Guidance

Authority proforma tool (APT): purpose and process – instructions for local authorities for 2026 to 2027

Published 17 December 2025

Applies to England

1. Introduction  

Every year, local authorities are required to detail their schools block funding (SBF) formulae in accordance with the arrangements set out by the Secretary of State for Education. 

The Department for Education (DfE) has developed the authority proforma tool (APT) to assist local authorities to model and then confirm how they plan to do this for the funding year. 

This guidance is designed to be used with ‘How to complete the authority proforma tool’; however, we recommend that you review this guidance first. ‘How to complete the authority proforma tool’ guides you on how to complete the APT, whereas this document contains the theory behind the APT and is designed to aid understanding it. 

This guidance covers the APT background and purpose, and the APT structure and key components. 

The current APT is an updated version of the 2025 to 2026 APT for communicating formulae and SBF allocations to DfE. This publication provides non-statutory guidance.

2. Background and purpose 

The main purpose of the APT is to: 

• allow you to model different options for your SBF formulae and to act as the proforma which is submitted to us in January of each year; it is also the mechanism by which we provide the schools block dataset to you 

• capture data we require to calculate academy budgets, including information on the number of occupied high needs places at special units and resourced provision in mainstream academies, to determine the place funding rate 

• enable us to check that the formula has been applied reasonably and in compliance with regulations and conditions of grant, and that central budgets are being allocated in line with regulations 

• enable us to check that all funding allocated through the schools block element of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) is passed through the funding formula you have set

• collect data on maintained schools’ schools block budgets for publication 

• use the notional allocations for academies for recoupment purposes - recoupment will continue to take place based on the budget, including the minimum funding guarantee (MFG) that the academy would have received as a maintained school 

• give us information about which academies and future converters you have judged as meeting the criteria to qualify for exceptional factors or MFG exclusions, so that these can be considered in their funding allocations 

• to provide data for use by DfE in modelling the national funding formula (NFF) allocations for the following year 

The APT is made available to you via an online form; however, it is not available indefinitely. We will email further information on access directly to you. This is to ensure that the security of the information contained in the documents is maintained.  

If you are unable to access your APT you should contact our APT mailbox via APTsubmissions.QUESTIONS@education.gov.uk.

3. 2026 to 2027 changes 

This section addresses any changes to last year’s APT or important factors which you need to consider while completing the APT. 

Several changes have been made for the 2026 to 2027 APT. The main points to note are: 

•  the schools budget support grant (SBSG) and the National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant have been included in the DSG for 2026 to 2027. To ensure schools do not lose funding as a result of this change, additional funding has been added to each school’s minimum funding guarantee (MFG) baseline. The amount added reflects the number of pupils included in the school’s MFG baseline

• the MFG threshold can be set between -0.5% and 0%. To use a threshold outside of this range will require a disapplication 

• the requirement to move each mandatory factor 10% closer to the NFF will apply again in 2026 to 2027  

• on the ‘Schools Block Data’ and ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheets the primary NOR breakdown has been changed. ‘NOR Y1-6’ has now been split into ‘NOR Y1-2’ and ‘NOR Y3-6’. This change is for analysis purposes only and will not impact funding

• following the removal of the reception uplift factor in 2025 to 2026, the reception difference elements have now been removed from the APT.

4. Timeline

The December 2025 version of the APT is for you to model your 2026 to 2027 SBF formulae and to return this information to us. The APT is populated with schools block data, primarily drawn from the autumn 2025 schools census. 

You must return the completed APT to us on or before Thursday 22 January 2026.

5. APT structure and key components 

The following sections provide information about the colour coding of worksheets, cells and details about the content or function of each of these worksheets. 

To note, in each worksheet there are several comments embedded into various cells. These comments provide help on completing the relevant part of the APT and reminders of what should and should not be entered into that cell or column.

Comments are indicated by the small red triangle at the top right-hand corner of a cell and can be seen by placing your cursor over the cell.

6. Colour coding of worksheets 

The colour coding of the worksheets (which is also reflected in the cells of the worksheets themselves), are as follows: 

6.1 Yellow - prepopulated (non-editable) data 

There are 7 prepopulated worksheets in the APT. These worksheets will also have yellow cells, this is to show that they are prepopulated and non-editable. 

