Children and young people across the country have experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19). Those from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be among those hardest hit. The aggregate impact of lost time in education will be substantial, and the scale of our response must match the scale of the challenge.
Schools’ allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis, providing each mainstream school with a total of £80 for each pupil in EYFS through to 11. This funding will be provided in 3 tranches. The government will provide schools with an initial part payment in autumn 2020, based on the latest available data on pupils. They then will distribute a second grant payment in early 2021, based on updated pupil and place data. For mainstream schools, they will use the 4 to 15 pupil headcount from the October 2020 census. The second grant payment will also take account of the initial part payment made in autumn 2020 so that schools will receive a total of £46.67 per pupil. A further £33.33 per pupil will be paid during the summer term 2021. Though funding has been calculated on a per pupil basis, schools should use the sum available to them as a single total from which to prioritise support for pupils according to their need.
As the catch-up premium has been designed to mitigate the effects of the unique disruption caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), the grant will only be available for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. It will not be added to schools’ baselines in calculating future years’ funding allocations.
View the full Catch up Premium Plan