programme at the same time.

51. When students complete their programme significantly earlier than the planned end date, and move onto another programme, providers may be required to update the planned hours to claim the appropriate amount of funding. More information on this is in the funding regulations.

Students who do multiple programmes including a T Level

52. As with study programmes, we do not encourage providers to plan a T Level programme plus other programmes for an individual student in a year. T Levels are full-time programmes and we do not fund students for more than the annual amount for their T Level. Therefore, students who do a T Level and another programme (either a T Level foundation year or another study programme) will only be funded for one programme, whichever is the latest programme recorded. However, students who do an AS or A level alongside their T Level are eligible for the large programme uplift, as long as they achieve their qualifications at the required level.

4.5 Large programme uplift

53. Large programme funding supports students who take significantly larger study programmes in order to prepare for work and university. It gives providers the ability to stretch their most able students by offering a broad range of qualifications.

54. The uplift provides increased funding above the full-time national rate for students that successfully study:

a. 4 or 5 A levels

b. a full International Baccalaureate (IB)

c. a T Level and an additional A or AS level

55. 16 to 17 year olds and students up to 24 years old who have an EHC plan are eligible for the uplift when they successfully complete one of the study programmes shown in table 3. We will only pay the uplift for an individual student for a maximum of 2 years.

56. We do not include AS and A levels in General Studies and Critical Thinking when determining which programmes are eligible for the large programme uplift.

4.6 Table 3: Study programmes eligible for the large programme uplift

Study programme	Uplift
4 A2 or full linear A levels achieved at grade B or above OR 3 A2 or full linear A levels achieved at grade B and 1 A2 or full linear A level in Further Maths achieved at grade C	10%
5 A2 or full linear A levels achieved at grade B or above OR 4 A2 or full linear A levels achieved at grade B and 1 A2 or full linear A level in Further Maths achieved at grade C	20%
Full level 3 IB diploma achieved at 28 points or above	20%

4.7 Table 4: T Level programmes eligible for the large programme uplift

T Level programme	Uplift
T Level programme with at least a merit grade plus one AS level at grade B or AS level Further Maths at grade C	10% paid for 1 year
T Level programme with at least a merit grade plus one A level at grade B or A level Further Maths at grade C	10% paid for 2 years
T Level programme with at least a merit grade plus more than one AS level at grade B or AS level Further Maths at grade C	20% paid for 1 year
T Level programme with at least a merit grade plus more than one A level at grade B or A level Further Maths at grade C	20% paid for 2 years

57. We have used the data from the 2021 to 2022 Young Person’s Matched Administrative Dataset (YPMAD), which is the last full year’s attainment data that is available when we calculate the 2024 to 2025 allocations.

58. We will calculate the value of the funding uplift as a separate amount and add it to the funding allocation before the area cost factor is applied.

59. More information on the large programme uplift is available on GOV.UK.

4.8 Historic data

60. In line with the lagged approach used for student numbers, we use historic information from the latest full year’s data to determine funding factors. For the 2024 to 2025 academic year allocations, we use data from 2022 to 2023 ILR R14 or autumn 2023 school census relating to the year-end position for 2022 to 2023. We use this data to calculate these elements of the funding formula for each provider:

a. programme cost weighting

b. disadvantage funding

c. area cost uplift

d. English and maths funding

e. HVCP

61. If historic data is not available (often due to the provider being new and therefore not having submitted any data), we use national or local authority averages for the relevant provider type.

4.9 Programmes and core aims

62. The core aim is the principal or ‘core’ activity in a student’s programme. It must be a learning aim so that it can be recorded in the ILR or school census, but it may be an activity represented by a class code, such as work experience. Providers returning the ILR identify the core aim for each programme. For the school census, providers must only identify the core aim for students studying vocational programmes, or mixed programmes with a vocational core.

63. Providers must ensure that students only have the core aim flag against one active learning aim at a time. If a student withdraws from their core aim, providers can flag another learning aim as the core if it is then the substantive and core component of the student’s study programme. If an alternative aim that meets these criteria cannot be identified, then the withdrawn aim should remain as the core aim. Students may also have a second core aim if they start a second programme (as set out in the funding regulations).

64. The core aim is used:

a. to determine whether the programme is academic or vocational

b. to calculate programme cost weighting and HVCP

Determining the core aim

65. The core aim is the most important or central element of the programme, around which the rest of the programme is built. It will usually be the component with the largest amount of timetabled activity associated with it, and will usually reflect the primary focus of the programme in line with the student’s intended destination (such as employment or further study) at the end of their programme.

66. In the ILR, the core aim determines whether a programme is academic or vocational. Any programme with an academic qualification (as set out in table 5) as the core aim is an academic programme. When providers select any other type of qualification or work experience as the core aim, the programme is vocational.

67. In the school census, we count any programme with a core aim as vocational because a core aim should only be returned for a vocational programme.

68. T Levels must always have the technical qualification as the core aim.

69. Each foundation year must be linked to its associated T Level route. For these programmes, the class code for the T Level route must be the core aim.

Work experience core aims

70. When a student has work experience as the core aim of their study programme it must be an external placement. There is more information on external work placements on GOV.UK. We do not expect the hours for internal work placements to be the largest single activity in a student’s programme.

Academic programmes

71. Table 5 lists the qualification types that are treated as academic for funding purposes. If the student’s core aim in the ILR is not one of the listed types, the student’s programme is vocational. Providers that return the school census must only flag a core aim when the programme is vocational. All programmes with a core aim recorded in the school census will count as vocational, even if the core aim flag is attached to an academic qualification. You can find information on the correct use of the core aim in the census, and the effects of errors, in the interactive post-16 school census tool. For providers that return census data, we may switch a student’s programme type when the data does not indicate a core aim and it appears that a core aim should have been flagged to indicate a vocational programme. However, this switch may not be appropriate in all cases, and providers should not take it as a substitute for correct use of the core aim flag.

