16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding
Information for institutions on the maths and English condition of funding.
Applies to England
Context
Achieving a level 2 qualification in both maths and English helps students to progress to further study, training and skilled employment. The maths and English condition of funding ensures that all 16 to 19 year olds have the best chance of achieving this standard and get the necessary support to do so. This is a study requirement and institutions are encouraged to work with students to decide when they are ready to sit an exam.
Changes for 2024 to 2025
We have amended the condition of funding as follows.
Minimum teaching hours for English and maths
To meet the condition of funding from the academic year 2024 to 2025, students must study eligible qualifications for a minimum number of hours per week. For full-time students this is 3 hours per week for English and 4 hours for maths and pro rata for part-time students. This study should be stand-alone, whole-class, in-person teaching, with any additional support, such as small group tuition or online support, supplementary to these minimum classroom hours.
These minimum classroom teaching hours reflect the established practice noted across institutions pre-pandemic. The extra hour per week for maths reflects the existing expectation that maths should be prioritised where there is an identified student need in the use of additional 40 hours in study programmes and T Levels, introduced from academic year 2022 to 2023. We know that many settings are already meeting the minimum hours or are on a journey back towards this. Our amendments will ensure that this progress is consistent across the country, so that all students receive a standard number of taught hours.
From academic year 2025 to 2026, we intend that institutions will use their individualised learner record (ILR) and census returns to submit data that confirms whether they are meeting the minimum teaching hours for English and maths. This is so we can measure compliance. For academic year 2024 to 2025, the minimum hours are therefore an expectation and we will not be measuring compliance against these. This is to reflect that despite best efforts not all institutions may be able to meet this from as early as September 2024.
We will apply funding reductions at half the national funding rate above the tolerance for every instance where a student’s planned English and/or maths hours are below the minimum teaching hours. We will provide further details ahead of the academic year 2025 to 2026 on how we will be collecting this data, assessing compliance and applying funding reductions.
Removal of tolerance
We will implement a phased removal of the tolerance from 5% to 0%, starting from academic year 2025 to 2026. The aim of removing the tolerance is to support as many students as possible to achieve a level 2 English and maths qualification.
Condition of funding interactive tool
We recommend that you use our condition of funding interactive tool with this guidance. This interactive tool presents the maths and English condition of funding in a step-by-step, user-friendly way.
Summary
Students must study maths and/or English as part of their programme in each academic year and for a minimum number of hours. This applies to students:
- aged 16 to 18 (and 19 to 25 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan) who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in these subjects
- doing a programme of 150 hours or more, which started on or after 1 August 2014
This condition of funding also forms part of institutions’ contract with Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). We will remove funding from future allocations for students who do not meet this condition. The other elements of the funding formula are not affected.
The qualifications that meet the condition of funding are GCSEs, Functional Skills level 2 and other ‘stepping stone’ qualifications.
Students with a grade 2 or below in maths or English can study towards a pass in Functional Skills level 2 or they can still study towards a GCSE grade 9 to 4. Once they have achieved this, there is no requirement to undertake further maths or English qualifications to meet the condition of funding. A student does not need to continue studying these qualifications with their current institution if these students have already achieved either with a previous institution. It is expected that a student studying an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualification will progress onto an English and/or maths qualification approved to meet the condition of funding.
Part-time students with a grade 3 can study any qualification approved to meet the condition of funding as a stepping stone towards achieving a GCSE grade 9 to 4.
English and maths progress measures
When we previously published these measures, they showed how much progress students who did not achieve a grade 4 or above in English or maths GCSE at key stage 4 made between their key stage 4 GCSE result and any retakes they did in English or maths GCSE or equivalent at 16 to 18.
We are not currently able to produce these progress measures, as for most students we would have to use key stage 4 prior attainment data from summer 2020 or summer 2021, which we have committed not to use in performance measures. There is further information in the 16 to 18 accountability measures technical guidance.