To note, yellow (non-editable) cells can appear in other worksheets as well, depending on the purpose of that worksheet. 

Please do not attempt to unlock and amend the yellow prepopulated cells. If you submit your APT with any of the protections removed, we will ask you to resubmit with the protections restored. 

6.2 Blue - requires user input 

There are 14 worksheets in the APT that may require some user input. These worksheets will also have blue cells - this shows that they are user editable. 

These worksheets contain the data required for the APT to automatically calculate school-level budgets for you. 

To note, blue (editable) cells can appear in other worksheets as well, depending on the purpose of that worksheet. 

6.3 Purple - automated calculation/output 

There are 4 worksheets in the APT that are populated automatically using cell formulae, derived from the data contained in the prepopulated and user-input worksheets. 

These worksheets contain a degree of automatic calculation, which form the outputs of the APT. These worksheets will also have purple cells to show that they are calculation cells (non-editable). Although the cell formulae cannot be edited, the user can select any cell to view the formula used to populate it. 

To note, purple (non-editable calculation) cells can appear in other worksheets as well, depending on the purpose of that worksheet. We have used automatic calculation wherever possible throughout the APT, to avoid you having to do unnecessary additional calculations and to prevent the risk of errors when using the same piece of data in more than one place in the APT.

For example, the ‘New ISB’ worksheet calculates the funding allocated to each school under each factor, based on the data contained in the prepopulated worksheets, the user input worksheets and the funding formula factors, as specified on the ‘Proforma’ worksheet. This removes the need for the local authorities to carry out the same calculation and then enter the results themselves. 

Please do not attempt to unlock and amend the purple automatic calculation cells. If you submit your APT with any of the protections removed, we will ask you to resubmit with the protections restored. 

7. APT worksheets 

The following gives a brief description of the content and purpose of the worksheets which make up the APT. 

7.1 ‘Cover’ 

This worksheet gives information about the APT, with the main table listing each of the other worksheets and providing a brief explanation of them. 

Throughout the APT, some of the automatic calculations (purple cells) use Microsoft Excel ‘named ranges’ to help simplify the formulae - the ‘Cover’ worksheet contains a table showing these cells and the named ranges these relate to. 

There is also a table at the top of the worksheet which must be completed before you submit the APT to us. See the guidance ‘How to complete the authority proforma tool’. 

You are also required to confirm that political ratification has been received. Political ratification is the approval needed under your authority’s internal scheme of delegation, required for you to be able to issue budgets to maintained schools on or before 28 February 2026. 

Ratification may be given by your cabinet, cabinet member, mayor or the director of children’s services, but not the schools forum, because that only has a consultative role for the formula. 

This should be ratified as early as possible, to enable you to meet the requirement to issue budgets to maintained schools before the end of February, and it must be no later than 28 February 2026. 

A validation error will occur where you enter an invalid date or do not check the box to indicate the formula has already received political ratification.

7.2 ‘Schools Block Data’ 

This worksheet contains the school level pupil numbers and indicators, for the most part based on the autumn (October) school census returns. The table below summarises the source data for each indicator/factor.  

A detailed description of all the data items can be found in the schools block dataset technical specification.

