Guidance

16 to 19 funding: English and maths funding

Published 13 February 2024

Applies to England

Summary

This is a new funding element for 2024 to 2025 academic year.

In October 2023, the government announced an investment of £600 million across the next 2 years in preparation for the Advanced British Standard (ABS).

To enhance the quality of post-16 English and maths education, the government has announced that every young person will study some form of English and maths to age 18 as part of the new ABS. This will include a substantial investment of £300 million across 2024 to 2026, which aims to build the capacity in teaching these subjects. It will primarily involve extending the current payments for students retaking English and maths. As a result, individuals studying at level 2 or below will receive equivalent funding to those studying at level 3, thereby ensuring that all students have the necessary support to excel.

This guidance explains how Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will allocate the English and maths funding as part of 16 to 19 funding allocations.

We explain who is eligible and how we calculate and pay the funding.

How to use English and maths funding

This funding is for institutions to use to support students who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and maths. Institutions should use the funding to improve English and maths achievement rates and to reduce the attainment gap at 19. They can provide tailored education or other extra support where needed alongside qualifications.

We expect institutions to use the additional funding to support the cost of delivering English and maths resits and to invest in continuing professional development for English and maths resit teachers.

Institutions should use evidence of ‘what works’ established by the Centres for Excellence in Maths programme and other organisations such as Education Endowment Foundation.

Eligibility

Institutions

All institutions with an ESFA 16 to 19 funding  allocation with qualifying students are eligible for the extra funding.

Students

All students subject to the maths and English condition of funding will attract the payment on a programme of 150 hours or more.

This includes:

• full-time and part-time students
• T Level students
• 14 to 16 year olds in further education and sixth-form colleges

Student eligibility to attract the funding is closely aligned with the maths and English condition of funding requirements.

Students with an education, health and care plan and recorded as exempt for the maths and English condition of funding will be eligible for the additional funding. This is because we expect institutions to include literacy and numeracy in their programme at an appropriate level as referenced in the conditions of funding guidance.

Students with a prior attainment of GCSE grade 2 or below but who hold a pass in level 2 Functional Skills will not attract the additional funding because these students meet the maths and English condition of funding.

Funding rate

We will pay eligible institutions the following amounts for students who qualify for the extra funding.

• £375 per student per subject in band 4 and above
• £229 per student per subject in bands 3 and 2
• £375 per full-time equivalent per subject in band 1 where students are on programmes of 150 hours or more

Students will qualify each year of their study programme or T Level if their prior attainment is recorded as still below GCSE grade 4 or equivalent.  

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. 

All directly enrolled 14 to 16 year old students in eligible further education institutions will attract the payment since they will not yet have achieved GCSE grade 4 or above in English or maths.

Funding calculation

Step 1: we identify the data

We will use the last full year of data to calculate this funding. For example, we will use data from the end of academic year 2022 to 2023 to inform allocations for 2024 to 2025.

Step 2: we identify students

To count as a qualifying student, they must be:

a) an eligible 16 to 19 student who has passed the funding qualifying period

b) recorded in the individualised learner record or school census as not having prior attainment in English and/or maths GCSE grade 9 to 4 or equivalent. We will not count students with a prior attainment of a GCSE grade 2 or below but who hold a pass in level 2 Functional Skills

Step 3: we calculate the number of English and/or maths instances

Qualifying students 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 programme. Those without English or without maths will receive 1 instance and those without English and without maths will receive 2 instances.

We will calculate an average of instances per student and apply this to the funded student number at institution level to determine the total instances to fund for 2024 to 2025. We will split this by the funding band proportions calculated from 2022 to 2023 data; we will assign those in bands 4 and above the full-time rate (£375) and those in bands 3 and below the part-time rate (£229).

The funding available via the level 3 maths and English payment will cease at the end of academic year 2023 to 2024, but there will be some students who have already attracted funding for academic year 2024 to 2025. So, for 2024 to 2025 only, students who attract 1 or more 2-year instances under level 3 programme maths and English funding in academic year 2023 to 2024 will not attract any instances under this policy in 2024 to 2025.

Payment

We will pay the English and maths funding as part of the 16 to 19 allocation monthly payment profile.

Contact

If you have any questions after reading this guidance, please contact our customer service team.