Guidance

16 to 19 non-maintained special school (NMSS) revenue funding allocation guide: 2024 to 2025

Updated 13 March 2024

This guidance was withdrawn on 26 March 2025

Find the latest information in the 16 to 19 education and skills funding collection.

Applies to England

1. Introduction

This guide explains how we have calculated funding allocations for non-maintained special schools (NMSS) for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

2. Allocation changes

The allocation statement shows your current allocation based on the data available to us at this point.

We reserve the right to reduce or withdraw your allocation at any stage should issues arise through audit or other processes which:

• significantly affect the data underlying your allocation calculation (such as errors in your individualised learner record (ILR) or school census returns)
• significantly affect contract compliance, or
• if we believe that by making an allocation we will be putting public funds at risk

We also reserve the right to change your allocation if there are significant policy or data changes that impact on the calculated figures.

By exception, we will consider evidenced and credible business cases from institutions where there has been a significant error in the data returned by the institution. If you wish to submit a case, please refer to our guidance for submitting a business case.

3. Contact us

If you have questions after reading our guidance, or if there바카라 사이트™s anything else you need help with, you can find more support in our .

4. NMSS funding allocations

We will base NMSS funding allocations on the pupil numbers recorded in the October 2023 school census, uplifted by the difference between the pupil numbers recorded in the October 2022 and January 2023 school censuses. We treat any reduction in pupil numbers between the October 2022 and January 2023 school census as zero. This ensures that no school is funded below its October 2023 census pupil numbers.

We round the values in your statement to various numbers of decimal places. However, we calculate your funding using un-rounded values. This may result in some slight differences when you work through the calculation yourselves.

5. Funded places

This section explains how we calculate funded places in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.

5.1 Total pupil numbers recorded in October 2022 census          

This is the total pupil headcount recorded in the October 2022 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.

5.2 Total pupil numbers recorded in January 2023 census    

This is the total pupil headcount recorded in the January 2023 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.

5.3 Difference between October 2022 and January 2023

We calculate the difference between census data by:

• 바카라 사이트˜total pupil numbers recorded in January 2023 census바카라 사이트™ - 바카라 사이트˜total pupil numbers recorded in October 2022 census바카라 사이트™

5.4 Total pupil numbers recorded in October 2023 census    

This is the total pupil headcount recorded in the October 2023 census based on the age range that the school is legally allowed to make provision for.

5.5 Total places funded for 2024 to 2025

If the 바카라 사이트˜difference between October 2022 and January 2023바카라 사이트™ is greater than zero, then we calculate the total places funded by:

• 바카라 사이트˜difference between October 2022 and January 2023바카라 사이트™ + 바카라 사이트˜total pupil numbers recorded in October 2023 census바카라 사이트™

If the 바카라 사이트˜difference between October 2022 and January 2023바카라 사이트™ is a negative value, we treat this as zero and do not apply a reduction.

6. High needs place funding

This section explains how we calculate high needs place funding in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.

6.1 Pupil numbers (October 2023 census)

These are the pupil numbers recorded in the October 2023 census split by pre-16 pupil numbers and post-16 pupil numbers.

6.2 Proportions used in 2024 to 2025 allocation

These are the proportions of pre-16 and post-16 students to be funded based on the 바카라 사이트˜total pupil numbers recorded in the October 2023 census바카라 사이트™.

6.3 Funded places

These are the percentage proportions applied to the 바카라 사이트˜total places funded for 2024 to 2025바카라 사이트™ shown in the 바카라 사이트˜funded places바카라 사이트™ table.

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The rate of funding per place is £10,000.

6.5 Place funding         

We calculate place funding by:

• 바카라 사이트˜funded places바카라 사이트™ (pre-16 and post-16) × 바카라 사이트˜rate바카라 사이트™

7. Student financial support funding

This section explains how we have calculated student financial support funding in the NMSS revenue funding allocation statement.

We have published financial support advice for institutions on the support young people may be able to access to help them participate in education and training.

7.1 Post-16 funded places number

This is the 바카라 사이트˜funded places바카라 사이트™ (post-16 only) shown in the 바카라 사이트˜high needs place funding바카라 사이트™ table.

7.2 Instances per student

For 바카라 사이트˜element 1: financial disadvantage바카라 사이트™, we use student postcodes from your May census 2023 data return and the index of multiple deprivation (IMD) 2019 to determine the number of instances per student.

For 바카라 사이트˜element 2a: student costs 바카라 사이트“ travel바카라 사이트™, we use student postcodes and delivery location postcodes from your May census 2023 return and the IMD 2019 to determine the number of instances per student.

The maximum 바카라 사이트˜instances per student바카라 사이트™ value is 1.000.

If historic institution-level data is not available to complete the 바카라 사이트˜instances per student바카라 사이트™ calculation, we use local authority average values.

7.3 Number of instances

To calculate the number of instances, we multiply instances per student for 바카라 사이트˜element 1: financial disadvantage바카라 사이트™ and 바카라 사이트˜element 2a: student costs 바카라 사이트“ travel바카라 사이트™ by the post-16 funded place number:

• 바카라 사이트˜instances per student바카라 사이트™ x 바카라 사이트˜post-16 funded place number바카라 사이트™

7.4 Instance funding rate

This is the funding rate for each element of the discretionary bursary for 2024 to 2025. Bursary funding rates are subject to change year on year.

7.5 Funding

We calculate funding by:

• 바카라 사이트˜number of instances바카라 사이트™ x 바카라 사이트˜instance funding rate바카라 사이트™

7.6 Discretionary bursary fund

We calculate the sum of each bursary element by:

• 바카라 사이트˜element 1: financial disadvantage total바카라 사이트™ + 바카라 사이트˜element 2a: student costs travel total바카라 사이트™

7.7 Bursary adjustment by exception

This is an exceptional increase or decrease applied to your discretionary bursary funding.

7.8 Student financial support funding total

We calculate the student financial support funding total by:

• 바카라 사이트˜discretionary bursary fund sub-total바카라 사이트™ + 바카라 사이트˜bursary adjustment by exception바카라 사이트™

If 바카라 사이트˜discretionary bursary fund sub-total바카라 사이트™ is greater than £0 but less than £500, then we will uplift the allocation to £500.