Data	Breakdown	Data source
School list	Local authority establishment (LAEstab) number, URN, local authority, phase, primary year groups, secondary year groups	Mainstream schools on the autumn 2025 census The URN is matched from Get Information about Schools (GIAS)
Academy type	Recoupment Academy or 0 (0 is a maintained school)	Taken from DfE’s records - showing the status on the date of the autumn 2025 census
London fringe	Not London fringe: 1 London fringe - Buckinghamshire: 1.0174; Essex: 1.0345; Hertfordshire: 1.031; Kent: 1.0375; West Sussex: 1.0585	District as mapped from the school postcode in the autumn 2025 census Due to the reorganisation in Buckinghamshire, middle super output areas (2021 MSOAs) are mapped to the school postcode to identify eligible schools
Year groups	Primary and secondary for middle schools Primary, secondary, key stage 3 and key stage 4 for all schools	Autumn 2025 census
Number on roll (NOR)	Primary, secondary, reception, years 1 to 2, years 3 to 6, key stage 3, key stage 4, year 7, year 8, year 9, year 10, year 11	Autumn 2025 census
Free school meals (FSM)	Separate primary/secondary	Autumn 2025 census
FSM6	Separate primary/secondary	Autumn 2025 census mapped to earlier census returns to identify any period of eligibility in the 6-year period
Income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI)	Split into 7 different bands for both primary and secondary phases (G to A, where A is the highest level of deprivation) Funding cannot be allocated to band G Separate primary/secondary	2019 IDACI data This is matched to the autumn 2025 census using pupil’s postcodes matched to LSOA (2011)
English as an additional language (EAL)	First to third year in system at any school in England Separate primary/secondary	Autumn 2025 census for language group, plus autumn 2022, 2023 and 2024 censuses Mapping on unique pupil number (UPN) for on-roll records
Primary phase low prior attainment (LPA)	Year 1 to year 6 who did not achieve a good level of development	Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) total score mapped to the autumn 2025 census Mapping on UPN only As there were no EYFSP tests in 2021 (year 5) and 2020 (year 6), year 4 will use year 3 data Where this is not available the value from the 2025 to 2026 APT will be used Where neither of these are available, the 2026 to 2027 local authority averages for year 4 will be used As there were also no EYFSP tests in 2020 (year 6), the value from the 2025 to 2026 APT will be used Where this is not available, the 2025 to 2026 local authority average for year 6 will be used
Secondary phase LPA	Year 7, year 8, year 9, year 10 and year 11 who did not achieve the expected level of attainment	Key stage 2 attainment data mapped to the autumn 2025 census. Mapping on UPN only As there were no key stage tests in 2021 (year 11) we will use year 10 data and, where this is not available, the value from the 2025 to 2026 APT Where this is not available the local authority average for year 10 will be used
Mobility	Primary or secondary Pupil appears in census data at the same school as in the autumn 2025 census for the first time in a spring or summer census in 2023 or later For pupils in reception only, those first appearing at their current school in the summer census are classed as mobile	Autumn 2025 census mapped to earlier census returns
Sparsity distance	Primary, secondary	Autumn 2025 census, GIAS, Ordnance Survey, Office for National Statistics

To note that for the sparsity factor, middle and all-through schools’ sparsity distances are given under the ‘Secondary sparsity av. distance to 2nd school’ column in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet. This is a presentational issue only and the rules for pupil numbers and distances are different for middle, all-through and secondary schools. 

Please also note that this is a locked worksheet, and you cannot make any amendments to it. If you wish to update any of the data shown in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet, you need to update the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet.

7.3 ‘25-26 submitted baselines’ 

This worksheet contains the 2025 to 2026 school level baselines that local authorities have submitted to us, covering the maintained schools and academies. This data is used to populate the ‘25-26 final baselines’ worksheet which then calculates the 2025 to 2026 MFG per-pupil school budget share (SBS). 

A new column has been added to include funding from the SBSG and the NICs grant which are now included in the DSG (this replaces the column included in the 2025 to 2026 APT to roll in additional grants). The adjustment has been calculated using the baseline NOR and the FSM6 eligibility from the 2025 to 2026 APT. This ensures schools receive the correct per-pupil level of protection for the additional grant funding through the MFG. The amount is not intended to match the exact amount of funding a school received in 2025 to 2026 as those calculations may use different NOR details. Full details of the calculation can be found in annex E of ‘How to complete the authority proforma tool’.

To note that this is a locked worksheet, and you cannot make any amendments to it. If you wish to update any of the baseline data you need to enter the adjustments on the ‘25-26 final baselines’ worksheet.

7.4 ‘25-26 HN places’ 

This worksheet contains the latest information we hold on the number of pre-16 high needs places in each mainstream school and each academy with a special unit or resourced provision in the local authority. The information for academies relates to the 2025 to 2026 academic year, as collected via the high needs template you submitted to us. The information for maintained schools has been taken from the latest section 251 budget data. 

This worksheet is included for information purposes only and does not feed into any of the APT calculations. 

