Guidance

Conditions of grant: intensive training and practice grant for accredited ITT providers

Published 23 July 2026

Applies to England

Introduction

This conditions of grant document is in addition to the Department for Education (DfE) grant terms and conditions and should be read before signing the grant offer letter.

Accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers are eligible to claim intensive training and practice (ITAP) grant funding for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. This funding is designed to support providers with the costs related to the ITAP element of the ITT: criteria and accompanying advice.

The grant funding applies to trainees starting their training in the 2026 to 2027 academic year only (between 1 September 2026 and 31 May 2027).

Providers can incur costs ahead of the start of the academic year, as long as they are not incurred before the start of the 2026 to 2027 financial year (6 April 2026). Eligible costs can be incurred up to 31 August 2027.

Use the relevant guidance and conditions of grant for information on the grant funding available for undergraduate trainees who started their training in the 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 academic years.

Funding will be administered under section 14(1) of the Education Act 2002.

Purpose of the grant

This funding is dedicated to support providers with the cost of delivering the ITAP element as set out in the ITT: criteria and accompanying advice.

For the 2026 to 2027 academic year, this funding is specifically for accredited providers who ensure that the majority of their ITAP content supports trainees in adaptive teaching and meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The funding is designed to help with the cost of creating and delivering the training to trainees.

This element will be delivered by teaching experts to give trainees more focus on:

• specific areas of the ITT curriculum
• applying their learning to practical classroom situations
• getting continued feedback from subject specialists and other experts

Accredited ITT providers are responsible for providing ITAP for their trainees. DfE’s ITAP guidance provides additional detail to help accredited ITT providers and their partner schools to understand the ITAP element of ITT, and how the needs of pupils with SEND can be incorporated.

Funding eligibility

Eligible providers

ITAP funding can only be claimed by accredited ITT providers.

ITAP content: SEND requirement

To receive funding, providers must ensure that the majority of their ITAP content supports trainees in adaptive teaching and meeting the needs of pupils with SEND. This is a condition of the grant. Providers who do not meet this requirement will not be eligible to receive ITAP grant funding.

As outlined in the ITAP guidance this can be done in 2 ways:

• ITAP on specific SEND-related teaching elements on areas such as working with pupils who have challenges in executive function.
• Weaving a lens of SEND and adaptive teaching throughout ITAP. This includes considering how approaches to teaching and supporting pupils with SEND are part of ITAP focus areas such as classroom routines, questioning or scaffolding. This would allow trainees to consider pupils with SEND at each step of the ITAP cycle from analysing the evidence and seeing it modelled to critically evaluating, practising and gaining feedback.

Weaving considerations of pupils with SEND throughout the ITAP cycle

The following examples show how a lens of SEND and adaptive teaching can be woven throughout the stages of an ITAP cycle.

1. Introduce and analyse the evidence base

If available, include evidence on how this element can be applied to ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND or those with multiple barriers to learning participate and succeed. There may not be a specific evidence base for the ITAP topic and pupils with SEND, but providers could consider wider adaptive teaching evidence or discuss lack of evidence.

2. Expert modelling

Trainees observe examples in practice, either in live or recorded form. This should also include modelling of good practice for pupils with SEND.

3. Critically examine

Trainees should examine the impact of the ITAP element on pupils, including those with SEND. Where it was not possible to model technique specifically for pupils with SEND, trainees may examine what this could look like.

4. Practise

Trainees may be given the chance to plan and practise the aspects with pupils with SEND. If this is not possible, trainees should be supported to plan for diverse needs and receive feedback on this planning.

5. Receive feedback

Expert feedback should identify trainee success and areas for further development. It should comment directly on the application and impact of the ITAP element on pupils with SEND.

Number of ITAP days

Providers should confirm that trainees are supported in adaptive teaching and meeting the needs of pupils with SEND in the majority of ITAP days, for example:

• 11 out of 20 days for postgraduates
• 16 out of 30 days for undergraduates

If SEND content is woven throughout the ITAP, it does not need to be explicitly covered in every day of the area of focus provided it is successfully woven through every stage of the ITAP cycle. In this case, all days within that ITAP area of focus may be counted towards the requirement.  

