73 Pots Of Money: The 2027 School Funding Guide

I want to start with a catalog. It's glossy, about 40 pages, and it lands in every single primary school in October. Right. I know the exact one. You've got climbing frames, trim trails, and a pirate ship with a slide off the back. Yeah, that catalog is literally sitting on my desk right now. I bet it is. Well, because I'm the P.E. lead, it seems like everyone in the staff room just naturally assumes the P.E. money buys that pirate ship. Yeah. You see the glossy pictures and then you think, you know, my budget is just waiting to be spent on that massive slide.

But, I mean, does it actually buy the pirate ship? Well, look, that is the money for sport, isn't it? OK. It is literally called the P.E. and sport premium. So logically, physical activity on a pirate ship should count. You would think so. You would really would. But here's where we hit a massive brick wall. Oh, no. Yeah. The guidance from the Department for Education for this year explicitly lists what you absolutely cannot spend it on. Right. And at the very top of that list, capital expenditure.

And the specific examples the Department for Education gives are multi-use games areas, active mile tracks, trim trails for school environments and, yes, fixed playground equipment, which means not one single plank of that pirate ship can be bought with my sports budget. Not one single plank. Wow. Yeah. And here is the other sobering reality on that page. OK. Lay it on me. For twenty twenty six to twenty seven, a school with 17 or more eligible pupils gets a transitional funding amount of exactly six thousand two hundred and forty pounds plus ten pounds per pupil.

Wait, six thousand two hundred and forty. Yeah. Let's just let's just sit with that number for a second. It's not a lot. And remember, the page calls it transitional funding. Transitional. OK. Hold on to that word. OK. We will come back to it. This is the Education Commute. And just a quick one time note for you listening. Both voices on the show are synthesized, but the judgment isn't. Right. And this is our second bonus look at the money. Yes, it is. Now, the first time we sat down, we talked about the money schools are already entitled to, you know, but somehow forget to claim.

Exactly. But today is entirely different. This is the other kind of money, the harder kind. Yeah. The funds you have to actively go out and hunt down for a specific job. Right. So we are looking at playgrounds, laptops and Wi-Fi, PE, maths and science. Exactly. And so I'm in the business manager's chair again, looking at the structural finances. And I am in the chair of the person who somehow ends up writing all the bids simply because nobody else will step up. Oh, every single school has one.

Yeah. Usually it's whoever made the catastrophic mistake of cash really mentioning in the staff room. You know, I quite like writing the worst mistake you can make. It really is. Suddenly you're giving up your Sundays to beg for a climbing frame. Yep. So what is our strategy here to avoid wasting all those weekends? OK, here is the deal. For every single pot of money we look at, we are going to ask four core questions. OK, four questions. First, what is the funder actually trying to achieve?

Right. Second, how much money is actually there? Important. Third, which kinds of school are eligible to apply? You know, mainstream primary, mainstream secondary, special, independent. Yeah. And fourth, what do they explicitly want to see when you submit that application? But what happens when we look at the guidance and the page is just totally blank on one of those questions? Because it does happen. It happens all the time. Well, when that happens, we will strictly say doesn't say. OK. And my absolute strongest advice to you is to ask the funder directly before you spend an entire weekend drafting a bid based on a total assumption.

Yeah, that makes sense. So we have five specific shopping lists to walk through today. Let's do it. We'll start outside with playgrounds and outdoor learning. Nice. Then we'll walk into the buildings and energy. Next, technology down to the gym for PE and sport. And finally, maths and science. Great. Then we'll have a crucial word on special and independent schools because the rules shift for them much more than people realize. OK, let's start the walkthrough. Step one, we are outside shopping list one, the playground. Right. So if we are looking at the playground, you have to start with the money you already have in the bank.

Really? Yes, because it is the one pot most people completely forget about. Devolved formula capital. Ah, OK. It is allocated by formula to individual schools in England. So no weekend writing bids? Exactly. There is no bid to write. The methodology from the Department for Education for 2026 to 27 is exactly this. It's four thousand pounds plus eleven pounds twenty five per weighted pupil. Right. And connecting the dots from our earlier definition, this is capital money. It is capital, which is exactly the word that ruled the PE premium out earlier.

Ah, got it. The guidance clearly states it is for individual schools to spend on capital projects. So this is the home of the pirate ship? Yes. If that permanent structure is going to exist anywhere, it lives in the capital budget, not my sport budget. Precisely. That is the very first thing you need to check. OK. Before you write a passionate plea to a charity, just ask your business manager what the devolved formula capital is for this year. And crucially, whether the roof or the boiler has already spoken for it.