Table 5: Core aims in academic programmes

Level	Qualification types
3	- GCEs: A levels, AS levels, A with AS levels; double awards count as 2 academic qualifications (General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded) - IB diploma - IB certificates - Access to higher education (HE) diploma - Core maths
2	- GCSEs, including vocational - GCSE short courses - Free standing maths qualifications

72. A levels in Critical Thinking and General Studies must not be core aims. However, providers should include the planned hours associated with them in the total for the planned programme hours.

Vocational programmes

73. Students who are not on an academic programme are, for funding purposes, on a vocational programme.

74. For funding purposes, T Levels are vocational programmes.

4.10 Definition of a start

75. For funding purposes, we count a student as having started a study programme once they have remained on that programme within the current funding year for a defined period of time, as set out in table 6.

76. For programmes that span more than one funding year, a student must requalify as a start at the beginning of each funding year.^{[footnote 5]}

77. We do not fund programmes that are shorter than 2 weeks.

Table 6: Criteria to count as a start

Study programme band	Planned length in-year	Qualifying period
Bands 4 and above	2 weeks or longer	6 weeks (42 days)
Bands 1, 2 and 3	24 weeks or longer	6 weeks (42 days)
Bands 1, 2 and 3	2 to 24 weeks	2 weeks (14 days)

78. To determine a study programme’s length, we use the earliest start date and latest planned end date of all aims within the programme, or the first and last dates of the funding year if the aims are planned over multiple years. Similarly, the length we use to determine whether the student has met the qualifying period is calculated from the earliest start date and latest actual or planned end date of all aims within a study programme.

4.11 Retention

79. Retention criteria differ according to programme type. To count as retained:

a. for academic programmes: a student must stay on or complete at least one of the academic aims in their programme in the funding year

b. for vocational programmes: a student must stay on or complete their core aim in the funding year

80. When students are on a 2-year programme and they complete the first year, they will be counted as retained in that academic year. We define completing the first year as being in learning on the last working day in June.

81. ESFA expects that young people’s vocational programmes will usually have a substantial core aim. When students have a short core aim within a larger programme and withdraw from their programme after completing that aim, this can lead to the retention rate being distorted as the student is counted as retained for the whole programme even though they have only completed a small part of their programme.

82. ESFA will monitor the use of short core aims and will consider adjusting the retention rate for individual providers if there is evidence that providers are entering cohorts of students for programmes that distort the retention rate in this way. ESFA will apply an adjustment to providers with data returns that show material non-compliance with the spirit and intention of the funding methodology.

Retention factor

83. The funding formula recognises that there is a cost to providers in delivering programmes of study to students who do not complete. This is applied through the retention factor, and the effect on funding is shown in table 7.

Table 7: Funding for withdrawing students

Student’s completion status	Percentage of annual funding earned
Student leaves before completing qualifying period	0%
Student leaves and is not recorded as completed	50%
Student retained or leaves and is recorded as completed	100%

84. To reflect the funding reduction for withdrawing students, the funding formula uses a retention factor that is based on the retention rate.

85. The retention rate is the number of students retained (the student’s completion status is continuing, completed or on a planned break in learning) divided by the total number of fundable students.

86. The retention factor is halfway between the retention rate and 100%. We calculate it with the following formula.

Retention factor = 50% + (retention rate ÷ 2)

87. We use a retention factor of 1 to calculate the allocations for direct funded 14 to 16 year old students.

Transfers

88. A transfer is when a student stops studying one qualification and takes up another in its place, while staying at the same provider.

89. When a student transfers between qualifications or other programme components (such as work experience or personal development activity), retention is not affected as long as the student continues to meet the retention criteria.

90. When a student stops studying for and does not complete their core aim, providers must only record a replacement core aim when it is a substantial and core component of the study programme. If an alternative aim that meets these criteria cannot be identified, the withdrawn aim must remain as the core aim.

Withdrawing and enrolling at another provider

91. When a student withdraws from the whole of their programme at one provider and enrols at another provider within the same funding year, the first provider will receive funding (as long as the student has completed the programme qualification period), adjusted by the retention factor. The second provider should record the student on a full-time or part-time programme, according to the number of hours that their programme holds for the remainder of the year. The second provider will earn funding for the student.

4.12 Programme cost weighting

92. We use programme weightings to recognise that some programmes are more costly to deliver than others. There are 7 programme weighting factors in the 16 to 19 model.

Table 8: Programme weighting factors

Weighting factor	Weighting value
Base	1.0
Low	1.13
Medium	1.26
High	1.39
Very high	1.52
Exceptionally high	1.65
Specialist	1.975

93. For vocational programmes, we determine the weighting by the core aim’s sector subject area (SSA) tier 2 classification. The weighting is applied to the student’s whole programme.

94. For directly funded 14 to 16 year old students, we apply a weighting of 1.52 to the student funding rate.

95. We apply the high weighting (1.39) to the Prince’s Trust team programme. In order to be recognised as the team programme, providers must record one of the Prince’s Trust team programme qualifications as the core aim as well as the Prince’s Trust learning delivery monitoring (LDM) code in the ILR.

96. Annex A, table A1 shows the SSA classifications and weightings.

97. The programme weightings used for 16 to 19 funding are different to those used in other ESFA funding models.

98. T Levels use the 7 programme cost weighting factors. The factors are assigned by occupational specialism. As some specialisms cover more than one SSA, we have published a list of all specialisms with their weighting in annex A, table A2.