You should refer to this prepopulated worksheet when providing the required data in the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. With respect to high needs, you should use the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet to provide details about: 

• special units or resourced provision at each school, that are designated as such by the local authority for making special provision for pupils with EHC plans 

• the numbers of primary, key stage 3 and key stage 4 pupils who are registered at the school (main registrations only) and are occupying places in the unit or resourced provision. The numbers must exclude pupils in those places who are not registered at the school or are in a nursery class (see the section about the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet for more information) 

To note that this is a locked worksheet, and you cannot make any amendments to it.

7.5 ‘Proposed free schools’ 

This worksheet contains details of free schools that were not included on the previous autumn census but are proposed to open before the end of the 2026 to 2027 academic year.  

The worksheet is included for information purposes only and does not feed into any of the APT calculations. 

You should use the information held on this worksheet to enter the school’s details on the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet and, where the school is not open for the whole year, the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. 

The worksheet includes ratios for each of the factors included in the schools block, taken from the local authority averages and, where known, the proportion of the year for which the school will be open. The data does not contain a full breakdown of the pupil numbers. To enable you to input this information, the expected minimum and maximum pupil numbers are included. 

To note that this is a locked worksheet, and you cannot make any amendments to it.

7.6 ‘Indicative NFF NNDR paid by DfE’ 

This worksheet contains details of the rates figures for each school taken from the 2025 to 2026 APT and used in the 2026 to 2027 NFF calculations. You should use the amounts in column D to complete column AB of the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. 

To note that this is a locked worksheet, and you cannot make any amendments to it.

7.7 ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ 

Entries made in this worksheet will, in many cases, change the order of the schools on the subsequent worksheets of the APT. Therefore, it is important that this is completed in full before making any other changes. 

This worksheet allows users to adjust the data for maintained schools and academies displayed in the prepopulated ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet, where the schools or pupil details do not reflect the schools the local authority expects to fund during the 2026 to 2027 financial year or their current situation. Recording changes in this way aims to make it easier for you and us to identify any amendments made. 

To note, adjustments made to records in this worksheet will not be reflected in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet, as this is locked and cannot be changed. 

Any changes (such as new schools, closed schools, mergers) recorded in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet, will be reflected in the list of schools displayed in the following worksheets: 

• ‘Local Factors’  

• ‘LA estimate of NNDR 26-27’ 

• ‘Adjusted Factors’ 

• ‘25-26 final baselines’ 

• ‘De Delegation’ 

• ‘Education Functions’ 

• ‘New ISB’ 

• ‘Recoupment’ 

• ‘Validation sheet’ 

Therefore, it is vitally important that after recording adjustments in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet, you review the school list shown in the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. You should ensure that it reflects the maintained schools and academies expected to be funded in 2026 to 2027, before continuing to enter data into the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. 

You should use this worksheet to record: 

• where schools listed in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet have closed, or will close before the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year 

• new maintained schools which have opened or are expected to open before the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year 

• new maintained schools which are expected to open after the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year 

• new academies and free schools 

• academies which have amalgamated since the autumn census, or are expected to amalgamate before the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year 

• where maintained schools have converted to academy status before 4 January 2026 

• changes required to the existing school data listed in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet, pertaining to numbers on roll or proportions of pupils eligible for each pupil-led factor - this is where the autumn census data does not reflect the current position 

If any changes are to be made to the NOR of a year group, you must then make entries into the remainder of the NOR categories, even if these figures have not changed or are zero values. If a year group is added to or removed from a school, then you must also reflect this in the number of year groups for the school. Where pupils are added for a proportion of the year, we recommend you enter this as a formula to avoid rounding. 

For all other values, such as the proportions of pupils eligible for each pupil-led factor, you only need to make an entry when the figure is different from what is shown in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet. Any changes made will be reflected in the data shown in the ‘Adjusted Factors’ worksheet. If a proportion is unchanged, then you should not enter it on the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet. 

The eligible proportions of eligible pupils shown in the ‘Schools Block Data’ and ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheets will automatically convert to a pupil number basis on the ‘Adjusted Factors’ worksheet.

7.8 ‘Split sites data’  

This worksheet contains details of schools eligible for split sites funding as agreed by DfE. The worksheet shows the eligible schools, the number of eligible sites and the distances, in metres, to those sites.