We will return to producing the English and maths progress measure as soon as possible, which will be for the academic year 2024 to 2025 at the earliest.
Qualifications approved for teaching to 16 to 19 year olds who meet the condition of funding
To meet the condition of funding, a student must study an approved qualification for the minimum hours. These are GCSEs, Functional Skills level 2 and certain other qualifications, known as ‘stepping stone’ qualifications. Full-time students who have a GCSE grade 3 or grade D must study a maths and/or English GCSE.
Stepping stone qualifications include:
- Functional Skills at level 1 and below
- ESOL qualifications
- other qualifications nominated by institutions and approved by the Department for Education
The minimum hours for maths qualifications is 4 hours per week. The minimum hours for English qualifications is 3 hours per week.
Qualifications that meet the condition have a validity record in the learning aim reference service (LARS) in either the category ‘EFACONFUNDMATHS’ or ‘EFACONFUNDENGLISH’. Institutions must check the status of qualifications using find a learning aim before enrolling students to ensure that the qualification is approved and valid at the time of enrolment.
Qualifying periods
Students must pass a qualifying period for each maths and English qualification before it counts. The qualifying period is:
- 6 weeks for a qualification with a planned length of 24 weeks or more
- 2 weeks for a qualification with a planned length of less than 24 weeks
Students meet the condition of funding when they are studying for a qualification and are meeting the minimum hours. It is up to institutions to decide when they are ready to sit the exam.
Students withdrawing from their study programme
A student still meets the condition of funding if they have studied the qualification for the qualifying period, even if they do not complete it.
If a student’s core aim was maths and/or English and the student withdraws from their whole programme, then we reduce funding through the retention factor. We explain this and core aims in programmes in the funding rates and formula guidance.
Notes on individual qualification types
International GCSEs no longer meet the condition of funding; however, they do continue to count as equivalent to GCSEs for the purposes of recognising prior attainment. Holding the International Certificate in Christian Education (ICCE) exempts a student from further study in maths and English. When students have achieved an ICCE, institutions can record an exemption for holding an overseas equivalent qualification.
What students can and must study
Tables 1 and 2 show a summary of what qualifications students must study, with table 2 showing a breakdown of GCSE English language and GCSE English literature.
For the purposes of the condition, full-time and part-time hours are:
- full-time: 580 hours or more for 16 to 17 year olds, or 485 hours or more for those aged 18 and older
- part-time: between 150 and 579 hours for 16 to 17 year olds, and between 150 and 484 hours for those 18 and older
Table 1
| Student | Programme | What a student must study to meet the condition of funding |
|---|---|---|
| All students | Short programmes (less than 150 hours) | Condition of funding does not apply |
| GCSE grade 3 or overseas qualification at the equivalent grade | Full-time | GCSE for the minimum hours |
| GCSE grade 3 or overseas qualification at the equivalent grade | Part-time | Any qualification approved to meet the condition for the minimum hours |
| GCSE grade 2 or below or overseas qualification at the equivalent grade or no GCSE | Full-time or part-time | Any qualification approved to meet the condition for the minimum hours. Functional Skills level 2 pass and GCSE 9 to 4 will meet the condition with no requirement to undertake further maths/English qualifications |
| Overseas qualification GCSE grade 9 to 4 | Full-time or part-time | Exemption applies |
| EHC plan AND institution assessment that confirms they are not able to study either GCSE or stepping stone qualifications | Full-time or part-time | Exemption applies |
| EHC plan with NO assessment | Full-time or part-time | Any qualification approved to meet the condition for the minimum hours; the student is not exempt from the condition |
Table 2
| English language GCSE grade held | English literature GCSE grade held | What a student can and must study |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 4 | 9 to 4 | Condition of funding met for English, no requirement to continue studying subject |
| 9 to 4 | 3 or below or no grade | Condition of funding met for English, no requirement to continue studying subject |
| 3 or below or no grade | 9 to 4 | Condition of funding met for English, no requirement to continue study of subject |
| 3 | 3 | GCSE English language only for the minimum hours |
| 3 | 2 or below or no grade | GCSE English language only for the minimum hours |
| 2 or below or no grade | 3 | Any qualification approved to meet the condition for the minimum hours. Functional Skills level 2 pass and GCSE English language 9 to 4 will meet the condition with no requirement to undertake further English qualifications |
| 2 or below or no grade | 2 or below or no grade | Any qualification approved to meet the condition for the minimum hours. Functional Skills level 2 pass and GCSE 9 to 4 will meet the condition with no requirement to undertake further English qualifications |
Level 3 qualifications
Institutions can teach a range of level 3 maths and English qualifications such as A and AS levels, core maths and the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an alternative to GCSE when it is appropriate for the student.
