Tolerance examples 2023 to 2024
Updated 13 February 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-funding/tolerance-examples-2023-to-2024
1. Under- and over-delivery
This guide shows examples of what your delivery may look like. You may find it useful to look at the relevant section in the T Level funding guidance for academic year 2023 to 2024.
As delivery is now embedded across the sector, we have reduced this tolerance to 10% against each funding band for institutions who started to deliver T Levels prior to the 2023 to 2024 academic year. However, it remains at 20% for institutions starting to deliver T Levels, in the academic year 2023 to 2024.
- If you delivered any T Level programme before 2023 to 2024 your tolerance is 10%. This also applies if you are running a T Level programme that is new to your institution
- If you are delivering T Levels for the first time in 2023 to 2024 then your tolerance is 20%
You will find separate sections in this guide to cover the 2 different tolerance rates.
2. Institutions who started to deliver T Levels in 2022 to 2023 or earlier
3. Under-delivery
10% or lower – we will not recover any funding
Table 1 shows that the institution had 40 agreed students in band 6 and under-delivered by 4 (so 10%). Therefore, we have not reduced T Level student numbers for that band.
Table 1
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 36 | ||
| no revision | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
Over 10% – we will recover funding
Where we reduce your student numbers, we will also recover funding for:
- industry placements
- the difference in funding between band 6 and band 5
- additional funding paid for T Level students, the higher rate for disadvantage funding
Table 2 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 20 students in band 6, the tolerance of 10% is 4 students, so we adjust by the difference, which is 16 and we convert those 16 students to band 5.
Table 2
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 20 | ||
| revision | 40 | 24 | 476 | 1,000 |
Table 3 shows that the institution has under-delivered in both bands 6 and 7, by 20 students in each band, the tolerance of 10% is students; so, we have reduced the numbers in both bands by 16 and moved these 32 students in total into band 5.
Table 3
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 20 | 20 | ||
| revision | 24 | 24 | 492 | 1,000 |
4. Over-delivery
Table 4 shows that the institution has over-delivered by 10 students in band 6. Therefore, we have increased the numbers in band 6 and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation. We will manage this through the usual exceptional in-year growth process.
Table 4
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation for all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 30 | 40 | 450 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 30 | 50 | ||
| revision – increase in band 6 student numbers and reduction in band 5 (overall lagged student numbers remain constant) | 30 | 50 | 440 | 1,000 |
5. Under-delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 5 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 15 students in T Level band 7 but over-delivered by 10 in band 6. We treat each band separately. We fund all additional T Level students and reduce the corresponding number from band 5. For under-delivery we apply the 10% tolerance. The under-delivery is 15, the tolerance is 4 students, so we reduce the planned numbers by the difference which is 11 students. These 11 are added to the band 5 student numbers.
Table 5
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 25 | 50 | ||
| revision | 29 | 50 | 461 | 1,000 |
6. Zero delivery overall
Table 6 shows that the institution had zero T Level delivery. In this case all students would be moved into band 5 and no delivery is recorded for bands 6 and 7.
Table 6
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 540 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | ||||
| revision | 0 | 0 | 620 | 1,000 |
7. Zero delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 7 shows that institution has zero T Level delivery at band 7 but over-delivered at band 6. We treat the 2 bands separately.
As there was no delivery at band 7 but delivery has taken place in other bands, we would apply the 10% tolerance to band 7 and move all the remaining students to band 5.
For band 6 we have increased the numbers and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation.
Table 7
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 0 | 50 | ||
| revision | 4 | 50 | 486 | 1,000 |
8. Institutions who will start delivering T Levels in 2023 to 2024
9. Under-delivery
20% or lower – we will not recover any funding
Table 8 shows that the institution had 40 agreed students in band 6 and under-delivered by 5 (so 12.5%). Therefore, we have not reduced T Level student numbers for that band.
Table 8
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 35 | ||
| no revision | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
Over 20% – we will recover funding
Where we reduce your student numbers, we will recover funding for:
- industry placements
- the difference in funding between band 6 and band 5
- additional funding paid for T Level students, the higher rate for disadvantage funding
Table 9 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 20 students in band 6, the tolerance of 20% is 8 students, so we adjust by the difference, which is 12 and we convert those 12 students to band 5.
Table 9
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 20 | ||
| revision | 40 | 28 | 472 | 1,000 |
Table 10 shows that the institution has under-delivered in both bands 6 and 7, by 20 students in each band. The tolerance of 20% is 8 students therefore, we have reduced the numbers in both bands by 12 and moved these 24 students in total into band 5.
Table 10
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2022 to 2023 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 20 | 20 | ||
| revision | 28 | 28 | 484 | 1,000 |
10. Over-delivery
Table 11 shows that the institution has over-delivered by 10 students in band 6. Therefore, we have increased the numbers in band 6 and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation. We will manage this through the usual exceptional in-year growth process.
Table 11
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation for all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 30 | 40 | 450 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 30 | 50 | ||
| revision – increase in band 6 student numbers and reduction in band 5 (overall lagged student numbers remain constant) | 30 | 50 | 440 | 1,000 |
11. Under-delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 12 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 15 students in T Level band 7 but over-delivered by 10 in band 6. We treat each band separately. We fund all additional T Level students and reduce the corresponding number from band 5. For under-delivery we apply the 20% tolerance. The under-delivery is 15, the tolerance is 8 students, so we reduce the planned numbers by the difference which is 7 students. These 7 are added to the band 5 student numbers.
Table 12
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 25 | 50 | ||
| revision | 33 | 50 | 457 | 1,000 |
12. Zero delivery overall
Table 13 shows that the institution had zero T Level delivery. In this case all students would be moved into band 5 and no delivery at bands 6 and 7 would be recorded.
Table 13
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 540 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | ||||
| revision | 0 | 0 | 620 | 1,000 |
13. Zero delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 14 shows that institution has zero T Level delivery at band 7 but over-delivered at band 6.
We treat the 2 bands separately and as there was no delivery at band 7 but delivery has taken place in other bands, we would apply the tolerance to band 7 and all the remaining students in that band would be moved to band 5.
For band 6, we have increased the numbers and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation.
Table 14
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 0 | 50 | ||
| revision | 8 | 50 | 482 | 1,000 |