Year 7 catch-up: 2017 to 2018 conditions of grant
Published 19 February 2018
© Crown copyright 2018
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2017-to-2018/year-7-catch-up-2017-to-2018-conditions-of-grant
1. Introduction
The year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium grant 2017 to 2018 will be paid under Section 14 of the Education Act 2002. In accordance with section 16 of this 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 2017.
2. Basis of allocation
The year 7 catch-up premium allocations for 2017 to 2018 have been allocated to schools using the same approach as last year to the allocation calculation.
2.1 Allocations to schools funded in 2017 to 2018
In 2017 to 2018 we have allocated funding to schools on the basis that they receive the same overall amount of year 7 catch-up premium funding they received in 2016 to 2017, adjusted to reflect the percentage change in the size of their year 7 cohort between the October 2016 and the October 2017 school censuses as follows:
(the number of year 7 pupils recorded on the October 2016 school census) divided by (the number of year 7 pupils recorded on the October 2017 school census) multiplied by the 2016 to 2017 allocation.
2.2 Allocations to new schools
Schools that have pupils in year 7 and are completely brand new (for example no predecessor school in the October 2016 school census) or schools that existed according to the October 2016 school census and did not have pupils in year 7 but now have pupils in that group recorded in the October 2017 census, will receive an allocation.
For these schools, allocations have been made by calculating for each local authority the proportion of year 7 pupils on the October 2016 school census that was eligible for the year 7 catch-up in 2016 to 2017. This proportion has been applied to the number of year 7 pupils recorded on the school’s October 2017 census.
2.3 Pupils on the alternative provision census
In 2017 to 2018 we have allocated funding for alternative provision pupils on the basis that:
-
local authorities receive the same amount of year 7 catch-up premium funding they received for alternative provision in 2016 to 2017, adjusted to reflect the percentage change in the number of year 7 alternative provision pupils between the January 2016 and the January 2017 alternative provision censuses calculated as follows:
-
(the number of year 7 pupils recorded on the January 2016 alternative provision census) divided by (the number of year 7 pupils recorded on the January 2017 alternative provision census) multiplied by the 2016 to 2017 alternative provision allocation.
3. Allocations to local authorities and schools
Each local authority allocation covers schools that, on 1 January 2018, were:
- maintained schools
- maintained special schools
- pupil referral units
- plus an allocation for alternative provision pupils
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) pays allocations direct to schools that, on 1 January 2018, were:
- academies
- free schools
- special academies
- special free schools
- alternative provision academies
- alternative provision free schools
- city technology colleges
4. Terms on which grant is allocated
Maintained schools and academies may spend the grant for 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 where the 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 2017; 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 local authority for which the local authority pays full tuition fees. This includes pupils not educated in schools, under arrangements made by the local authority. This ensures there are funds to provide catch-up support for any year 7 pupils in alternative provision who did not meet the expected standard in reading and/or mathematics at the end of key stage 2.
6. Payment arrangements
ESFA pays the grant to local authorities on 28 February 2018. This will include allocations for all maintained schools as at 1 January 2017, including those that might convert to academy status after this date. ESFA pays academies and free schools open as at 1 January 2018 on 1 March 2018.
7. Certification
Local authorities 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 local authorities in April 2018 for completion and return to ESFA.
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 local authorities will provide information as required by the Secretary of State to determine whether it has complied with these conditions.