Prior attainment
Students meet the condition of funding when they have achieved GCSE grade 9 to 4 in maths, and in English language, English literature, or English language and literature. From 2017, the GCSE grading scheme was changed to 9 to 1 from A* to E. This resulted in grade 9 to 4 replacing A* to C and grade 3 and below into a grade E or below.
We treat some qualifications in maths, English language and English literature as equivalent to GCSE grade 9 to 4. This means that students who have studied in England or elsewhere who hold the following qualifications do not have to study maths and/or English to meet the condition of funding:
- international GCSEs, regulated or unregulated, or equivalent level 1/level 2 certificates grade 9 to 4
- GCSEs grade A* to C, obtained in Wales, including maths numeracy
- GCSEs grade A* to C, obtained in Northern Ireland
- Scottish Intermediate 2 certificates grade A to C
- Scottish National 5 certificates grade A to C
- Scottish Higher grade A to C
- Scottish Advanced Higher grade A to C
- Scottish National Certificate Unit (SCQF Level 6) only Communication at pass grade
- international O levels grade A* to C
- A and AS levels at any pass grade
- full IB level 3 Diploma (LARS reference 50034157)
- IB Middle Years Programme Certificates in maths and/or English at grade 3 or above
- IB Certificate Level 3 Certificates in maths and/or English A at grade 3 and above
- core maths qualifications at level 3
International GCSEs for the purpose of recognising prior attainment
International GCSEs, regulated or unregulated, or equivalent level 1/level 2 certificates, in maths and English all count as equivalent to GCSEs for the purposes of recognising prior attainment in the 16 to 19 maths and English condition of funding.
Students who hold these qualifications in maths and English at GCSE grade 9 to 4 will not have to continue their study of these subjects.
Overseas qualifications
Students who have achieved an overseas qualification that is equivalent to a GCSE in maths and/or GCSE English language are exempt from the condition of funding.
Guidance on student circumstances
19+ continuing students
All 19+ continuing students are funded through the standard ESFA 16 to 19 allocations process. From academic year 2024 to 2025, the maths and English condition of funding will apply to all 19+ continuing students. The first impact on 16 to 19 funding allocations will be in academic year 2026 to 2027.
Home educated students
A student who has previously been home educated and wishes to continue their education at a further education (FE) institution must comply with the condition of funding.
Students who speak limited English studying maths qualifications
A student who speaks limited English will still need to have maths in their programme, at a suitable level. Institutions could phase this into the programme as their ability in English improves. For example, a student could study an ESOL qualification in the first term and enrol on a maths qualification in the second term. However, over the course of a year, the minimum hours will still need to be met per subject.
Students on short study programmes
To ensure that those who want to study short courses are not discouraged from doing so, there is flexibility for those on small part-time programmes of less than 150 planned hours. Students on these programmes do not have to study maths and English qualifications approved for the condition of funding. However, we expect institutions to include some maths and English content in programmes taken by such students to facilitate their learning.
