Correspondence

DfE Update academies: 21 October 2026

Published 21 October 2026

Applies to England

1. Action: Submit Care to Learn and 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, defined vulnerable groups element, funding claim form 

The Care to Learn scheme and the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, defined vulnerable groups element, funding claim forms are now live.

The deadline for your submission is 5pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026.  

Before you submit your claim, read our Care to Learn and 16 to 19 Bursary Fund for defined vulnerable groups funding claims guidance. It explains the information you need to complete your submission correctly and includes a link to the funding claim form. 

We are unable to accept funding claims that miss the closing date. These must be submitted in the second claims window in January 2027. 

2. Information: 16 to 19 and adult revenue funding allocations for the 2026 to 2027 academic year 

We have published the 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

The publication covers schools, academies and further education institutions funded by the Department for Education (DfE) for 16 to 19 year olds and 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care plan.  

We have also published the adult funding allocations for academic year 2026 to 2027 for training providers. These cover the funding values for colleges, training organisations and employers with an adult skills funding, apprenticeship carry in or advanced learner loan contract for 2026 to 2027.  

We publish both sets of allocations data annually for transparency.

3. Information: National Flood Action Week 

Last week was Flood Action Week, so now is a good time to review your school’s preparedness and help minimise disruption to learning if severe weather affects your area. 

You can take a few simple steps to improve resilience: 

• use this checklist to consider flood risk as part of your school emergency plan 

• check the long-term flood risk for your area 

• sign up for flood warnings 

• find more information to prepare for flooding 

In addition, DfE’s Schools Water Strategy helps schools manage flood risk and prepare for climate change. As part of this, DfE is offering up to 50% of total project costs in grant funding for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in schools. Applications are open until 5pm on Monday 2 November 2026. 

You can also access free Environment Agency resources to help pupils understand flooding, climate resilience and the environment: 

• Environment Agency and Geographical Association resources 

• Environment Agency and STEM Learning resources