7.9 ‘Split sites adjustments’  

You should use this worksheet to enter any adjustments to the split sites data or to add schools that have become eligible for split sites funding in 2026 to 2027. Any entries should have been agreed by DfE prior to inclusion on the APT. 

7.10 ‘Local Factors’  

In this worksheet you will need to enter the local data relevant to the individual schools. 

The school details listed in columns K, L and M are populated automatically based on the schools in the ‘Schools Block Data’ worksheet, plus any adjustments you have recorded in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet. Entries you have made in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet will, in many cases, change the order of the schools on the subsequent worksheets of the APT (including the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet). It is therefore important that you complete this in full before making any other changes. 

It is also important that you check that the automatically listed school data is correct for the maintained schools and academies expected to be funded in the 2026 to 2027 financial year before you enter any data against the schools. 

Do not attempt to add any schools to this worksheet. Any changes to the automatically populated school list need to be recorded using the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet, as instructed above. 

If, after having entered data in the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet, you then record further adjustments in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet, the order of the ‘Local Factors’ school list may have changed. The data you have entered in the blue cells will stay in the same place. As such, some or all of the data may appear against the wrong school or academy. 

7.11 ‘LA estimate of NNDR 26-27’ 

In this worksheet, you will need to enter details of the estimated 2026 to 2027 rates for each school, based on the known changes to rateable values and considering the 2026 to 2027 multiplier. This information will not impact on school allocations in the 2026 to 2027 APT but will be used to inform 2027 to 2028 NFF funding levels and aid the payments process, by providing useful comparisons for future years.  

7.12 ‘Adjusted factors’ 

This worksheet calculates the adjusted pupil numbers to be used in the final school budgets calculations, outputted automatically to the ‘New ISB’ worksheet. This draws data from the ‘Schools Block Data’, ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ and the ‘Local Factors’ worksheets. 

The worksheet is populated with the same list of schools as found in the ‘Local Factors’ worksheet. It calculates the adjusted NOR and pupil numbers for all factors by multiplying the proportion of the year the school will be open by the relevant figure from either the ‘Schools Block Data’ or the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheets (depending upon whether there is an update or not). 

To note that the worksheet is entirely populated using spreadsheet formulae. These formulas cannot be deleted or edited; however, you can select any cell to view the formula used.

7.13 ‘25-26 final baselines’ 

In this worksheet, you are required to provide the 2025 to 2026 schools’ baseline information, where this data is missing from the ‘25-26 submitted baselines’ worksheet. In addition, you need to input the 2025 to 2026 MFG exclusions and adjustments, as these contribute to the MFG calculations in the ‘New ISB’ worksheet. 

The schools list in columns F, G and H are populated automatically, based on the information previously provided in the ‘Inputs & Adjustments’ worksheet. 

The 2025 to 2026 baseline information in columns I to P is also populated automatically from the ’25-26 submitted baselines’ worksheet, with the relevant data as submitted by local authorities to DfE. In particular, these columns include: 

• ‘25-26 MFG NOR’ (column I) - this is the 2025 to 2026 NOR, adjusted for the proportion of the year the school was open for 

• ‘25-26 Rates’ (column J) - this is the 2025 to 2026 rates 

• ‘25-26 Split Sites’ (column K) – this is the total 2025 to 2026 split sites funding plus any additional London fringe element 

• ‘25-26 PFI’ (column L) – this is the total 2025 to 2026 PFI funding 

• ‘25-26 Post-MFG Budget’ (column M) - this is the school’s post-MFG budget, which feeds into the ‘New ISB’ worksheet 

• ‘25-26 Opening/Closing’ (column N) - this is the proportion of funding year 2025 to 2026 that the school was open for 

• ‘Additional lump sum for school’ (column O) - this is the additional lump sum given in 2025 to 2026 for schools that amalgamated during 2024 to 2025 

• ‘Additional grants rolled into the DSG allocation’ (column P) - this is the amount of the SBSG and NICs grant that would have been payable to the school based on the number of pupils in the baseline calculation

The ‘25-26 MFG SBS Total’ and ’25-26 MFG SBS per pupil’ (columns AK and AL respectively) are calculated and used in the MFG calculations that feed into the ‘New ISB’ worksheet. 

