How much funding schools receive, and advice on how to spend it.

The literacy and numeracy catch-up premium gives state-funded schools, including special schools and alternative provision settings, additional funding to support year 7 pupils who did not achieve the expected standard in reading or maths at the end of key stage 2 (KS2).

Allocations for the financial year 2018 to 2019

In 2018 to 2019, we are allocating funding to schools on the basis that they receive the same overall amount of year 7 catch-up premium funding they received in 2017 to 2018. It will be adjusted to reflect the percentage change in the size of their year 7 cohort, based on the October 2018 census.

See the year 7 catch-up premium funding allocations and conditions of grant for the 2018 to 2019 financial year.

Payments

Local authority maintained schools (including special schools and PRUs)

Local authority maintained schools do not receive funding directly from DfE. We give your year 7 catch-up premium funding to your local authority and they pass it on to you.

We pay local authorities on 28 February 2019.

Academies and free schools (including special and alternative provision)

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) pays academies and free schools their year 7 catch-up premium funding directly.

We pay academies on 1 March 2019.

How to use the year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium

You should identify pupils who need extra support from the year 7 catch-up premium, so you can decide the best way to use the funding.

From 31 July, secondary schools can use the question level analysis function (QLA) in the Analyse School Performance (ASP) service, formerly RAISEonline, to identify specific areas to focus on with new year 7s who haven’t reached the expected standard in key stage 2 tests.

QLA gives a breakdown of individual pupils’ performance in each question and element of the three KS2 tests:

  • mathematics
  • reading
  • grammar, punctuation and spelling

You should only select programmes and approaches that you know are effective. For example, you could use the funding to pay for:

  • individual tuition
  • intensive small-group tuition
  • external services and materials
  • summer schools that help students catch up over a short period of time

You can find examples of effective approaches and programmes in our summary of research into literacy and numeracy catch-up strategies.

Accountability

You must publish details of how you spend your year 7 catch-up premium funding on your website.

Guidance on what specific information you need to publish on your website is available.

Ofsted inspectors currently consider how your school is using the premium.

Published 25 March 2014
Last updated 18 February 2019 + show all updates

  1. We have updated this page with details of the year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up grant for the 2018 to 2019 financial year.
  2. The updated ‘Literacy and numeracy catch-up strategies’ is now available.
  3. Updated with information on allocations for the financial year 2017 to 2018.
  4. Added links to the allocations and conditions of grant for the 2016 to 2017 academic year.
  5. Updated with information on allocations for the financial year 2016 to 2017.
  6. Added a link to year 7 catch-up premium funding allocations for the financial year 2015 to 2016.
  7. Updated with information on catch-up premium allocations and payments for the financial year 2015 to 2016.
  8. Added information about funding allocations for 2014 to 2015.
  9. First published.

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