99. T Level foundation years are linked to T Level routes. When the routes cover multiple SSAs and multiple weightings, we assign an average weighting calculated from the relevant SSAs’ weightings. Annex A, table A3 shows the weightings for all foundation years.

A level study programmes

100. A level programmes that include 2 or more of these subjects will attract the low (1.13) weighting:

• physics
• biology
• chemistry
• design and technology
• electronics
• computer science

101. The list of qualifying A levels is based on those approved for funding each relevant academic year.

Specialist land-based programmes

102. Certain programmes in the land-based sector, when delivered in specialist settings, are particularly costly to deliver. The land-based sector covers 4 SSAs:

• agriculture (SSA 3.1)
• horticulture and forestry (SSA 3.2)
• animal care and veterinary science (SSA 3.3)
• environmental conservation (SSA 3.4)

103. Some providers have specialist land-based resources. When these providers deliver the first 3 areas (agriculture, horticulture and forestry, animal care and veterinary science), we recognise the higher cost incurred by the subject and the specialist resources by funding with the specialist programme cost weighting (1.975).

104. ESFA will identify which providers are eligible for the specialist weighting, according to the criteria in annex C.

4.13 Disadvantage funding

105. Disadvantage funding is made up of 2 blocks: one to account for students’ economic deprivation and one to account for low prior attainment in English and maths. Disadvantage funding does not have specified delivery conditions and providers are free to choose the best ways to use this additional funding to attract, retain and support disadvantaged students and those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Block 1: economic deprivation funding

106. Block 1 funding recognises that there are additional costs incurred in engaging, recruiting and retaining young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We determine whether a student is eligible for block 1 funding by their home postcode and the level of deprivation recorded for that area in the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019.

107. Block 1 also provides an additional amount of funding for students who are in care or who have recently left care (£570 per student). We pay the same amount regardless of whether the student is full-time or part-time.

IMD 2019

108. We use the 2019 version of the IMD published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. When an updated index is available, we will use that in the calculation of disadvantage block 1 funding for future years.

109. IMD 2019 gives a value of relative deprivation for every lower layer super output area in the country and is widely used in government. It is based on income deprivation, employment deprivation, health deprivation and disability, education, skills and training deprivation, barriers to housing and services, crime and living environment deprivation.

110. The IMD 2019-based disadvantage uplift will mean the following:

a. increased funding for students living in the 27% most deprived super output areas of the country

b. the funding uplift for these students ranges from 8.4% to 33.6%, depending on the level of deprivation recorded in IMD 2019

111. The uplift values for individual postcodes are available on GOV.UK.

Block 2: GCSE maths and English

112. Block 2 funding accounts for the additional costs incurred for teaching and supporting students who have low prior attainment. Low prior attainment is defined as not achieving English and/or maths GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 by the end of year 11 (typically age 16).

113. The low prior attainment measure we use for block 2 funding uses similar criteria to the condition of funding for maths and English. However, students who have achieved an English literature GCSE, but not English language, are eligible for block 2 funding. This is different to the condition of funding criteria, where both English language and literature count as positive prior attainment.

114. The criteria for block 2 funding uses achievement at the end of year 11 rather than at the start of the programme as the condition of funding does.

115. For the purposes of calculating block 2 funding, we will count qualifications equivalent to GCSEs (such as IGCSEs) and level 3 qualifications in maths and English (such as AS/A levels in these subjects) as students having completed GCSE-level study.

116. Students with these qualifications by the end of year 11 will not attract block 2 funding.

117. Providers must return data according to these principles in the disadvantage block 2 prior attainment fields in the ILR (learner funding and monitoring (LDM) type ‘EDF’) and school census (maths/English GCSE prior attainment year 11).

118. Block 2 funding is not intended to fund delivery of maths and English qualifications that form part of study programmes but is to fund support for those students who need it to achieve their learning goals. This includes support for low cost, high incidence learning difficulties and disabilities.

119. Each instance of a student not having achieved a maths or English GCSE at grade 4 or above is counted. This means that a student who does not have either GCSE will be counted twice for the block 2 uplift.

Table 9: Funding rates for block 2 

Band	Block 2 funding rate per subject, per year
T Levels bands 6 to 9	£772
Study programmes band 5	£570
Study programmes bands 4a and 4b	£570
Study programmes band 3	£347
Study programmes band 2	£347
Study programmes band 1	£570/FTE

120. We cannot apply the principles of block 2 funding to 14 to 16 year olds. There is no suitable proxy for low prior attainment because most students in this age group will not yet have started or achieved English or maths GCSE. Therefore, we will use the percentage of 14 to 16 year old direct-funded students who are eligible for block 1 funding to derive a factor for block 2 funding. We will pay this at the rate of twice the band 5 (full-time) rate per instance.

Disadvantage top-up

121. Every provider will receive at least £6,000 of disadvantage funding. If a provider’s total calculated disadvantage funding (block 1 plus block 2) is less than £6,000, we will top up the amount to this value.

4.14 English and maths funding 

122. We have replaced the level 3 maths and English payment with funding to support students’ participation across all study programmes and T Levels who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and maths.

123. Students are eligible for this funding when they are subject to the condition of funding – that is:

a. they have not yet achieved a good pass grade in GCSE English and/or maths

b. they have not achieved a Functional Skills qualification at level 2 in GCSE English and/or maths (these students meet the condition of funding)

124. Students attract an instance of funding for each subject in which they do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 or equivalent at the start of their programme. Those without English or without maths will receive one instance and those without English and without maths will receive 2 instances.

Table 10: English and maths funding rates

Band	Funding rate per student, per subject
Band 4 and above	£375
Bands 2 and 3	£229
Band 1 – programmes of more than 150 hours	£375 per FTE
Band 1 – programmes of fewer than 150 hours	Not eligible

125. The funding available via the level 3 maths and English payment will cease at the end of academic year 2023 to 2024, but there will be some students that have already attracted funding for academic year 2024 to 2025. So, for 2024 to 2025 only, students who received 1 or more 2-year instances under level 3 programme maths and English funding in academic year 2023 to 2024 will not attract any instances under this policy in 2024 to 2025.