And if it is spoken for, because let's be honest, the boiler usually wins. Usually does. Well, if the capital is gone, then the next door you try should be outdoor learning rather than fixed play structures. OK. Like what? Learning through landscapes runs local school nature grants. Interesting. Yeah, you can get up to 500 pounds of equipment from a catalog plus a staff training session. Let's be realistic, though. Up to 500 pounds isn't going to buy a pirate ship. No, it absolutely isn't. But look at what the funder is trying to achieve.

Right. Back to the questions. Exactly. It is for practical lesson kit. It buys planters, shelters, tools, you know, the essential gear that takes a muddy field and makes it actually usable for a science or a geography lesson. That is useful. Yeah. And a warning on this, the timing really matters. The 2026 round ran from January to March. No 2027 dates are published yet. So you should put a reminder in your calendar for early January. OK, early January noted. But what about the national lottery? Ah, yes.

Because every time a school needs a big playground, someone at the PTA meeting always says, why don't we just try the lottery? It is a very common thought. National Lottery Awards for all England gives 300 to 20,000 pounds. See, that sounds fantastic. It does. But you need to read the school rule incredibly carefully. They say they can only fund schools if the project mainly benefits the wider community. Ah, OK, I see where this is going. Yeah. So if I want to pitch a brand new playground just for our pupils to use during break time.

Their page specifically lists improvements to school buildings, outdoor areas and equipment as things they cannot pay for. Wow, OK. What they give is a fundable example is using school facilities for community activity outside school hours. So a successful bid means the local community uses our space on Saturday mornings, not our year fours need a new climbing frame. Exactly. And to be fair to them, they are completely honest about it. True. If your plan is truly just about your pupils during the school day, do not try to dress it up and trick them.

They will see right through it. Right. Don't waste their time or yours. Exactly. What about special schools? Because sensory play is an incredibly obvious and vital need there. It is. So for that, you want to look at the Wolfson Foundation, which runs a capital program specifically for special schools and colleges. OK, the amounts are substantial. We're talking minimum twenty five thousand forty to seventy five thousand. Wow, that is substantial. It is. But here is the crucial detail. Their own page says playgrounds and play equipment, including sensory play, are not funded.

Wait, really? Really. See, knowing that just saved me an entire weekend of writing a beautiful, emotionally resonant bid for sensory play that was doomed from the very first sentence. Yes, that is exactly the point of doing this analysis. Finding the no is just as useful as finding the yes. Absolutely. All right. Let's step off the playground and move inside shopping list to the building itself. OK, the big player here is the Condition Improvement Fund or CIF. CIF, right. The intention here is urgent condition work. We are talking about failing roofs, broken boilers, urgent safety issues.

The glamorous stuff. Exactly. And who actually writes the bid depends entirely on who you belong to. How do you mean? Well, if your trust has five or more schools and at least three thousand pupils, it gets school condition allocations by a formula and does not bid. Oh, nice. But if you are an academy in a smaller trust, a sixth form college or a voluntary aided school, you have to bid. OK, so if I'm the one stuck writing that bid for a leaky roof, what do they actually want to see from me?

They want absolute undeniable evidence that the problem is real and urgent. OK, what counts as evidence? You need independent survey reports, fully named and dated. You need a clear, realistic cost. You need a project plan. That sounds intense. It is. And be aware, the Gov. UK page was last updated in May and it doesn't announce a twenty twenty seven to twenty eight round. Oh. So if your trust is the one bidding, you should watch that page closely from the autumn rather than just assuming the dates will roll over.

OK, good tip. Well, let's talk about energy because I keep hearing these fantastic rumors in the staff room about free solar panels. Is that real? Great British Energy's Solar Partnership for Schools is indeed real. And it is funded by the government. Oh, wow. Back in July, the department announced 100 more schools joining and a pilot with 150 more. That's amazing. How do we apply? Well, listen carefully. The announcement describes no application process whatsoever. Oh, if you want to know whether those panels are coming to your roof, you need to ask your trust or your local authority.

Oh, that is actually a huge relief. Right. So that is a check. Don't be situation. I don't have to write anything. Exactly. Love it. Don't bet. Now, staying inside the building, let's bring up the Wolfson Foundation again. But this time, their secondary program. OK. They offer fifteen thousand to one hundred thousand for new build, refurbishment or equipment in very specific subjects, which subjects science, computing, design and technology, art, languages and music. And which types of schools can go after this one? State funded secondary schools and sixth form colleges.

