Year 7 catch up: 2015 to 2016 conditions of grant
Published 23 February 2016
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2016
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations/year-7-catch-up-2015-to-2016-conditions-of-grant
1. Introduction
The Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium grant 2015 to 2016 will be paid under Section 14 of the Education Act 2002. In accordance with section 16 of that act, the Secretary of State lays down the following terms and conditions on which the grant is paid for the financial year beginning 1 April 2015.
2. Basis of allocation
The Year 7 catch-up premium allocations for 2015 to 2016 are based on £500 for each pupil as follows:
2.1 Pupils on the school census
- a year 7 pupil (or year group X and aged 11) recorded on the October 2015 school census and recorded in the 2015 key stage 2 assessment data as not having achieved level 4, 5 or 6 in reading or mathematics
2.2 Pupils on the alternative provision census
- a year 7 pupil (or year group X and aged 11) recorded on the January 2015 alternative provision census and recorded in the 2014 key stage 2 assessment data as not having achieved level 4, 5 or 6 in reading or mathematics
3. Allocations to local authorities (LA) and schools
Each LA’s allocation covers schools that, on 1 January 2016, were:
- maintained schools
- maintained special schools
- pupil referral units
- plus an allocation for alternative provision pupils
EFA pay allocations direct to schools that, on 1 January 2016, were:
- academies
- free schools
- special academies
- special free schools
- alternative provision academies
- alternative provision free schools
- city technology colleges
- studio schools
- university technology colleges
4. Terms on which grant is allocated
Maintained schools and academies may spend the grant on the educational benefit of pupils registered at that school, or for the benefit of pupils registered at other maintained schools and academies. They may also spend it on community facilities, for example services whose provision furthers any charitable purpose for the benefit of pupils at the school or their families, or people who live or work in the school’s locality.
Schools and academies do not have to spend the grant in the financial year beginning 1 April 2015; they may carry forward some or all of the grant to future financial years.
The authority must make the grant available irrespective of the existence of any deficit relating to the expenditure of the school’s budget share (SBS). The year 7 catch-up premium is not part of the SBS or the individual schools budget. It is not included in minimum funding guarantee calculations.
5. Pupils in alternative provision
The grant has also been allocated to each local authority for pupils in alternative provision, where pupils attend schools (including non-maintained special schools) not maintained by the LA for which the local authority pays full tuition fees. This includes pupils not educated in schools, under arrangements made by the LA. This ensures there are funds to provide catch-up support for any year 7 pupils in alternative provision who did not achieve level 4 in reading and/or mathematics at the end of key stage 2.
6. Payment arrangements
EFA will pay the grant to LAs on 29 February 2016. This will include allocations for all maintained schools as at 1 January 2016, including those that might convert to academy status after this date. EFA will pay academies or free schools open as at 1 January 2016 on 1 March 2016.
7. Certification
LAs must certify that they have passed on the correct amount of funding to schools or, where they have spent funding centrally, that they have spent it in line with the conditions of grant. The certificate will be issued to LAs in April 2016 for completion and return to EFA by 31 May 2016.
8. Variation
The Secretary of State may vary the basis for allocation of grant from those set out above.
9. Overpayments
Any overpayment of grant will be repaid by the local authority or academy to the Secretary of State.
10. Further information
Books and other documents and records relating to the recipient’s accounts must be open to inspection by the Secretary of State and the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The Comptroller and Auditor General may, under Section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983, examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the recipient has used its resources in discharging its grant-aided activities.
Schools and LAs will provide information as required by the Secretary of State to determine whether it has complied with these conditions.