Guidance

Additional support for schools in financial difficulty in 2023 to 2024

Information about the additional funding available to support schools in financial difficulty in 2023 to 2024 financial year.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

We have set aside up to £40 million additional funding in 2023 to 2024 financial year to support individual schools that find themselves in particular financial difficulties. This is on top of the £525 million schools will already be receiving this year through the teachers’ pay additional grant (TPAG), to support them with the September 2023 teachers’ pay award.

There are already established support routes for schools who find themselves in financial difficulty, available to maintained schools through their local authority, and academies through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The additional funding will be used to expand these existing routes.

We are providing £20 million to local authorities who have the most significant maintained school deficits. This funding will be allocated proportionately among local authorities who have aggregated school-level deficits which represent more than 1% of their total maintained schools’ income.

We have published the details of which local authorities are receiving additional funding and their allocations. Eligible local authorities will receive this as additional DSG funding on 30 November, alongside their November grant payment.

We have also published guidance to support local authorities in how they can best make use of their allocation to support their maintained schools in financial difficulty.

The remaining funding will be used to expand the existing route for academies in financial difficulty, and allocated to academy trusts in line with existing criteria and processes.

Where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or ESFA, as usual, who can provide advice and support on a case-by-case basis.

Published 18 August 2023
Last updated 26 October 2023 + show all updates
  1. We have added information and guidance about financial support provided to local authorities in financial year 2023 to 2024, to support maintained schools in financial difficulty and added a spreadsheet of allocations to local authorities.

  2. First published.