16 to 19 funding: level 3 programme maths and English payment
Funding to support the delivery of maths and English to those students on substantial level 3 study programmes and T Levels who have not yet attained a grade 9 to 4 GCSE or equivalent in either or both of these subjects.
Applies to England
Summary
This guidance explains how Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will pay the level 3 programme maths and English payment as part of 16 to 19 funding allocations.
We explain who is eligible and how we calculate and pay the funding.
This additional funding is intended to support students’ participation in substantial level 3 programmes. It will ensure that institutions have the resources to provide extra hours of education or other extra support where needed to deliver maths and/or English alongside level 3 qualifications.
You will find supporting information in our funding regulations and rates and formula funding guidance. We will monitor the programme as part of our usual ESFA audit and assurance process.
February 2024 new information
Academic year 2023 to 2024 is the last year of funding for the level 3 programme maths and English payment. We have published new information on the approach for 2024 to 2025.
Purpose
The purpose of the level 3 programme maths and English payment is to support institutions in their delivery of these subjects for students on substantial level 3 study programmes and T Levels.
We know having an adequate level of literacy and numeracy is associated with reduced likelihood of economic disadvantage and unemployment.
On 31 August 2019, the Chancellor announced an additional £400m of funding for 16 to 19 education. The announcement set out that:
- there will be £35 million to support students on level 3 courses who do not yet have a GCSE maths and English grade 9 to 4 or equivalent, so they can re-sit their exams in these critical subjects
Eligibility
Institutions
All institutions with an ESFA 16 to 19 funding allocation with qualifying students are eligible for the extra funding.
Students
All students, both full-time and part-time, who meet the following criteria can attract the extra funding.
A student must be enrolled on a 16 to 19 programme:
- consisting of at least 2 A levels; or
- including at least one level 3 qualification with recommended guided learning hours (GLH) of 360 or more; or a T Level
and the student must also be recorded as not having prior attainment in maths and/or English GCSE grade 9 to 4 or equivalent at the start of their level 3 programme.
The prior attainment is aligned with the condition of funding requirements.
Funding rate
We will pay eligible institutions the following amounts for students who qualify for the extra funding:
- a single £750 payment per student per subject at the start of a 2-year study programme
- a single £375 payment per student per subject at the start of a 1-year study programme
For the purposes of calculating this funding, a 2-year study programme is 18 months or longer. We treat all other study programmes as 1 year. Students moving from a 1-year programme to another 1-year programme will qualify again if their prior attainment is still below grade 4.
If we do not have historic data for an institution, we will use an average factor for their institution type to calculate their funding allocation.
Funding calculation and payment
We use lagged data – the last full year of data – to calculate this funding. For example, we will use data from 2021 to 2022 to inform allocations in 2023 to 2024.
We review the 16 to 19 funding methodology in advance of each academic year. Funding is subject to spending review allocations and all funding rates are subject to change.
We calculate the funding as follows:
Step 1: identify students on a qualifying programme
To count as being on a qualifying programme, a student must:
a) be an eligible 16 to 19 student who has passed the funding qualifying period and is, in the case of a 2-year programme, in the first year of their programme
b) be recorded in the individualised learner record (ILR) or school census as not having prior attainment in maths and/or English GCSE grade 9 to 4 or equivalent at the start of their level 3 programme
c) have a qualification other than an A level as their core aim that is level 3 and at least 360 recommended GLH with a start date in the relevant academic year, or have at least 2 A levels in their programme with a start date in the relevant academic year
We do not count A levels in General Studies or Critical Thinking as these courses are usually delivered in a significantly shorter time frame and over significantly fewer hours compared with other A levels. This is consistent with how we treat these 2 A levels in all parts of the 16 to 19 funding formula.
We do not count AS level double awards. We treat A level double awards as 2 A levels.
Step 2: calculate the number of instances of maths and/or English
A student will 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 level 3 programme. Those without English or without maths will receive 1 instance and those without English and without maths will receive 2 instances.
Step 3: calculate the number of years payment
For those students meeting the qualifying criteria, we attribute a 1-year (£375) or 2-year (£750) funding value to each instance depending on the planned length of the student’s level 3 programme and the student’s completion status at the end of the academic year.
Those students with a planned length of 18 months or more whose completion status at the end of the academic year is continuing will receive 2 years’ funding (£750 per instance).
Those students with a planned length of 18 months or more whose completion status at the end of the academic year is not continuing will receive 1 year’s funding (£375 per instance).
Those students with a planned length of less than 18 months will receive 1 year’s funding (£375 per instance).
Step 4: payment
We will pay the level 3 programme maths and English funding as part of the 16 to 19 monthly payment profile.
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.
Updates to this page
Last updated 13 February 2024 + show all updates
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We've added an introduction to the new English and maths funding for academic year 2024 to 2025 because the level 3 programme English and maths payment finishes in academic year 2023 to 2024.
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We have updated the page to remove duplication and to make the content clearer for users.
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We have extended this guidance to cover academic year 2021 to 2022.
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First published.