126. More information on English and maths funding is available on GOV.UK.

4.15 Area cost uplift

127. Research has shown that there is a clearly marked difference in the relative costs of delivery between London and the South East, and the rest of England.

128. We normally base the area cost uplift on the delivery locations of the provider’s provision (see the area cost uplift factors for geographically dispersed delivery section for more detail).

129. The area cost factors are shown in table 11. Annex B lists the detailed area cost uplift factors.

Table 11: Area costs uplift

Area	Uplift
London A (Inner London)	20%
London B (Outer London)	12%
Berkshire (fringe and non-fringe)	12%
Crawley	12%
Surrey	12%
Buckinghamshire fringe	10%
Hertfordshire fringe	10%
Buckinghamshire non-fringe	7%
Oxfordshire	7%
Essex fringe	6%
Kent fringe	6%
Bedfordshire	3%
Hertfordshire non-fringe	3%
Cambridgeshire	2%
Hampshire and Isle of Wight	2%
West Sussex non-fringe	1%
Rest of England	0%

Area cost uplift factors for geographically dispersed delivery

130. When providers deliver provision across local authorities with different factors, we will calculate the area cost factor using a weighted average of the area costs uplift for each delivery postcode.

131. We review the area cost factors for providers that return ILR data every year. This review compares the geographical spread of provision delivered by each provider with the method of calculating their area cost factor. We do this to ensure that the area cost factor we use most accurately reflects the way provision is delivered in each provider.

a. we review providers that have 10% or more of their provision in a weighted area

b. for providers where the agreed approach is to calculate the area costs based on delivery each year, we update the calculated area cost accordingly

c. for providers where the area cost has previously been based on a standard figure (the head office’s postcode or another agreed figure), we will not make a change if the calculated area cost based on delivery postcode is within 1% of the figure used in the previous year’s allocation

d. for local authorities we use the head office postcode unless the authority itself has different fringe/non-fringe values (for example, Hertfordshire). This is due to low student numbers and potential year-on-year fluctuations

e. for other providers where there is a difference of more than 1% between the area cost factor based on the head office’s location and the area cost factor based on a weighted average of delivery locations, we will normally use the weighted average factor

Area cost uplift factors for merged providers

132. When providers merge, we will review their area cost uplift factors. In the first year, we will calculate the area cost uplift factor for the merged provider as the weighted average of the factors for the predecessor providers. After that, we will use the weighted average method for geographically dispersed delivery, as described in the section above.

5. Programme funding: additional formula funding elements

5.1 Advanced maths premium

133. We are continuing to fund the advanced maths premium in 2024 to 2025. We give providers additional funding to increase the number of students studying for certain advanced maths qualifications. The funding will help providers remove barriers to advanced maths study and build their capacity to deliver this provision.

134. We have updated our calculation to look at the average number of students studying eligible maths qualifications in each provider, using data from 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021. This gives the baseline number of students; the premium is paid for each advanced maths student above this number. For 2024 to 2025 allocations, the premium is based on the number of students on qualifying programmes in 2023 to 2024 at ILR R04 or autumn 2023 school census.

135. From 2024 to 2025, the premium is £900 per student.

136. For advanced maths qualifications that are under 235 GLH (according to the list of eligible qualifications), we will only pay the premium in 1 year. For larger qualifications, we will pay the premium in 2 years if the student is still in learning in the second year.

137. We will include T Level students in the advanced maths premium calculation for the relevant year if they are taking an advanced maths qualification alongside their T Level.

138. More information on the advanced maths premium is available on GOV.UK.

5.2 Core maths premium 

139. The core maths premium gives providers additional funding to increase the number of students studying core maths qualifications.

140. The core maths qualifications are:

a. 60147830: Core Maths A (MEI) Level 3 Certificate

b. 60147829: Core Maths B (MEI) Level 3 Certificate

c. 60148573: Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Mathematics in Context

d. 60149450: AQA Certificate Level 3 Mathematical Studies

141. For 2024 to 2025 allocations, we will use 2023 to 2024 ILR R04 or the autumn 2023 school census to calculate the number of students doing a core maths qualification. Unlike the advanced maths premium, the core maths premium does not use a baseline.

142. The premium is £900 per student.

143. Students usually study core maths qualifications over 1 year. Therefore, we will only pay the core maths premium for a student for 1 year.

144. The core maths premium runs in parallel to the advanced maths premium; we will not fund a student for both premiums in the same funding year. When a student is eligible for both, we will fund them for the core maths premium.

145. More information on the core maths premium is available on GOV.UK.

5.3 HVCP

146. The HVCP supports providers to increase the number of students studying substantial programmes in particular subjects.

147. The premium is £600 per eligible student.

148. We pay the premium for these full-time and part-time programmes:

a. substantial A level programmes – those that include at least 2 qualifying A levels

b. substantial vocational programmes – those that include a qualifying qualification of at least 360 GLH

c. T Levels in the specified subject areas

149. We have published a full list of the qualifications that qualify for the premium.

Table 12: Subjects and SSAs for the HVCP

A level subject	SSAs for vocational courses and T Levels
Biology	SSA 4.1: Engineering
Chemistry	SSA 4.2: Manufacturing technologies
Computer science	SSA 4.3: Transport operations and maintenance
Design and technology	SSA 5.2: Building and construction
Electronics	SSA 6.1: ICT for practitioners
Further mathematics	Not applicable
Mathematics	Not applicable
Physics	Not applicable
Statistics	Not applicable

150. We use historic information from the latest full year’s data to determine which students are eligible for the extra funding. For the 2024 to 2025 allocations, we used data from 2022 to 2023 R14 or autumn 2023 school census.

