The government is providing funding of £600m across the 2 years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. It is a recognition of the importance of building and maintaining healthy, active lifestyles in young children. The funding is ring-fenced and has to be focused on making sustainable improvements that will benefit current and future pupils. Eligible expenditure includes teacher training and top-up swimming lessons.
Funding for the current year is calculated on the basis of the school census and is paid at the rate of £1,000 per pupil for schools with 16 or fewer pupils. Schools with 17 or more pupils receive £16,000 plus an additional £10 per pupil. 7/12th of the annual funding was paid to academies in November with the balance due for payment in May.
Schools have to publish the amount they have received, how they have spent it and the impact it has had on pupils. If the amount of funding is particularly significant it has to be disclosed separately in the annual financial statements.
One of the conditions of the grant is that it has to be spent in full by 31 July each year. Over the last 2 years (during the pandemic) the government acknowledged that it was difficult to spend the funding and allowed unspent grants to be carried forward rather than be repaid. Last week the government announced that it was extending the dispensation for 2022 to 2023, so it will be possible to carry forward unspent amounts at the end of the current academic year. However, in future years, the government will recover any underspend so it is important to ensure there is a plan in place to use the available funding.
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