Recovery premium: government announces funding rates for schools

Through what has been dubbed the recovery premium, schools will receive an additional £145 for each eligible pupil in mainstream education and £290 for each eligible pupil in a special unit in 2021/22.

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A floor system has been used to calculate payments which will mean each eligible school will receive a minimum payment of £2,000 for primaries and £6,000 for secondaries.

School allocations and the conditions of grant will be published ahead of the first payment in September, with three subsequent payments spread across the academic year.

The recovery premium will be allocated using the same data as the pupil premium so will apply to pupils who:

• are eligible for free schools meals (FSM)

• have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years

• are looked after by local authorities

• are former looked after children

As with pupil premium, the funding for looked-after children will be paid to the local authority and should be managed by the virtual school head.

The government states that schools should spend the premium on evidence-based approaches to supporting pupils, which includes activities that:

• support the quality of teaching, such as staff professional development

• provide targeted academic support, such as tutoring

• deal with non-academic barriers to success in school, such as attendance, behaviour and social and emotional support.

Like the pupil premium, schools can spend the recovery premium on a wider cohort of pupils than those who attract the funding or direct premium spending where they think the need is greatest.

School will be expected to show how they are using the funding.

The plans for a recovery premium were first announced in February, as part of the government’s £700m schools catch up plan.