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Guidance

Alternative provision free school revenue funding

How we calculate and allocate revenue funding for alternative provision (AP) free schools in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
29 November 2013
Last updated:
7 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated for 2026 to 2027.

  2. Updated for 2025 to 2026.

  3. Updated for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

  4. Updated the 2023 to 2024 funding rates in the national 16 to 19 formula funding section.

  5. Added 'A guide to new alternative provision free school revenue funding: 2023 to 2024'.

  6. Updated guidance for 2022 to 2023 academic year and removed link to financial template.

  7. Document updated: 'Financial statements' section updated and also the date for annual revenue funding for free schools, which will be paid on the eighth working day of the first month a school opens.

  8. Added updated guide to new alternative provision free school revenue funding 2021 to 2022.

  9. Updated 'A guide to new alternative provision free school revenue funding: 2020 to 2021'.

  10. Updated document for the 2020 to 2021 academic year.

  11. Updated for the 2019 to 2020 academic year.

  12. Updated document for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

  13. Updated document for the 2017 to 2018 academic year.

  14. Updated document for the 2016 to 2017 academic year.

  15. Updated the guide to reflect funding rates for the 2015 to 2016 academic year.

  16. Updated document to reflect changes to funding rates.

  17. Updated 'Financial template for alternative provision free schools: 2014 to 2015'.

  18. Updated the guide and financial template to reflect funding rates for the 2014 to 2015 academic year.

  19. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

A guide to new alternative provision free school revenue funding: 2026 to 2027

HTML

Details

This guide explains how much revenue funding alternative provision (AP) free schools will receive. AP settings provide education for children who cannot attend a mainstream school.

There is also a financial template to help budget planning for:

  • groups proposing to open an AP free school for children who cannot attend a mainstream school
  • open AP free schools

It gives you an indicative funding allocation based on the size, phase and location of your school.

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