151. More information on HVCP is available on GOV.UK.

5.4 T Level industry placements

152. Industry placements are a compulsory element of T Levels.

153. The funding rate for a T Level industry placement is £550. As T Levels are designed to be 2-year programmes, £275 is paid in year 1 and £275 in year 2 of a student’s T Level.

154. More information on T Level industry placements is available on GOV.UK.

5.5 Maths and English condition of funding adjustment

155. Students doing study programmes must study maths and/or English when they do not already hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in these subjects.

156. This requirement is a condition of funding and we will remove funding from future allocations for students who do not meet it.

157. We use historic information from the latest full year’s data for the condition of funding adjustment. For the 2024 to 2025 allocations, we remove funding for students who do not meet the condition in 2022 to 2023, according to either the 2022 to 2023 R14 or autumn 2023 school census data.

158. More information on the maths and English condition of funding is available on GOV.UK.

6. Funding outside the formula

6.1 High needs student funding

159. High needs students are those who receive additional learning support funding from their local authority high needs budget (often called top-up funding or element 3), in order to gain access to, progress towards and successfully achieve their learning goals. High needs students include:

a. students aged 16 to 18 whose additional learning support costs are more than £6,000 who receive top-up funding from the local authority high needs budget. Most, but not all, of these young people will have EHC plans, or

b. those aged 19 to 24, in FE providers and SPIs, who have an EHC plan and require additional learning support costing over £6,000 from the local authority high needs budget^{[footnote 6]}

160. High needs places in NMSS, maintained special schools, special academies and special free schools are funded at £10,000 per place, rather than element 1 and 2 as described below. They receive top-up funding from the local authorities in which their students are resident.

161. Maintained schools receive place funding directly from the local authority in which they are located. Academies, free schools, NMSS, FE providers, ILPs and SPIs receive place funding through their allocation from ESFA. High needs students in mainstream and alternative provision academies and free schools, FE providers, ILPs and SPIs receive elements 1 and 2 from ESFA and element 3 (top-up funding) from the local authorities in which their students are resident.

a. element 1 – core education funding: programme funding, as described in this guidance. Providers must not seek funds from local authorities for shortfalls in element 1 in 2024 to 2025

b. element 2 – additional education support funding: £6,000 per high needs student, with place numbers determined by local authorities

• SPIs, NMSS and a small number of ILPs and general FE colleges are centrally funded: ESFA calculates element 2 funding from 2023 to 2024 ILR R06 data, using a census date of 1 February 2023

c. element 3 – top-up funding: the additional education support funding provided on a per-student basis by the local authority in which a student is resident

162. We also consider young people to be high needs students when they are part-time and the local authority in which a student is resident has agreed to provide additional support funding that would total more than £6,000 if provided over the full academic year.

163. In all instances, the local authority in which a student is resident must commission a high needs student’s placement and include the top-up funding (element 3) to be paid to a provider. An agreement must be in place between the 2 parties to that effect. If the resident local authority does not agree a placement and top-up funding, these students must not be recorded as high needs for funding purposes, even when the provider has assessed a student as requiring additional support or has offered the student a place. We publish information on high needs funding on GOV.UK.

6.2 Care standards: residential accommodation for young people aged under 18

164. Providers incur additional costs when they provide accommodation for young people aged under 18 who are living away from home and the provider is considered in loco parentis. Some of the costs are associated with complying with legislation such as the Care Standards Act 2000 and related regulations.

165. Care standards funding is available to providers where students are in residence primarily because similar provision is not available locally.

166. To be eligible for care standards funding, a provider must:

a. be registered with Ofsted or the Care Quality Commission for inspection under the Care Standards regulations

b. have a minimum of 12 students funded under the 16 to 19 young people’s model aged under 18 in residential accommodation on campus, as recorded in the ILR at 2022 to 2023 R14

167. Care standards funding will be calculated based on the amounts in table 13 and applied to provision for the appropriate year.

Table 13: Funding for providers with residential accommodation 

Funding per full-year student aged under 18	£817
Funding per provider	£12,252

7. Additional guidance on student programmes

7.1 14 to 16 year olds at further education providers

168. FE and sixth-form colleges can enrol and claim funding from ESFA for 14 to 16 year olds. We fund 14 to 16 year olds who are in a school or academy through the usual school funding methodologies.

169. Full guidance on full-time 14 to 16 funding enrolment is available on GOV.UK.

170. Information on 14 to 16 student eligibility is in the funding regulations.

171. The funding formula for directly recruited 14 to 16 year old students is very similar to the formula for all other provision funded by ESFA under the 16 to 19 funding model. The ‘Funding arrangements’ section of the 14 to 16 guidance gives further information on the formula.

172. Learning aims recorded for 14 to 16 year old students must be approved in the 14 to 16 EFA funding stream. We publish this information in the find a learning aim service on GOV.UK.

Pupil premium funding

173. Some 14 to 16 year old students will also be eligible for the pupil premium. When providers have directly recruited 14 to 16 year olds students, we will calculate pupil premium funding outside the formula and in addition to the total programme funding. The eligible groups are:

a. students who are entitled to free school meals

b. children of service personnel

c. children in care and those who have recently left care

7.2 Supported internships

174. Supported internships are study programmes that are delivered mainly on an employer’s premises for young people aged 16 to 24 who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and an EHC plan. We fund them in the same way as any other study programme.

175. More information on supported internships is on GOV.UK.

7.3 T Levels

176. We use the 16 to 19 funding methodology for T Levels. Where there are differences, we have noted them in the relevant section.