Examples of ITAP that would qualify for funding

These are for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect DfE preferences.

Provider A offers an ITAP on executive functioning difficulties

This ITAP area of focus lasts 5 days and is focused on a SEND specific teaching element. This meets the criteria for grant funding, so the provider can count the full 5 days towards their total.

Provider B offers an ITAP on purposeful and effective questioning

This ITAP area of focus lasts 6 days. It contains content on questioning purposes and approaches, and supporting pupils with SEND is woven through the ITAP cycle.

Trainees:

• examine the evidence around using questioning to support pupils’ metacognitive regulation
• use questioning to ascertain starting points and analyse learner gaps with a particular focus on SEND learners and the multiple barriers they may face
• look at how successful teachers use questioning to strengthen and sustain universal practices that are especially important for pupils with additional needs
• practise in low stakes environments and in live classroom settings using ‘hinge questions’ to know when to adapt or respond to learner needs
• reflect upon a specific area of SEND, for example a pupil with speech, language and communication needs might benefit from thinking time and the provision of scaffolds to support sentence starters when responding to classroom questions

5 out of 6 ITAP days have some SEND content woven through, but as SEND content is woven through every element of the ITAP cycle, the provider may count all 6 days towards their total.

ITAP that would not qualify for funding

Provider C offers ITAP on questioning, which makes reference to pupils with SEND in isolated areas of the ITAP cycle. For example, when modelling questioning, experts model how to vary questioning for pupils with executive functioning differences.

However, SEND content is not woven through the ITAP area of focus as:

• there is no reference to adaptive teaching or supporting pupils with SEND in other areas of the ITAP cycle
• providers do not look at evidence regarding pupils with SEND
• trainees do not practise or receive feedback on how to vary questioning for different pupil groups, including those with SEND

As SEND content is not woven through the ITAP area of focus, it does not count towards the overall total.

What you can spend ITAP funding on

This funding can only be spent on the costs associated with ITAP as set out in the ITT: criteria and accompanying advice.

This includes the expectation that trainees will spend a minimum of 4 weeks (postgraduates) or 6 weeks (undergraduates) in intensive training and practice.

They will receive a minimum of 5 hours (postgraduates) or 4 hours (undergraduates) of expert support per week.

This funding can be used for:

• paying schools to deliver the ‘in-school’ element of intensive training and practice
• paying for the time subject, SEND specialists and other experts spend on preparing an intensive training and practice element
• paying for subject specialists, SEND specialists and other experts to deliver this element to trainees

Providers have the discretion to pass on any or all this funding to partner schools if they help to create and deliver this element to trainees, but it must not duplicate other government funding.

Trainees that providers can claim for

Postgraduate and undergraduate trainees

The amount of funding providers will be eligible to claim will be based on the number of postgraduate and undergraduate trainees starting their ITT course in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Providers can claim ITAP funding if their trainees:

• started or returned to their training at any time between 1 September 2026 and 31 May 2027
• are on undergraduate or postgraduate courses
• are on a course leading to qualified teacher status (QTS)
• are on full-time or part-time courses
• are registered with DfE through the Register trainee teachers service

Providers cannot claim ITAP funding for trainees undertaking assessment only or the high potential ITT programme.

Use the ITT reform funding guidance: 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 for information on the funding available for undergraduate trainees who are part way through their course. 

Trainees that defer or withdraw from ITT

Accredited ITT providers can claim this funding if a trainee starts their training in the 2026 to 2027 academic year but then defers or withdraws later in that same academic year.

Providers can also claim this funding for a trainee if:

• they have deferred before the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year and
• returned to their first year of training at any point during the 2026 to 2027 academic year

For example, if a postgraduate trainee started their ITT training in October 2025 and decided to defer during that year and return to their training in January 2027, the trainee’s provider can claim the £204 to cover the cost of intensive training and practice for that trainee.

