What catch-up funding is for

In June 2020 the government announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up on missed learning caused by coronavirus (COVID19). This is especially important for the most vulnerable pupils and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who we know have been most affected. This funding included a one-off universal £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020 to 2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for missed learning. 

2021-22

In February 2021, the government announced a one-off recovery premium as part of its package of funding to support education recovery. The recovery premium provides additional funding for state-funded schools in the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Building on the pupil premium, this funding will help schools to deliver evidence-based approaches for supporting disadvantaged pupils. All schools that are eligible for pupil premium are eligible for recovery premium. The recovery premium will be allocated using the same data as the pupil premium. This means the following pupils will attract recovery premium funding to schools:

• pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM)
• pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years
• children looked after by local authorities and referred to as looked-after children (LAC)
• post looked-after children (post-LAC)

Mainstream schools will get £145 for each eligible pupil in mainstream education

Schools should spend this premium on evidence-based approaches to support pupils. In line with the Education Endowment Foundation’s pupil premium guide, activities should include those 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

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Like the pupil premium schools can:

• spend the recovery premium on a wider cohort of pupils than those who attract the funding
• direct recovery premium spending where they think the need is greatest