177. We fund T Level foundation years as standard study programmes, at standard study programme rates, but with programme cost weightings taken from the average of the T Level occupational specialism weightings that they map to. The weightings are set out in annex A, table A3.

178. More information on T Levels is available on GOV.UK.

8. Annex A: Programme cost weightings by SSA

8.1 Table A1: Programme cost weighting by SSA

1: Health, public services and care

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
1.1	Medicine and dentistry	1.13
1.2	Nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine	1.13
1.3	Health and social care	1
1.4	Public services	1
1.5	Child development and wellbeing	1

2: Science and mathematics

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
2.1	Science	1/1.13[footnote 7]
2.2	Mathematics and statistics	1

3: Agriculture, horticulture, and animal care

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
3.1	Agriculture	1.52/1.975[footnote 8]
3.2	Horticulture and forestry	1.52/1.975
3.3	Animal care and veterinary science	1.52/1.975
3.4	Environmental conservation	1.52

4: Engineering and manufacturing technologies

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
4.1	Engineering	1.65
4.2	Manufacturing technologies	1.65
4.3	Transportation operations and maintenance	1.65

5: Construction, planning and the built environment

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
5.1	Architecture	1.26
5.2	Building and construction	1.65
5.3	Urban, rural and regional planning	1.26

6: Information and communication technology

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
6.1	ICT practitioners	1.39
6.2	ICT for users	1

7: Retail and commercial enterprise

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
7.1	Retailing and wholesaling	1.26
7.2	Warehousing and distribution	1
7.3	Service enterprises	1.26
7.4	Hospitality and catering	1.39

8: Leisure, travel and tourism

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
8.1	Sport, leisure and recreation	1
8.2	Travel and tourism	1

9: Arts, media and publishing

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
9.1	Performing arts	1.26
9.2	Crafts, creative arts and design	1.26
9.3	Media and communication	1
9.4	Publishing and information services	1

10: History, philosophy and theology

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
10.1	History	1
10.2	Archaeology and archaeological sciences	1
10.3	Philosophy	1
10.4	Theology and religious studies	1

11: Social sciences

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
11.1	Geography	1
11.2	Sociology and social policy	1
11.3	Politics	1
11.4	Economics	1
11.5	Anthropology	1

12: Languages, literature and culture

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
12.1	Languages, literature and culture of the British Isles	1
12.2	Other languages, literature and culture	1
12.3	Linguistics	1

13: Education and training

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
13.1	Teaching and lecturing	1.26
13.2	Direct learning support	1.26

14: Preparation for life and work

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
14.1	Foundations for learning and life	1
14.2	Preparation for work	1

15: Business, administration and law

SSA tier 2 code	SSA tier 2 description	Programme cost weighting factor
15.1	Accounting and finance	1
15.2	Administration	1
15.3	Business management	1
15.4	Marketing and sales	1
15.5	Law and legal services	1

8.2 Table A2: Programme cost weightings for T Level occupational specialisms

60369115 – T Level Technical Qualification in Building Services Engineering for Construction

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS032	T Level Occupational Specialism – Air conditioning engineering and refrigeration engineering	1.65
ZTLOS027	T Level Occupational Specialism – Electrical and electronic equipment engineering	1.65
ZTLOS026	T Level Occupational Specialism – Electrotechnical engineering	1.65
ZTLOS029	T Level Occupational Specialism – Gas engineering	1.65
ZTLOS030	T Level Occupational Specialism – Plumbing and heating engineering	1.65
ZTLOS028	T Level Occupational Specialism – Protection systems engineering	1.65
ZTLOS031	T Level Occupational Specialism – Heating engineering and ventilation	1.65

60358300 – T Level Technical Qualification in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS003	T Level Occupational Specialism – Building services design	1.65
ZTLOS002	T Level Occupational Specialism – Civil engineering	1.65
ZTLOS004	T Level Occupational Specialism – Hazardous materials analysis and surveying	1.65
ZTLOS001	T Level Occupational Specialism – Surveying and design for construction and the built environment	1.65

60369176 – T Level Technical Qualification in Onsite Construction

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS022	T Level Occupational Specialism – Bricklaying	1.65
ZTLOS023	T Level Occupational Specialism – Carpentry and joinery	1.65
ZTLOS024	T Level Occupational Specialism – Painting and decorating	1.65
ZTLOS025	T Level Occupational Specialism – Plastering	1.65

60369024 – T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Business Services

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS009	T Level Occupational Specialism – Data Technician	1.39

60358324 – T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Production, Design and Development

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS005	T Level Occupational Specialism – Digital Production, Design and Development	1.39

60369012 – T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS010	T Level Occupational Specialism – Digital Infrastructure	1.39
ZTLOS012	T Level Occupational Specialism – Digital Support	1.39
ZTLOS011	T Level Occupational Specialism – Network Cabling	1.65
ZTLOS064	T Level Occupational Specialism – Cyber Security	1.39

60358294 – T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Childcare

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS007	T Level Occupational Specialism – Assisting teaching	1.26
ZTLOS006	T Level Occupational Specialism – Early years education and childcare	1
ZTLOS008	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting and mentoring students in further and HE	1.26

6037066X – T Level Technical Qualification in Health

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS055	T Level Occupational Specialism – Dental Nursing	1.13
ZTLOS013	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting Healthcare – Supporting the Adult Nursing team	1
ZTLOS014	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting Healthcare – Supporting the Midwifery Team	1
ZTLOS015	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting Healthcare – Supporting the Mental Health Team	1
ZTLOS016	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting Healthcare – Supporting the Care of Children and Young People	1
ZTLOS017	T Level Occupational Specialism – Supporting Healthcare – Supporting the Therapy Teams	1