Providers must not count trainees who have deferred and then returned to their training across both years, to avoid double funding. For example, if a trainee defers and then returns to their training in the following year, providers can claim for their trainee in either of these years, but not both.

Funding amounts

The amount of funding will be based on the number of trainees starting their ITT course in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Funding per 6 weeks (undergraduate) or 4 weeks (postgraduate) of intensive training and practice has been calculated on a per trainee basis.

Funding cannot be claimed for trainees undertaking assessment only or the high potential ITT programme.

Funding available	Funding period	Recipient of funding	How it is paid
£204 per trainee for postgraduates	Trainees starting their training in academic year 2026 to 2027	Accredited ITT Providers	Payments will be made in arrears based on number of trainees and ITT course starts
£298 per trainee for undergraduates	Trainees starting their training in academic year 2026 to 2027	Accredited ITT Providers	Payments will be made in arrears based on number of trainees and ITT course starts

When to claim

The point at which a provider can make a claim depends on the course type and length of a trainee’s ITT course. Providers with:

• postgraduate trainees on a 1-year course should claim at the end of the 2026 to 2027 academic year
• part-time postgraduate trainees on a 2-year course should claim at the end of the 2026 to 2027 academic year
• undergraduate trainees on a 3-year course should claim at the end of the 2028 to 2029 academic year
• undergraduate trainees on a 4-year course should claim at the end of the 2029 to 2030 academic year

Where a trainee withdraws from their ITT course, providers should submit a claim based on when the trainee intended to finish.

When providers make a claim, their trainees should be registered with DfE through the Register trainee teachers service. This includes recording where each trainee did their school placements during their course. Providers’ trainee registration data will be checked to make sure that the number of trainees that started their training is accurate.

Funding example

A provider who has 50 trainees on postgraduate ITT courses and 50 trainees on 3-year undergraduate ITT courses, who all start their training in the 2026 to 2027 academic year and meet the conditions of this grant, can claim up to:

• £10,200 for postgraduate trainees (£204 per trainee x 50 trainees)
• £14,900 for undergraduate trainees (£298 per trainee x 50 trainees)

The provider in this example can claim up to a total of £25,100.

The grant funding for the postgraduate trainees will be paid at the end of the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

The grant funding for the 3-year undergraduate trainees will be paid at the end of the 2028 to 2029 academic year.

Claim and payment process

All accredited ITT providers will receive a grant offer letter through Adobe Sign which should be reviewed, signed and returned within 28 days. We expect to begin issuing grant offer letters in late 2026.

Accredited ITT providers will no longer need to apply for this grant and will automatically be issued with a grant offer letter.

Once a signed grant offer letter has been received, DfE will issue an ITAP grant claim form which providers should use to declare their trainee numbers and expenditure.

The deadline to submit ITAP grant claim forms is 30 September 2027. Claim forms must be submitted to ITTReform.funding@education.gov.uk.

DfE will review and make payments between September 2027 and December 2027.

Variation

These conditions of grant may be altered at any time. Participating institutions will be notified of this through existing channels.

Assurance

We have a responsibility to make sure public funds are properly managed in line with these grant conditions. As payment will be made in arrears, we reserve the right to ask providers to confirm that the money has been spent in the intended way.

Acceptance of the funding will be taken as confirmation.

Annual Certificate of Expenditure or Statement of Grant Usage

Once payment has been received, all providers will need to submit an Annual Certificate of Expenditure or Statement of Grant Usage (included with the grant offer letter) by 31 December 2027. This may include having to engage an external accountant/auditor to sign off the Annex G certificate.

