NMSS revenue funding allocation guide: 2023 to 2024
Updated 6 September 2023
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-allocations-supporting-documents-for-2023-to-2024/nmss-revenue-funding-allocation-guide-2023-to-2024
1. Introduction
This guide is for non-maintained special schools (NMSS). It helps you understand how we have calculated your funding allocation for academic year 2023 to 2024.
The ‘Changes for 2023 to 2024’ section shows the changes in academic year 2023 to 2024 at a glance and where the changes are reflected in your allocation statement.
1.1 Allocation changes
The allocation statement shows your current allocation based on the data available to us at this point.
We reserve the right to reduce or withdraw your allocation at any stage should issues arise through audit or other processes which:
- significantly affect the data underlying your allocation calculation (such as errors in ILR or school census returns)
- significantly affect contract compliance, or
- if we believe that by making an allocation we will be putting public funds at risk
We also reserve the right to change your allocation if there are significant policy or data changes that impact on the calculated figures.
By exception, we will consider evidenced and credible business cases from institutions where there has been a significant error in the data returned by the institution. If you wish to submit a case, please refer to our guidance on thresholds.
1.2 Enquiries
If you have any questions that are not covered in this or other published guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.
2. Changes for 2023 to 2024
2.1 16 to 19 Bursary fund – funding rates
The three 16 to 19 bursary funding rates (for disadvantage, travel and industry placements) have each increased by 10% compared to the rates from the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
2.2 16 to 19 Bursary fund – baseline and thresholds
We introduced a new 16 to 19 Bursary funding methodology in the 2020 to 2021 academic year. Since then, for the past 3 academic years, allocations have been baselined against an institution’s 16 to 19 bursary allocation from the 2019 to 2020 academic year and couldn’t vary from that 2019 to 2020 academic year allocation by more than a set percentage.
For the 2023 to 2024 academic year, this approach will change, and institutions will receive the actual, calculated amount of 16 to 19 bursary allocation. The only exception to this will be if the calculated value of an allocation is greater than £0 but less than £500, then the allocation will be increased to £500.
3. Non-maintained special school funding allocation
We will base NMSS funding allocations on the pupil numbers recorded in the October 2022 school census, uplifted by the difference between the pupil numbers recorded in the October 2021 and January 2022 school censuses. Any reduction in pupil numbers between the October 2021 and January 2022 school census is treated as zero. This ensures no school is funded below its October 2022 census pupil numbers.
The values in your statement are shown rounded to various numbers of decimal places. The calculation of your funding however is done using un-rounded values. This may result in some slight differences when you work through the calculation yourselves.
3.1 Funded places
This section explains how the funded places are determined in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.
Total pupil numbers recorded in October 2021 census
Total pupil headcount recorded in the October 2021 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.
Total pupil numbers recorded in January 2022 census
Total pupil headcount recorded in the January 2022 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.
Difference between October 2021 and January 2022
- ‘total pupil numbers recorded in January 2022 census’ – ‘total pupil numbers recorded in October 2021 census’
Total pupil numbers recorded in October 2022 census
Total pupil headcount recorded in the October 2022 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.
Total places funded for 2023 to 2024
Where the ‘difference between October 2021 and January 2022’ is greater than zero:
- ‘difference between October 2021 and January 2022’ + ‘total pupil numbers recorded in October 2022 census’
Where the ‘difference between October 2021 and January 2022’ is a negative value, it is treated as a zero and a reduction will not apply.
3.2 High needs place funding
This section explains how the high needs place funding is calculated in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.
Pupil numbers (October 2022 census)
Pupil numbers recorded in the October 2022 census split by pre-16 pupil numbers and post-16 pupil numbers.
Proportions used in 2023 to 2024 allocation
Proportions of pre-16 and post-16 students to be funded based on the ‘total pupil numbers recorded in the October 2022 census’.
Funded places
The percentage proportions applied to the ‘total places funded for 2022 to 2023’ shown in the ‘funded places’ table.
Rate
The rate of funding per place is £10,000.
Place funding
- ‘funded places’ (pre-16 and post-16) × ‘rate’
3.3 Student financial support funding
This section explains how we have calculated student financial support funding in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.
We have published advice for institutions on the financial support young people may be able to access to help them participate in education and training.
Post-16 funded place number
The ‘funded places’ (post-16 only) shown in the ‘high needs place funding’ table.
Instances per student
For ‘element 1: financial disadvantage’ we use the student postcode from your summer census 2022 data return and the IMD 2019 to determine the number of instances per student.
For ‘element 2a: student costs – travel’ we use the student postcode and delivery location postcode from your summer census 2022 return and the IMD 2019 to determine the number of instances per student.
The maximum ‘instances per student’ value is 1.000.
Where historic institution level data is not available to complete the ‘Instances per student’ calculation, we use local authority average values.
Number of instances
Instances per student for ‘element 1: financial disadvantage’ and ‘element 2a: student costs – travel’ are multiplied by the post-16 funded place number:
- ‘instances per student’ x ‘post-16 funded place number’
Rate
The funding rate for each element of the discretionary bursary for 2023 to 2024. Bursary funding rates are subject to change year on year.
Funding
- ‘number of instances’ x ‘instance funding rate’
Discretionary bursary fund
The sum of each bursary element:
- ‘element 1: financial disadvantage total’ + ‘element 2a: student costs travel total’
Bursary adjustment by exception
An exceptional increase or decrease applied to your discretionary bursary funding.
Student financial support funding total
The sum of:
- ‘discretionary bursary fund sub-total’ + ‘bursary adjustment by exception’
If ‘discretionary bursary fund sub-total’ is greater than £0 but less than £500, then the allocation will be uplifted to £500.