6037083X – T Level Technical Qualification in Healthcare Science

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS018	T Level Occupational Specialism – Assisting with Healthcare Science	1
ZTLOS054	T Level Occupational Specialism – Optical Care Services	1

60369899 – T Level Technical Qualification in Science

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS020	T Level Occupational Specialism – Technical – Food Sciences	1.39
ZTLOS019	T Level Occupational Specialism – Technical – Laboratory Sciences	1.13
ZTLOS021	T Level Occupational Specialism – Technical – Metrology Sciences	1.65

61001115 – T Level Technical Qualification in Management and Administration (Level 3)

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS038	T Level Occupational Specialism – Business improvement	1
ZTLOS039	T Level Occupational Specialism – Team leadership/management	1
ZTLOS040	T Level Occupational Specialism – Business support	1

61000079 – T Level Technical Qualification in Accounting (Level 3) (delivered by Pearson)

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS037	T Level Occupational Specialism – Assistant Accountant	1

6100008X – T Level Technical Qualification in Finance (Level 3) (delivered by Pearson)

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS033	T Level Occupational Specialism – Retail and commercial banking analyst	1
ZTLOS034	T Level Occupational Specialism – Investment banking and asset and wealth management analyst	1
ZTLOS035	T Level Occupational Specialism – Insurance practitioner	1
ZTLOS036	T Level Occupational Specialism – Financial compliance/risk analyst	1

610/2226/3 – T Level Technical Qualification in Legal Services

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS062	T Level Occupational Specialism – Legal Services Assistant Business, Finance and Employment	1
ZTLOS063	T Level Occupational Specialism – Legal Services Assistant Crime, Criminal Justice and Social Welfare	1

61005162 – T Level Technical Qualification in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS041	T Level Occupational Specialism – Mechanical engineering	1.65
ZTLOS042	T Level Occupational Specialism – Electrical and electronic engineering	1.65
ZTLOS043	T Level Occupational Specialism – Control and instrumentation engineering	1.65
ZTLOS044	T Level Occupational Specialism – Structural engineering	1.65

61006920 – T Level Technical Qualification in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS045	T Level Occupational Specialism – Maintenance engineering technologies: Mechanical	1.65
ZTLOS046	T Level Occupational Specialism – Maintenance engineering technologies: Mechatronic	1.65
ZTLOS047	T Level Occupational Specialism – Control a Maintenance engineering technologies: Electrical and Electronic	1.65
ZTLOS048	T Level Occupational Specialism – Maintenance engineering technologies: Control and Instrumentation	1.65
ZTLOS049	T Level Occupational Specialism – Light and Electrical Vehicles	1.65

61009714 – T Level Technical Qualification in Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS050	T Level Occupational Specialism – Fitting and assembly technologies	1.65
ZTLOS051	T Level Occupational Specialism – Machining and toolmaking technologies	1.65
ZTLOS052	T Level Occupational Specialism – Composites manufacturing technologies	1.65
ZTLOS053	T Level Occupational Specialism – Fabrication and welding technologies	1.65

610/2933/6 – T Level Technical Qualification in Agriculture Land Management and Production (Level 3)

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
ZTLOS056	T Level Occupational Specialism – Crop production	1.52/1.975
ZTLOS057	T Level Occupational Specialism – Floristry	1.52/1.975
ZTLOS058	T Level Occupational Specialism – Land-based engineering	1.52/1.975
ZTLOS059	T Level Occupational Specialism – Livestock production	1.52/1.975
ZTLOS060	T Level Occupational Specialism – Ornamental horticulture and landscaping	1.52/1.975
ZTLOS061	T Level Occupational Specialism – Tree and woodland management and maintenance	1.52/1.975

To be agreed (TBA) – T Level Technical Qualification in Animal Care and Management

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Animal Care and Management	1.52/1.975
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Animal Care and Science	1.52/1.975

TBA – T Level Technical Qualification in Media, Broadcast and Production

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Content Creation and Production	1
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Creative Media Technician	1
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Events and Venues Technician	1.26

TBA – T Level Technical Qualification in Craft and Design

Occupational specialism learning aim reference	Occupational specialism name	Occupational specialism programme cost weighting factor
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Textiles and Fashion Maker	1.26
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Jewellery Maker	1.26
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Ceramics Maker	1.26
TBA	T Level Occupational Specialism – Furniture Maker	1.26

8.3 Table A3: Programme cost weightings – T Level foundation year

T Level route foundation year learning aim reference	T Level route name	Programme cost weighting
ZTPR0005	Construction	1.65
ZTPR0007	Digital	1.43
ZTPR0004	Education	1.17
ZTPR0010	Health and Science	1.19
ZTPR0002	Business and Administration	1.04
ZTPR0011	Legal, Finance and Accounting	1
ZTPR0008	Engineering and Manufacturing	1.65
ZTPR0001	Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care	1.52/1.975
ZTPR0012	Creative and Design	1.19

9. Annex B: Area cost uplifts by region

To identify location, we use postcodes and boundaries set by the Office of National Statistics. The table gives the area cost uplifts by local authority.

The full list of area cost uplifts by postcode is available on GOV.UK.