• HEI or private companies with a total claim of £40,000 or above should submit an Annual Certification of Expenditure (Annex G (i)) This will require sign-off from a third-party auditor and will usually incur a cost. Providers may claim the cost, or partial cost, of the independent audit using any ITAP grant underspend and should provide a copy of the quote from their auditor alongside their grant claim form as these costs can only be claimed in advance.
• Local authority-maintained schools, academies and further education organisations should submit a Statement of Grant Usage (Annex G (ii)), which is self-certified and does not require sign-off from a third-party auditor. HEIs and private companies claiming less than £40,000 for the year can also submit an Annex G (ii). DfE reserves the right to request an Annex G (i) retrospectively.

As part of the Annex G return, all providers should submit information relating to the SEND content within their ITAP. Information will be requested for each undergraduate or postgraduate course. For example primary undergraduate, secondary postgraduate, teaching apprenticeships, including:

• the number of days of ITAP that has been delivered
• how many of those days are part of a SEND specific ITAP, or an ITAP that has SEND woven throughout it
• a brief description of the approach to ITAP delivery, including any SEND specific ITAPs and/or any ITAPs with SEND woven throughout

For ITAPs with SEND woven throughout, providers should explain how SEND has been embedded across each stage of the ITAP cycle (see the section on Funding eligibility for more information). There will be a maximum word count of 200 words.

An example of the table that will be included in your Annex G for completion.

Course name	primary undergraduate (for example)	Add course name	Add course name
Total number of ITAP days	30 days (for example)	Add the number of days	Add the number of days
Number of those days that are SEND inclusive	16 days (for example)	Add the number of days	Add the number of days
Description of the approach to ITAP SEND delivery (200 words max)	Include information on SEND specific ITAPs and/or SEND woven ITAPs and how they are embedded across the ITAP cycle	Description of the approach to ITAP SEND delivery	Description of the approach to ITAP SEND delivery

Evidence required if selected for audit sample

DfE will select a random sample of at least 10 percent of the value of the grant funding paid to providers and will ask that selected providers submit evidence of spend alongside their assurance return. Evidence could include:

• invoices
• receipts
• pay slips
• salary statements
• payroll data generated from payroll systems

Providers selected as part of the random sample will also be required to submit evidence of the ITAP content relating to SEND that they have described as part of their Annex G return.

Using information provided in the Annex G return, one ITAP course will be randomly selected for review.

Providers must then submit evidence relating to the selected ITAP to verify that they meet the conditions regarding SEND related content as set out in the section on Funding eligibility.

Evidence should clearly demonstrate the content covered within the selected ITAP and may include, but is not limited to, ITAP handbooks, curriculum maps or other relevant documentation.

Providers who are not selected as part of the DfE’s random sampling will not be required to submit evidence of spend or ITAP curriculum documents to DfE alongside their assurance return.

DfE reserves the right to request evidence of spend and ITAP curriculum documents retrospectively, therefore all providers should retain all evidence.

Recovery of funding

This funding is being provided under section 14(1) of the Education Act 2002 and we reserve the right to audit the expenditure.

We may seek to recover funding that has been paid in error or has not been used for the intended purpose.

Recoveries will be made by invoice or by offsetting the amount against subsequent payments due from DfE.

The recipient must notify DfE immediately through the ITTReform.funding@education.gov.uk email if it becomes aware of any instance of error, suspected fraud or financial irregularity in the use of the funds.

Timeline

The following indicative timeline can be used by providers to support planning activities for the intensive training and practice grant.

Activity	Dates
Grant period – any expenditure incurred outside of this period cannot be claimed against this grant	6 April 2026 to 31 July 2027
Grant offer letters issued to all accredited ITT providers for signature. They must be signed by an authorised representative and returned within 28 days	By 31 December 2026
ITAP grant claim form issued	Spring 2027
Deadline for providers to submit their ITAP grant claim form	30 September 2027
Grant funding is paid in arrears	From August 2027
Providers chosen for audit to be selected and notified	October 2027
Deadline for all accredited providers to submit an Annex G assuring their grant spend	31 December 2027

If you are an accredited ITT provider and would like additional information about the ITAP grant, please email ITTReform.funding@education.gov.uk.