Students achieving a GCSE or equivalent outside of their study programme
If a student achieves a GCSE grade 9 to 4 or a qualification deemed as equivalent by other means, then they will have met the condition of funding for the remainder of their programme. This also applies to students with prior attainment of GCSE grade 2 who pass Functional Skills level 2. Institutions must make sure that they update their data return with GCSE achievement grades or Functional Skills code in the funding and monitoring (FAM) field, as appropriate, to tell us that the student has met the condition of funding.
Students on apprenticeship programmes
Students on apprenticeship programmes are not subject to the maths and English condition of funding. However, there are separate requirements in place to ensure that all apprentices have achieved a good level of literacy and numeracy by the end of their apprenticeship to support their immediate and future career choices.
Students on T Levels
The condition of funding applies to all students starting T Levels from academic year 2022 to 2023 in the same way as it does to students on 16 to 19 study programmes. It does not apply to students who started T Levels in the academic years 2020 to 2021 or 2021 to 2022. However, we expect these students who have yet to achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in maths and/or English to continue to work towards a level 2 in these subjects.
Students on supported internships
Students on supported internships are not automatically exempt from the condition of funding. Some students on internships may meet the criteria to be exempt from the condition. Students on supported internships with an exemption should still be studying maths and English at an appropriate level, even when they are not able to work towards a stepping stone qualification or GCSE.
Exemptions
There are 2 exemptions to the condition of funding:
- students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and an EHC plan, who are assessed as not able to study towards either GCSE or stepping stone qualifications
- students with overseas qualifications that are established as equivalent to GCSE grade 4 or above
Students with SEND
When a student with SEND does not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 or equivalent qualification in maths and/or English, it is important they have every opportunity as others do to study towards a level 2 English and/or maths qualification. There is a wide range of approved qualifications under the condition of funding that should enable this in most cases and institutions should make every effort to enable students with SEND to study towards these valuable qualifications. Students with SEND who have achieved a GCSE grade 3 or equivalent qualification in maths and/or English should be capable of improving their GCSE grade with the right teaching and support.
When a student is not able to study towards a GCSE, institutions should support them in studying towards a Functional Skills or a stepping stone qualification. There are a range of qualifications available for students from entry level upwards. Institutions can enrol a student on a course for up to 3 years, or longer if the student is in learning to age 25. This range of qualifications gives institutions scope to offer the student opportunities to progress to the appropriate level in maths and English.
There are a small number of SEND students with an EHC plan who are not able to study towards any qualifications. These students can be exempt from studying qualifications, but institutions should still include appropriate literacy and numeracy in their programme at an appropriate level.
Institutions must consider all exemptions on a case-by-case basis. There is no blanket exemption for whole institutions.
Assessments for exemptions must be authorised by an appropriate professional in the institution, such as the head of SEND or student support. The assessment should be structured and documented. We do not expect to give further detailed advice on the format or on who should carry out the assessment. This is for institutions to decide. We will monitor exemptions from the data that institutions submit rather than on an individual basis.
Institutions should keep evidence that justifies their decision that a student is exempt. This information must be available to auditors appointed to test the use of ESFA funding and to Ofsted inspectors.
We expect institutions to use the flexibilities available to tailor programmes to enable each student to improve in maths and/or English to the best of their ability. Institutions should recognise and record students’ progress and achievement.
Students with overseas qualifications exemption
Students who have studied in a country that does not provide GCSEs are potentially exempt from the condition of funding where the overseas qualifications they hold are equivalent to GCSE grade 4 or above.
Institutions must get confirmation from the UK National Information Centre (ENIC) that the qualification is equivalent to GCSE grade 9 to 4. ENIC is responsible for providing information and opinion on academic, vocational and professional qualifications from across the world.
As well as confirmation from ENIC that an overseas qualification is equivalent to GCSE grade 4 or above, institutions also must ensure that the student possesses the necessary competence in maths and English to achieve their programme. If the student needs additional teaching or support to function on their programme, institutions must include it in the programme. This kind of activity is eligible for funding and institutions should include it in the planned hours.