Just state funded. Yes, their page says state funded only. So independent schools cannot apply for this one. Got it. The twenty twenty six round has already closed and they expect to publish the next one in spring twenty twenty seven. OK, so give me the inside track here. Any specific tips for the Wolfson secondary program? Yes. Three specific tips straight from their page. Let's hear them first. Have your planning permission already in place or take professional advice. Makes sense. Second, show exactly how you will close any funding gap if their grant doesn't cover the whole bill.

OK. And third, grants are not backdated. If the work is finished before they make their decision, you cannot be funded. Oh, man, that last one catches so many people out. It really does. We've all been there. You know, the head teacher gets impatient. They want the scaffolding up before open evening. You start to work early and boom, you instantly lose the grant. You spent weeks applying for. Exactly. Patience pays off. Yep. Now let's walk down the hall and peek into the I.T. suite shopping list three technology laptops.

It is always laptops. I knew you were going to say that. I can tell you right now, every teacher in the staff room thinks there is a magical government laptop tree we can just shake. Every school I know desperately wants a massive influx of devices. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is actually the shortest list we have because the government money simply isn't for individual devices. Really? Really. There are two main programs from the Department for Education. Connect the classroom pays for Wi-Fi access points, network switches and installation, OK, and schools.

Gigabit broadband gets a fiber connection to schools that cannot get one commercially. So it's infrastructure. Exactly. Both of these are paid from a single three hundred and twenty five million connectivity budget for the years leading up to 2030. OK, fine. No laptops. But we desperately need better Wi-Fi anyway. How do I apply for that connectivity budget? You don't wait what? Both of those pages state clearly that the department contacts eligible schools directly. Oh, connect the classroom is aimed squarely at schools that fall below the department's Wi-Fi standards and gigabit is aimed at schools that literally have no commercial option available to them.

So if I can't apply, what can I actually do? Just sit and hope the phone rings? Well, your action item here is to thoroughly know your own network. OK. If your school's Wi-Fi does not meet the standard, make absolutely sure your trust or your local authority knows it. Right. Because that is how you eventually end up on the department's radar. Oh, I see. And as for the devices themselves, the laptops have to come back to your capital budget or to specific subject funders. Like who? Well, the Wolfson Secondary Program we just mentioned lists computer science equipment as an option, for example.

Well, I really had assumed there would be some massive national laptop fund waiting for us. I looked everywhere on the funders own pages. I could not find a single national cash grant for school laptops that is open in 2027. Good to know. If somebody out there is selling you one, demand to see the funders official page. Absolutely. All right. Let's walk down to my domain. The gym shopping list for PE and sport. Right. So let's look back to that specific word from the very beginning. Transitional.

Yes, you mentioned that. The guidance for this year pays the PE and sport premium in one single payment. And it has to be spent by the 31st of July, 2027. OK. You cannot roll it over and you cannot pay in advance for next year services or subscriptions. See, as a PE lead, that makes me incredibly nervous. Why just one payment? What happens after July? Well, it's one payment because the premium is being replaced. Replaced. Yeah. In a written answer to parliament on the 17th of July, 2026, the department stated it is investing over one billion in PE and school sport over three years.

A billion? Yes. That includes 530 million specifically for a new PE and school sport partnerships network. OK. A billion sounds amazing. But what does this new network actually give my school? Do I get a check? No. The written answer describes support rather than a check support. What does that mean? We are talking about coaching, swimming, provision and help opening your facilities. Oh, it outlines a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, plus targeted support specifically for those who need it most. The finer detail of all this is being confirmed through procurement right now.

Let me process this. So the money stops arriving in my school's bank account and instead starts arriving as support. Yes, that's exactly how the answer describes it. So you have two immediate practical things to do. OK, what are they? First, spend this year's remaining premium incredibly well on the five areas, the guidance names, right? Starting with building your staff's confidence, knowledge and skills. Makes sense. And the second. Second. Get your data ready now. Data. Yes. Who is your least active pupil? Who isn't yet meeting the swimming requirement?

Oh, I see. If targeted support goes to the areas of greatest need, you will want to have the data to show yours. That's really smart. Just to confirm, though, who is actually eligible for the premium itself right now? Most schools with primary age pupils, including special schools and pupil referral units. OK, the guidance specifically excludes nursery schools, university technical colleges and independent schools, with the exception of non-maintained special schools. Got it. What about stepping outside of government? Can I get cash from Sport England? Well, there is Sport England's Movement Fund, which ranges from 300 to 15000.