For any MFG exclusions and adjustments, you must ensure that the full details, are entered, preferably formulaically, into the relevant sections of the ‘Commentary’ worksheet. If a narrative is not provided, a failure will be displayed on the ‘Validation’ sheet.

7.14 ‘Commentary’ 

If any of the factors listed in annex B of the ‘How to complete the authority proforma tool guidance’ have been used in any other worksheet in the APT, or if you are applying any of these funding elements outside the APT, then you must provide full details of the methodology used and (where appropriate) examples. 

If you identify ‘Additional funding from the high needs budget’, your criteria need to be supplied and you should include the amounts in the s251 budget statement in the appropriate line ‘1.2.4 Additional high needs targeted funding for mainstream schools and academies’. 

If you wish to provide additional information which you think would be deemed helpful please send these to the APTsubmissions.QUESTIONS@education.gov.uk mailbox. 

To note that if the sum of one or more factors or exclusions included in this worksheet is different from ‘nil’ and you have provided no commentary, there will be a failure on the ‘Validation sheet’.

7.15 ‘Growth and falling rolls’ 

This worksheet must be used to enter details of the eligibility criteria for growth and falling rolls funding. 

The growth funding section requires you to confirm if either implicit growth or explicit growth are funded. It also requires that you confirm that funding is for basic need and applies to both maintained schools and academies as well as the eligibility criteria and details of how funding will be allocated. 

As a minimum, you will have to provide funding to a level which is compliant with the following formula: 

primary growth factor value (£1,570) × number of pupils × ACA

Growth funding can only be used to cover basic need growth. An amount, which is agreed with the schools forum, is top sliced from the schools block. You allocate out this funding to schools and academies that meet stringent growth funding criteria, which must be agreed by the schools forum. The minimum per-pupil funding criteria set out above must be met, regardless of any other criteria agreed locally.

The falling rolls section requires that you confirm that funding will only be provided where the latest local authority school capacity (SCAP) survey data shows that places will be required in 2026 to 2027 or the subsequent 2 years. It also requires you to confirm the eligibility criteria and details of how funding will be allocated.

To note, if you allocate growth or falling rolls funding you should include these amounts in the s251 budget statement in the appropriate lines (‘1.4.10 Pupil growth’ or ‘1.4.5 Falling Rolls Fund’).

7.16 ‘Factor value limits’ 

This worksheet contains details of the minimum and maximum values which can be used for each factor, in line with the requirement to move each value 10% closer to the NFF. 

The following equation shows how we calculate a 10% movement for each of the NFF factors in each local authority’s formula, where:  

• L1 is the baseline factor value, based on the local authority’s factor value for 2025 to 2026 

• L2 is the local authority’s factor value required for 2026 to 2027 after the 10% tightening is applied 

• N1 is the NFF factor value for 2025 to 2026, multiplied by the ACA 

• N2 is the 2026 to 2027 NFF factor value, multiplied by the ACA 

L2 = L1 + 0.1 × (N1 - L1) + N2 - N1 

If L1 is lower than N1, the value calculated is the minimum value for the factor. The maximum value will be set to 2.5% above N2. 

If L1 is greater than N1, the value calculated is the maximum value for the factor. The minimum value will be set to 2.5% below N2.  

If L1 is within 2.5% of N1, then you are given flexibility to set this factor value within 2.5% of the NFF factor value, either below or above the NFF value. A threshold of 2.5% should allow affordability for you under this tightening requirement.   

London fringe only affects the 5 local authorities which are partially within the fringe. If these local authorities were using the ACA differential in 2025 to 2026 they must continue to do so this year. If they were using a lower value they must move 10% closer in 2026 to 2027. The values selected by these local authorities will not be allowed to exceed the ACA differential and the 2.5% tolerance does not apply to this factor. 

The values on this worksheet are used to validate the entries made on the ‘Proforma’ worksheet. The APT will not allow an entry outside of the minimum and maximum values.

7.17 ‘Proforma’ 

The ‘Proforma’ worksheet is designed for you to enter the unit values for the local authority’s funding allocation. 

In this worksheet, you need to complete the relevant blue cells (dependant on the factors used) and, as with all the other worksheets of the APT, the purple cells are calculation cells that you cannot edit. 

