Catch Up Premium

Covid-19 Catch Up Premium

The government announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up lost time after school closure. This is especially important for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Funding allocations

School allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis. Mainstream school will get £80 for each pupil in from reception to year 6 inclusive.
Payment schedule
Schools will get funding in 3 tranches:
1. Autumn 2020 – this is based on the latest available data on pupils in mainstream schools. For mainstream schools, we will use the pupil headcount from the October 2020 census.
2. Early 2021 – based on updated pupil and place data. This payment will also take account of the initial part payment made in autumn 2020 so that schools will receive a total of £46.67 per pupil.
3. Summer 2021 term – a further £33.33 per pupil.

Using catch-up funding

Schools should use this funding for specific activities to support their pupils to catch up for lost teaching over the previous months, in line with the curriculum expectations for the next academic year in full school opening guidance. While schools can use their funding in a way that suits their cohort and circumstances, they are expected to use this funding for specific activities which will help pupils catch up on missed education.

To support schools to make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a coronavirus (COVID-19) support guide for schools with evidence-based approaches to catch up for all pupils.

To support schools to implement their catch-up plans effectively, EEF has published the school planning guide: 2020 to 2021. This will provide further guidance on how schools should implement catch-up strategies and supporting case studies to highlight effective practice.

Accountability: school leaders and governors
School leaders must be able to show they are using the funding to resume teaching a normal curriculum as quickly as possible following partial or full school closure.
Governors and trustees should scrutinise schools’ approaches to catch-up from September 2020, including their plans for and use of catch-up funding. This should include consideration of whether schools are spending this funding in line with their catch-up priorities and ensuring appropriate transparency for parents.

Monitoring by Ofsted

Ofsted will visit some schools during the autumn 2020 term to discuss how they are bringing pupils back into full-time education. These discussions may include plans schools have to spend their catch-up funding. Cracoe and Rylstone Primary received one of these visits in the autumn term 2020. Ofsted may resume routine inspections from January 2021 although the exact timings are being kept under review.

When routine inspections restart, Ofsted will make judgements about the quality of education being provided and how school leaders are using their funding and catch-up funding to ensure the curriculum has a positive impact on all pupils.

Catch up premium