Students who have achieved the ICCE do not have to study maths and English, as the ICCE is equivalent to a standard pass in maths and English. When students have achieved an ICCE, institutions can record an exemption for holding an overseas equivalent qualification. They do not have to get the equivalence certified by ENIC.
Recording and monitoring of exemptions and prior attainment
Institutions must record exemptions in their data returns so that we do not withdraw funding. It is also good practice for institutions to note exemptions in their own records.
There is no need to inform ESFA that a student is out of scope for the maths and English condition of funding because they are studying for less than 150 hours in the academic year.
ILR returns use FAM codes to show when a student qualifies for one of 2 exemptions. The same FAM field shows when the student meets the condition of funding by holding a UK qualification or by studying maths/English at another institution.
School census returns use a set of letter codes to record the same information.
Table 3
| ILR FAM code | School census code | |
|---|---|---|
| Learner is exempt from GCSE maths/English condition of funding due to a learning difficulty | ECF (English condition of funding)/MCF (maths condition of funding) 1 | L (the same code is used in the English and maths fields) |
| Learner is exempt from the condition of funding as they hold an equivalent overseas qualification | ECF/MCF 2 | O |
| Learner has met the condition of funding as they hold an equivalent UK qualification | ECF/MCF 3 | U |
| Learner has met the condition of funding by undertaking/completing a valid maths/English GCSE or equivalent qualification at another institution through collaboration with the home institution | ECF/MCF 4 | No code available |
Collaboration between institutions to ensure students are meeting the maths and English condition of funding
When institutions collaborate to deliver maths and/or English, one institution must be responsible for claiming funding for a student’s whole programme, and making sure that they meet the condition of funding. Institutions must avoid enrolling and claiming funding for part of a student’s programme.
However, in a small number of cases, students study for maths and/or English with another institution. In these circumstances, the home institution must make sure that students meet the condition of funding.
For institutions that return the ILR
To avoid being penalised for students not meeting the condition of funding, institutions must use the FAM code ECF/MCF 4. Institutions must only use this code when students are studying maths and/or English qualifications at another institution.
For institutions that return the school census
The school census does not have the capacity to show that students are studying maths and/or English qualifications at another institution. Therefore, schools must submit a business case for an adjustment to their funding after they have received their allocation statement.
The business case must include this information:
- the number of students who have studied or retaken a maths and/or English qualification at another institution (we do not need individual student data such as unique pupil numbers (UPNs) and names)
- the name of the other institution(s) where they have studied
- the maths and/or English qualifications studied
- a statement that collaboration has taken place with brief details
- accounting officer confirmation that the information is correct
Demonstrating progression
Institutions must be able to demonstrate progression for students enrolled on maths and/or English qualifications. In most cases, we expect that it will be appropriate for students to study for a qualification at a higher level than they have already attained, rather than just improving their grade at the same level as their previous achievement. For example, a student with prior attainment of a GCSE grade 1 to 3 has already achieved a level 1 qualification so should be enrolled on a Functional Skills level 2 or a GCSE. Equally, it is expected that a student will only study an ESOL qualification for a limited period in their first year of study before enrolling on a non-ESOL English qualification.
When a student is studying for a qualification at the same level as a previous achievement, institutions must have evidence of why the qualification is the best choice for the student.
Audit and inspection
Institutions will be subject to a risk-based compliance audit to ensure that the data submitted for maths and English participation and prior attainment and evidence for exemptions is sound. Ofsted inspections will establish that students are on the most suitable study programme and that any exemptions from studying maths and English are appropriate.
Auditors appointed to test the use of ESFA funding will check when institutions claim a student is exempt to ensure the exemption reason is valid. Institutions must ensure that they keep adequate evidence when they apply either of the 2 exemptions. We will monitor how institutions use exemptions.