The relevant pupil units for all the pupil-led factors are populated automatically in columns G and H, which is fed by the data from the ‘Adjusted Factors’ worksheet. 

Once you have entered the relevant data, the subtotal and total funding amounts (as well as the proportion of total funding) are calculated in the columns I, J and K respectively. 

To help ensure that each factor complies with the requirement to move 10% closer to the NFF, each of the amounts entered in rows 13 to 41 and rows 47 and 48 are automatically validated against the acceptable range of values shown on the ‘Factor value limits’ worksheet. If a value outside of the range is entered an error message will be displayed.

7.18 ‘Block transfers’ 

This worksheet compares the funding allocated through the APT against the SBF allocated in the DSG. 

The worksheet allows you to enter details of any funding transferred out of the schools block to any of the other DSG blocks, and also details of any funding transferred into the schools block. If the net funding allocated through the APT is lower than the DSG schools block allocation, then you must provide details of one of the following: 

• the schools forum approval (for transfers up to 0.5% – for further information please refer to the schools operational guide: 2026 to 2027) - to note, the transfer amount is calculated on the whole of the SBF prior to rates cash adjustment 

• the reference of the disapplication approving the transfer (where the transfer exceeds 0.5% or forum approval has not been received) 

• details of any block transfers agreed through the safety valve process

7.19 ‘De-delegation’ 

This worksheet should be used to detail any de-delegation values. This is where an agreement exists for specific budgets to be handed back to the local authority, by maintained schools, for funding centrally. 

For the purposes of de-delegation, please note that: 

• middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools have a de-delegation calculation based on both their primary and secondary pupil numbers 

• academies have a de-delegation value of ‘£0.00’ 

You should make an entry in row 44 of the ‘Commentary’ worksheet with details of any entries relating to the former local authority school improvement monitoring and brokering grant.

7.20 ‘Education functions’ 

You can fund specific services relating to maintained schools only from maintained school budget shares. This is with the agreement of maintained school members of the schools forum. 

The ‘Education Functions’ worksheet collects this information. The amount entered will be a single per-pupil rate for pupils aged 5 to 16 years old, for all mainstream maintained schools.

7.21 ‘New ISB’ 

This is an output worksheet displaying the new individual school budgets (ISB) for all your schools, derived from the original school level data and any adjustments to the data recorded by the user in the editable worksheets. 

The per-pupil amounts that have been entered in the proforma (the factor proportions and unit rates) have been combined with NOR to display a breakdown of the different elements contributing to each final ISB. 

The final value on the New ISB shows the funding allocated to each school after deduction of the NFF national non-domestic rates (NNDR) allocation. 

To note that the worksheet is entirely populated using spreadsheet formulae. This cannot be deleted or edited; however, you can select any cell to view the formula used.

7.22 ‘School level SB’ 

In this worksheet, you simply select (or manually enter) the LAEstab number of a school in their local authority. This will then populate the tables contained in the ‘School level SB’ worksheet (such as the proforma and de-delegation tables) with the factors and unit values already populated/selected in the respective worksheets, along with the school’s details. 

This worksheet allows you to display the funding that the selected school will receive, under the formula entered into the APT. In addition to showing the total funding allocated to the selected school, the table also shows the funding after the deduction of the NFF NNDR. 

The purple cells are automatically populated using formulae and, therefore, the content of these cells cannot be edited. Otherwise, this worksheet is not locked, so you will have the ability to adjust it to your needs. 

For example, you can: 

• add rows 

• delete rows (that do not contain purple cells) 

• adjust row heights 

• add columns 

• delete columns (that do not contain purple cells) 

• adjust column widths 

• overtype any text (not contained in purple cells) 

The print range is pre-set to print both tables shown on this sheet, but you can also adjust this if required. 

There is also space for you to include your logo or crest on this page. As such, you may find the worksheet helpful for generating a summary of the 2026 to 2027 funding, which can then be published on the local authority/school intranet, or to send to schools in the local authority.