9.1 London A – 1.20

• Camden
• City of London
• Greenwich
• Hackney
• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Haringey
• Islington
• Kensington and Chelsea
• Lambeth
• Lewisham
• Newham
• Southwark
• Tower Hamlets
• Wandsworth
• Westminster

9.2 London B – 1.12

• Barking and Dagenham
• Barnet
• Bexley
• Brent
• Bromley
• Croydon
• Ealing
• Enfield
• Harrow
• Havering
• Hillingdon
• Hounslow
• Kingston upon Thames
• Merton
• Redbridge
• Richmond upon Thames
• Sutton
• Waltham Forest

9.3 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire non-fringe – 1.03

• Bedford
• Central Bedfordshire
• Luton
• North Hertfordshire
• Stevenage

9.4 Berkshire, Surrey, and West Sussex fringe – 1.12

• Bracknell Forest
• Crawley
• Elmbridge
• Epsom and Ewell
• Guildford
• Mole Valley
• Reigate and Banstead
• Runnymede
• Slough
• Spelthorne
• Surrey County Council
• Surrey Heath
• Tandridge
• Waverley
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Woking

9.5 Berkshire non-fringe – 1.12

• Reading
• West Berkshire
• Wokingham

9.6 Buckinghamshire non-fringe – 1.07

• Aylesbury Vale
• Milton Keynes
• Wycombe

9.7 Cambridgeshire – 1.02

• Cambridge
• East Cambridgeshire
• Fenland
• Huntingdonshire
• Peterborough
• South Cambridgeshire

9.8 Hampshire and Isle of Wight – 1.02

• Basingstoke and Deane
• East Hampshire
• Eastleigh
• Fareham
• Gosport
• Hampshire County Council
• Hart
• Havant
• Isle of Wight
• New Forest
• Portsmouth
• Rushmoor
• Southampton
• Test Valley
• Winchester

9.9 Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire fringe – 1.10

• Broxbourne
• Chiltern
• Dacorum
• East Hertfordshire
• Hertsmere
• South Buckinghamshire
• St Albans
• Three Rivers
• Watford
• Welwyn Hatfield

9.10 Kent and Essex fringe – 1.06

• Basildon
• Brentwood
• Dartford
• Epping Forest
• Harlow
• Sevenoaks
• Thurrock

9.11 Oxfordshire – 1.07

• Cherwell
• Oxford
• Oxfordshire County Council
• South Oxfordshire
• Vale of White Horse
• West Oxfordshire

9.12 West Sussex non-fringe – 1.01

• Adur
• Arun
• Chichester
• Horsham
• Mid-Sussex
• Worthing

10. Annex C: Criteria to identify specialist land-based providers

Eligible providers offer provision that includes significant volumes of full-time students that require the operation of credible land-based enterprises, operated to industry standards through 365 days per year, needing cover for 24 hours per day. This specialist provision involves plant and/or animal production and management that will normally entail using a significant area of land, estates and gardens. An additional higher cost feature associated with this type of specialist provision is the need to recruit from and manage widely and thinly dispersed catchments.

When land-based providers merge with non-specialist providers, the resulting provider will only receive the specialist weighting for qualifying delivery at the land-based provider’s premises, as identified by the delivery location postcode in the ILR. The effect is that we only apply the specialist weighting to the part of the merged provider that has specialist resources.

10.1 Screening criteria

Providers must meet these criteria:

a. an offer in at least 6 of the 12 land-based occupational areas, at least one of which will be agriculture or horticulture

b. a minimum of 200 full-time, full-year students in land-based subjects (all modes). Figures include FE and taught HE. Full-time programmes must last at least 30 weeks

c. funded provision with progression routes up to and including level 3 or above in at least 4 of the occupational areas

d. clear progression pathways to HE

e. evidence of substantial involvement of representatives (leaders) of local land-based industries in the provider’s activity

f. levels of investment in physical resources consistent with the vocational levels and range of provision

g. existence of commercial enterprises in either agriculture or horticulture that are controlled or managed by the provider and support a realistic working environment for students to experience in acquiring an appropriate range of industrially relevant skills

10.2 Occupational areas

These are the land-based occupational areas:

a. agriculture, crops and livestock

b. animal care

c. aquaculture

d. equine

e. food manufacture and processing

f. game and wildlife management

g. landscape

h. land-based engineering

i. horticulture

j. professions allied to veterinary trade

k. trees and timber

l. viticulture

1. A T Level is a 2-year level 3 programme of education approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, including 3 compulsory parts: a technical qualification, an industry placement and maths and English study if required to meet the condition of funding, as well as any other elements determined by the Institute. ↩

2. 16 to 19 year old students who are undertaking a full-time programme through non-publicly-funded distance learning or through an online education provider are not usually eligible for ESFA young people’s funding, although they may describe themselves as ‘home educated’. This is the same as for students who are privately funding their attendance at an independent provider. However, we make an exception for some students who are doing the DiSE, whom we expect to be doing a 16 to 19 study programme alongside the DiSE programme. Some of these young people may be eligible (for both DiSE and study programmes) if they do part of their non-DiSE study through privately funded routes, if they meet specific criteria. ↩

3. Providers are designated under section 28 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. ↩

4. High needs students are those who get element 3 top-up funding. See the high needs student funding section for more information. ↩

5. Students who stay on their programmes longer than expected, and who continue into a new funding year, are only eligible for funding when their programmes include new activity (recorded with learning aims). These students also have to complete the relevant qualifying period. ↩

6. Only students who meet the above definition are high needs students. Schools must not use money from the schools budget to fund places, or incur other expenditure (such as top-up funding), for 19 to 24 year olds. In this context, ‘schools’ means maintained mainstream schools, maintained special schools, mainstream academies, special academies and non-maintained special schools. The rules are set out in the School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations for the relevant year. The young people’s model does not fund students aged 19 and over who do not meet the high needs definition; they are funded at adult rates. ↩

7. The low programme weighting (1.1) applies to vocational science programmes and academic programmes of 2 or more A levels in physics, biology and chemistry. Other programmes get the base weighting (1). ↩

8. The high weighting for SSA 3 includes non-specialist agriculture and animal care. The specialist weighting applies when there is a requirement to maintain specialist facilities such as a farm or equine stables. All criteria for identifying specialist institutions are set out in annex C. ↩