Applying a tolerance to allocations
The tolerance for academic year 2024 to 2025 will remain at 5% of total students (calculated by value) for students who do not meet the condition of funding. We will apply funding reductions for non-compliance with the condition of funding to institutions where more than 5% of students (calculated by value) without a GCSE grade 9 to 4 in maths and/or English did not enrol on an approved qualifications in these subjects. The funding reductions for these institutions will be at half the national funding rate above the tolerance.
Phased removal of tolerance
We will change the tolerance to 2.5% in the academic year 2025 to 2026. This will impact funding allocations in the 2027 to 2028 academic year.
We will change the tolerance to 0% in the academic year 2026 to 2027. This will impact allocations in the academic year 2028 to 2029.
This approach is designed to give all 16 to 19 funded institutions time to plan and adapt their delivery plans and provision, to reduce the risk of non-compliance resulting in funding reductions.
We are not making any changes to the existing exemption for students with SEND and an EHC plan with an institution assessment that confirms they are not able to study either GCSE or stepping stone qualifications.
Table 4 shows a timetable for the phased removal of tolerance.
Table 4
| Academic year | Tolerance | Allocations |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 to 2025 | 5% (no change) | affects 2026 to 2027 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 2.5% | affects 2027 to 2028 |
| 2026 to 2027 | 0% | affects 2028 to 2029 |
Funding deduction calculation example
We will apply funding reductions to institutions above a tolerance of 5% of total students (calculated by value) for students who do not meet the condition of funding. We will remove funding for these institutions for each student above the tolerance level at half the national funding rate.
We calculate the 5% tolerance by determining the value of the non-compliant students and expressing this as a percentage of the total value of all students. The value for a student is the national rate for their funding band.
The below example shows the calculation of the funding reduction for the academic year 2024 to 2025, which is based on data for 2022 to 2023. For students who are non-compliant above the tolerance, we will remove funding at a reduced rate of 50% of the 2022 to 2023 national funding rate for the band. We will only remove funding above the 5% tolerance.
Stage 1
To calculate the value of non-compliance (E), we multiplied the number of non-compliant students from end year 2022 to 2023 data (C) by the appropriate national funding rate (A) according to their total planned hours. We calculated values for students in the 0 to 279 band as a proportion of the full-time national rate based on their total planned hours divided by 640.
Stage 2
To calculate the total value of 2022 to 2023 students (D), we multiplied the total number of students in each band (B) by the appropriate national funding rate (A). We used the data from the final return of the ILR or the autumn census for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
In table 5, the value of non-compliant students (E) is £768,223; the value of all students (D) is £9,393,907. This is non-compliance of 8.18%.
Table 5
| A | B | C | D (B x A) | E (C x A) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding band | National rate for 2022 to 2023 | 2022 to 2023 total students per band | 2022 to 2023 non-compliant students | National rate per student: value of all students | National rate per student value of non-compliant students |
| Full-time students (at least 580 hours) | £4,542 | 1,207 | 94 | £5,482,194 | £426,948 |
| Full-time students 485+ | £3,757 | 88 | 27 | £330,616 | £101,439 |
| Part-time students (485 to 579 hours) | £3,757 | 765 | 45 | £2,874,105 | £169,065 |
| Part-time students (385 to 484 hours) | £3,056 | 124 | 21 | £378,944 | £64,176 |
| Part-time students (300 to 384 hours) | £2,416 | 60 | 1 | £144,960 | £2,416 |
| Part-time (up to 299 hours) | £4,542 | 132 | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| Part-time (up to 299 hours) – FTE | £4,542 | 40.31 | 0.92 | £183,088 | £4,178.64 |
| 2,376 | 191 | £9,393,907 | £768,223 |
Stage 3
We calculated 5% of the total value for all students at the national funding rate (D) to calculate the financial value of the tolerance (F). The tolerance is then discounted from (E) the condition of funding reduction to calculate the in-scope reduction (G). We calculate the final reduction (H) taking 50% of (G) of the in-scope reduction.
