Academies revenue funding allocations
Information for academies about their annual revenue funding.
Introduction
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funds academies (including free schools, university technical colleges and special academies) on the same basis as maintained schools. We base allocations and payments to academies on an academic year, compared with financial year for maintained schools.
You can read a separate guide about funding for new academies.
A to Z of academies funding terms and acronyms
We explain the main funding terms and acronyms in our A to Z of academies funding.
Annual allocations
2021 to 2022 academic year
On 20 July 2020, The Minister of State for School Standards, Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, confirmed the provisional funding allocations for 2021 to 2022 through the schools, high needs and central school services national funding formulae (NFF).
It is important to note that individual schools’ and academies’ actual funding may be different to the amounts shown in these tables. This is because local authorities continue to set a local formula, in consultation with local schools’ forums, and within the framework of the schools operational guide to determine individual schools’ budgets in their areas.
General annual grant (GAG) allocation statements for 2021 to 2022 timetable
We have uploaded all pre-16 allocation statements for 2021 to 2022 to academies that opened before or on 1 January 2021.
These can be found in the revenue funding’ folder (2021/22) in the Document Exchange section of Information Exchange.
For those academies with sixth forms, separate 16 to 19 allocation statements have also been uploaded.
2021 to 2022 allocation statements for February and March 2021 opening academies will be issued by the end of April 2021.
You can read guidance for academies on general annual grant allocation statements for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
For academies with sixth forms, your allocation statement will no longer include your total 16 to 19 funding amount. The detail of this allocation will only be shown on your 16 to 19 funding statement, which we’ll upload to Document Exchange separately. You can read more about the 16 to 19 allocations process and timelines.
General annual grant (GAG) allocation statements for 2020 to 2021 timetable
We’ve issued academy general annual grant (GAG) allocation statements for the 2020 to 2021 academic year for all open academies. For academies open before 1 September 2020, these are available in Document Exchange. If you’re unsure about your access to Document Exchange there’s guidance available on GOV.UK.
We send draft allocation statements to new academies by email prior to opening. We issue final funding allocation towards the end of the first month of opening.
We’ve published GAG allocations guidance to help academies understand their allocation statements.
Academy funding in 2020 to 2021: an overview of funding for the current academic year
We calculate most of an academy’s revenue funding using the pupil numbers taken from either the autumn census return or an agreed estimate of pupil numbers, as outlined in the academy’s funding agreement.
Academies funded on estimates may be subject to the pupil number adjustment process; visit our academies funded on estimates page for more information.
We used pupil numbers from either the autumn 2019 census or the agreed estimate of pupil numbers for the 2020 to 2021 academic year.
For 2020 to 2021, we’ll continue to use the national funding formula (NFF) for schools and for high needs, to allocate budgets to local authorities.
It is important to note that the NFF school-level allocations that we published in September 2019 were notional allocations only. In 2020 to 2021, local authorities have continued to set a local formula which has determined individual school and academy budgets in their authority. As in previous years, local authorities submitted this local formula to us so that we could produce and issue academies allocation statements.
The general annual grant (GAG)
Most funding for academies comes from the general annual grant (GAG). This is made up of:
- school budget share – calculated on the same basis as for maintained schools in the same local authority.Guidance for 2020 to 2021 explains how we calculate the school budget share.
The minimum funding guarantee (MFG) is a protection against changes in per pupil school budget share (SBS) funding between the 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 academic years. The amount of protection will vary according to the impact of local changes in the funding formula and the effect of these on individual per pupil rates.
In 2020 to 2021, local authorities have the flexibility to set local MFG between +0.5% and +1.84% per pupil in order to offer higher levels of protection locally.
Where appropriate, the GAG may also include funding for high needs places, 16 to 19 students and start-up funding for new institutions.
16 to 19 funding
Information about how colleges, schools and academies receive their 16 to 19 allocations is available on our 16 to 19 funding allocations guidance page.
High needs funding
Local authorities commission education provision for pupils that attract high needs funding. This means academies receive high needs funding from both ESFA and local authorities.
We have published information on high needs funding arrangements for 2020 to 2021.
Academies revenue payments
ESFA pays academies’ GAG in 12 equal instalments in accordance with the terms set out in the academy’s funding agreement. A monthly remittance note accompanies each payment. Revenue funding: payments to academies explains how academies are paid and how to change bank details.
Revenue funding outside the general annual grant
Many academies receive funding outside their GAG, including:
- early years funding
- national non domestic rates (NNDR)
- pupil premium
- PE and sport premium for primary schools
- universal infant free school meals
- high needs top-up funding for 2020 to 2021
- teachers’ pay grant
- teacher pensions employer contribution grant
Published 11 March 2014
Last updated 1 April 2021 + show all updates
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We’ve added information about academy funding allocation statements for 2021 to 2022.
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Funding allocations information for the year 2021 to 2022 has now been added
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We’ve updated this page to add up-to-date information for 2020 to 2021.
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We’ve updated the 2020 to 2021 timetable information
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We’ve updated the information regarding allocation guidance and added more detail about the NFF notional allocations
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We’ve added the timeline for production of allocation statements
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Updated with information for 2019 to 2020
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We’ve added the link to the 2019 to 2020 general annual grant allocation guidance for academies that were open before 1 April 2019.
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We have confirmed ESG protection arrangements in 2019 to 2020 for eligible academies.
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We’ve updated the page to include high level information about 2019 to 2020
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We’ve updated the section ‘General annual grant allocation statements for 2018 to 2019 timetable’ to reflect that we have issued 2018 to 2019 academy GAG allocation statements for all academies open at 1 January 2018.
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We’ve added a link to the 2018 to 2019 academy general annual grant allocation guides
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We’ve updated the funding allocations information 2018 to 2019
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Information added on timeline for 2017 to 2018 academic year allocations.
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Updated to include information on ESG protection.
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Updated information and removed information for academies funded on estimates to a separate page.
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Information about 2014 to 2015 removed. Details of pupil number adjustment for 2015 to 2016 added. Information about 2016 to 2017 funding added including education services grant rates.
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Link to funding video for 2016 to 2017 added.
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Links to funding videos on YouTube added.
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This page has been updated to include the pupil number adjustment calculator for the 2014 to 2015 academic year.
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Links to funding training videos and registration for webinars added.
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ESG rates for 2015 to 2016 academic year added and a link to a guidance note about the ESG changes.
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Updated to add a letter to academies about funding arrangement for 2015 to 2016
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Updated pupil number adjustment calculator added.
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Pupil number adjustment (PNA) details for the 2013 to 2014 academic year added.
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First published.
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