Guidance

Mainstream free school revenue funding

How we calculate and allocate revenue funding for mainstream free schools in the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This guide explains how much revenue funding mainstream free schools will receive.

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

  • groups proposing to open a mainstream or 16 to 19 free school
  • open mainstream and 16 to 19 free schools
  • groups proposing to open a mainstream (local authority presumption) school

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

For a copy of the financial template and the mainstream free school template guide, contact your DfE delivery officer or email RevenueFunding.FREESCHOOLS@education.gov.uk.

Published 29 November 2013
Last updated 15 September 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated the 2023 to 2024 funding rates in the national 16 to 19 formula funding section.

  2. Added 'A guide to new mainstream free school revenue funding: 2023 to 2024'.

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

  4. 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.

  5. Added updated guide to new mainstream free school revenue funding 2021 to 2022.

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

  7. Updated for the 2019 to 2020 academic year.

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

  9. Updated to include information about the post-opening grant for presumption projects.

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

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

  12. Updated the document for the 2015 to 2016 academic year.

  13. All documents updated in February 2015 to reflect known changes to funding rates. Revised versions including 2015 to 2016 funding rates should be available at the end of March 2015.

  14. Updated 'Financial template for mainstream free schools: 2014 to 2015'.

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

  16. First published.