Table 6
| F | G | H |
|---|---|---|
| 5% of 2022 to 2023 national rate per student funding (D x 5%) | Non-compliant students total less 5% (E - F) | Final condition of funding removal at 50% (G x 50%) |
| (£9,393,907 x 5%) = £469,695 | (£768,886 - £469,772) = £298,527 | (£298,527 x 50%) = £149,263 |
In this example, the tolerance (F) is £469,695, the reduction in-scope (G) is £298,527, and the final reduction is £149,263. If the value of non-compliant students in this example was less than £469,695, the institution would have no withdrawal of funding.
Other useful information
Resources
We have published an interactive tool for the school census to help users to understand how the condition of funding works within the census. It provides specific examples of how to check qualifications that do not meet the condition of funding and the impact this will have when institutions include non-compliant or out-of-date qualifications.
When schools and academies return the autumn census, which includes the post-16 module, 2 reports on the condition of funding are available through COLLECT (one for the current funding year and one for the previous year). We have published guidance on the reports.
The Funding Information System (FIS) will help FE institutions validate their ILR data. The reports available through FIS give the maths and English status of every student, showing whether they have achieved at least a GCSE grade 4 (or grade C) in each subject and whether they are currently studying for a valid qualification in the subject. The reports also show those students recorded as exempt from the condition of funding.
Workforce support
We recognise the importance of continuing professional development (CPD) and welcome college and school leaders’ support to ensure that English and maths teachers have the time for, and draw on, high-quality CPD.
The department continues to provide some fully funded CPD for English and maths retakes teachers via procured providers. For participating institutions, this is intended to supplement, not replace, what college and school leaders routinely draw on and provide themselves. This includes specific support for maths retakes through the maths hub programme.
Contact us
If you have any questions on the maths and English condition of funding, or if there’s anything else you need help with, you can find more support in our customer help centre.
Updates to this page
Last updated 13 February 2024 + show all updates
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We've updated this page for the academic year 2024 to 2025 to explain the minimum teaching hours for English and maths and how we will implement a phased removal of the tolerance starting in 2025 to 2026.
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We've made an admin change to the title of the IB middle years programme. We've also removed the reference to monitoring the position of cof applying to 19+ continuers as we are not monitoring this currently.
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Page updated for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
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We have added a link to the condition of funding interactive tool, which we encourage you to use in conjuction with this guidance.
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We have made some changes to reflect the maths and English condition of funding will apply to students starting T Levels from September 2022. T Level students will be subject to the condition of funding in the same way as students on other study programmes.
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We have updated the prior attainment section to add 3 Scottish equivalent quals and provide clarity on the grades required for IB Middle Years Programme as prior attainment. We have made clear that functional skills level 2 is not a ‘stepping stone’ qualification.
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We have updated the condition of funding guidance on traineeships, as they can now last up to 12 months.
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We have updated our guidance on prior attainment for 2020 to 2021
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Updated to include link to condition of funding interactive tool
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We have made a change to our maths and English condition of funding guidance that will apply from academic year 2019 to 2020.
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We have updated the condition of funding information on 19+ continuing students.
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General update, links updated, page structure updated.
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This has been updated to show the update on tolerance.
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Page updated for 2017 to 2018 academic year
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Information added about the maths & English condition of funding questionnaire on barriers to meeting the condition of funding.
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Updated to include information about condition of funding tolerance.
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This has been updated to show the extension to the timetable for final legacy GCSEs and IGCSE re-sits and re-takes.
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General update and new information added on institutions that have worked collaboratively with another institution to ensure their students meet the condition of funding.
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Update information added on how the grade D requirement applies with respect to GCSE English qualifications held.
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Additional information on the impact 2016 to 2017 academic year allocations has been added and a general update.
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Additional information updated to reflect the recent announcement on a good pass for the new GCSEs.
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amendment to flowchart
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Updated version added
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First published.