7.23 ‘Recoupment’ 

This worksheet estimates the amount to be recouped, required for all academies that are open prior to 4 January 2026. This cut-off date is set to make sure that only known conversions are recorded and to ensure consistency across local authorities. Columns D to G are automatically populated with the list of academies and their post-MFG budgets (after the deduction of 2026 to 2027 NFF NNDR), calculated in the ‘New ISB’ worksheet. 

Growth funding adjustments and the narrative to support these (including calculations) are recorded by the user in this worksheet (column J, if applicable). We will only be able to exclude this figure from the total recoupment amount if we are satisfied that the growth fund payments are appropriate and consistent with the narrative agreed in the local authorities 2025 to 2026 APT. 

Where you make a growth fund payment to an academy from September 2025, you should continue this payment until the end of August 2026 as that is when the academy receives its revised funding allocation. To enable you to continue these payments for the period April 2026 to August 2026, we will make an appropriate recoupment adjustment. This adjustment can only be made if it is supported by sufficient evidence, as provided in the required narrative. 

Growth fund recoupment adjustments will not be made for ‘diseconomies of scale’ or ‘start-up’ funding. This funding will continue to be met from your growth fund for the year in which the growth fund is paid. 

Growth fund recoupment adjustments can only be made for the period April to August 2026, to cover payments made to academies for increased pupil numbers from September 2025. This is because these pupils will be included in the autumn 2025 census data, which is used to calculate DSG payments and, subsequently, the ISB for academies which we will then recoup. A recoupment adjustment is appropriate in these circumstances because we will have already recouped DSG funding in respect of the additional pupils, but the academies will not receive this funding until September 2026. 

To note that the recoupment figures calculated in this sheet are provisional and are subject to change. We will write to you by the end of April 2026 to provide the final recoupment amounts, with respect to all academies that will have opened by 31 March 2026. 

After initial recoupment calculations, we will update at points throughout the year, to reflect schools converting/opening.

7.24 ‘Post-16 infrastructure changes’ 

This worksheet has been included for local authorities to tell us about any infrastructure changes happening in maintained schools, so that we can calculate 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. 

Infrastructure changes often require us to adjust individual school allocations. We need to know about these now so that we can calculate and deliver accurate 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations by March 2026 and avoid notifying schools of budget changes late.  

Any changes in academy sixth forms that you are aware of should also be entered here. We will use your information to confirm these with the regional schools commissioner responsible for approving significant changes with academies.

7.25 ‘Validation’  

This worksheet contains important information, influenced solely by what you have input throughout the APT. The worksheet is designed to help you should you wish to undertake any modelling and it should be used as the final review point, prior to you submitting the proforma to us. 

Throughout the APT there are several in-cell validation checks in place which are there to help prevent you entering invalid data (for example, short LAEstab numbers). In addition to these checks, the ‘Validation sheet’ provides further automated checks to help minimise data entered which would result in an incorrect or unallowable allocation being calculated. 

The worksheet displays a variety of pass/fail checks at differing levels. From the high-level analysis of values in the ‘Proforma’ worksheet (for example, checking that the notional sum composition has been entered) to a lower level, such as ensuring that the NOR figures provided for the primary year groups at a specific school are equal to the same school’s total primary NOR. 

At the very top of the worksheet there is the cumulative check. If the result is a pass, it indicates that all other checks have been passed. 

Please note, passing all of these checks does not necessarily mean we will approve the APT. For example, even if the result is a pass on the check relevant to the ‘Commentary’ worksheet, we will still have to confirm that the narratives you have provided comply with the regulations, or that MFG exclusions have been approved. 

We have not been able to build in checks to cover all scenarios, but when creating the APT, we have tried to cover most issues which have resulted in the need to resubmit APTs in the past. 

The table of checks at school level, also has a summary of the check at the top of each column. If: 

• the check is passed, this indicates that all schools listed in the table below have passed that check 

• the check is failed, this indicates that at least one of the schools listed in the table below will be flagged as failing the check; you should scroll down the list to identify where the problem presents itself 

The ‘Validation’ worksheet is there to help you ensure that the data has been entered correctly. Failed checks will not prevent you from submitting the APT; however, an APT submitted with failed checks is likely to require resubmission.

8. Contact information  

Any questions or queries about the APT and how it works, or requests for the password to open your APT file should be made to: 

APTsubmissions.QUESTIONS@education.gov.uk