OK, that's a good range. It is. Their core intention is to get less active people moving. But and this is crucial. Their page doesn't say whether a school can apply directly. Doesn't say. Right. So you should ring their helpline before you start typing. It may be that your local community sports club has to be the one that applies with your school simply acting as the venue. Good to know. OK, let's walk out of the gym and head over to the science labs shopping list five, Maths and Science.

All right. So some of the absolute most valuable money in this section isn't cash at all. No, no, it is release time. Oh, wow. Yeah, time is money in a school. The Maths Hub's mastery specialist programs actually fund the time. That is huge. The primary programs information sheet says the Maths Hub will fund 10 days release in the first year. The secondary program funds seven and a half days a year for two years. I can tell you from the trenches. Release time is the single hardest thing to get approved.

The fact that it's funded is incredible. Which is exactly why it is worth so much more than it looks on paper. Definitely. But heed the tip from the information sheets. The head teacher has to fully understand the commitment and the entire school has to be ready to develop mastery across the board, not just isolated in one single classroom. Right. It's a whole school thing. But what if I have a science teacher who is begging for actual cash for an experiment? Then you point them to the Royal Society's partnership grants.

OK. It offers up to three thousand for a school to work alongside a scientist or engineer on a real investigation. That sounds amazing. It is. The final 2026 deadline for that is the 30th of November. OK, so if I'm writing that bid, what actually wins? Well, their guidance is unusually specific, which is great. I love specific. They want one research project, not a scattered series of disconnected activities. And the title of the project should be phrased as a question. A question. OK. Furthermore, the active involvement of your scientist or engineer counts double in their scoring matrix.

So you need to plan a real meaningful time with them. Good to know. And priority goes to schools that are totally new to the scheme and those in the greatest need. But what are the options for a school that doesn't just have an engineer or a scientist on speed dial? Fair point. For them, there is Crest Engage, run by the British Science Association. OK, how much is that? It is a smaller grant of three hundred and fifty pounds, plus a voucher towards the Crest Award fees.

But it has strict criteria. Like what? It is for state funded schools meeting at least one of three things. High economic disadvantage, a high proportion of ethnic minority pupils or a remote or rural location. OK. Independent schools are completely excluded. Except for independent special schools. And take note, the autumn round closes at five o'clock on the 20th of October 2026. Wait, the 20th of October 2026, that is next week. It is indeed, which is exactly why I said it out loud. OK. Noted. Urgency is high on that one.

Is there anything specifically for sixth form maths? There is the Advanced Mathematics Support Program. But again, this is support rather than actual cash. Right. It is for state funded schools and colleges in England. And the goal is simply to get more students taking core maths and further maths. OK. Earlier on, you mentioned that special and independent schools need their own specific work. They absolutely do. If you are a special school, a few doors swing wide open that are firmly shut to everyone else. Such as? There is the Wolfson Special Schools Program, starting at twenty five thousand pounds and going up specifically for buildings and equipment.

Excellent. There's also BBC Children in Need, which explicitly does not fund mainstream schools, academies or pupil referral units. Oh, OK. But their page says a special school that is also a registered charity may apply for project costs. And what about the independent schools? It is mostly closed doors on the government side for them. Really? Yeah. They get no PE and sport premium unless they are a non-maintained special school. The Wolfson Secondary Program is state funded only. Crest Engage is state funded only. Wow. And when you look at a lot of the charitable trusts, the page simply doesn't say.

Doesn't say again. Exactly. In our guide, that is marked as not stated. And your only right move there is to email the funder first to clarify before doing any work. OK, I have to ask about the PTA trick because I've seen schools get funded that way. Let me stop you right there. It isn't a trick. It is just following the rules. Fair enough. Give me an example. Take the ASDA Foundation's Young Futures Fund, for example. It gives 500 to 1000 for teenagers' mental health and well-being.

OK. Its rules clearly state schools and academy trusts cannot apply. But PTAs and friends groups linked to secondary schools can. So the PTAs aren't just there to run a bake sale. Structurally, it acts as a second front door for the school to bring money in. For certain funders, yes. You have to read every single one's rules. All right. We've walked the whole school. If a weary bid writer remembers just three things from all of this, what should they be? OK, number one, match the money to the job.

Sport money cannot buy capital assets. Capital cannot pay teaching salaries. Check the structural rule before you even open the glossy catalog. Very wise. Number two. Number two. Some of the biggest pots of money out there don't even have an application form. Right. The check don't bid ones. Exactly. The connectivity programs, the solar panels, the new PE support network. For those, your job isn't to write a bid. Your job is to be visible and to have your data ready. Perfect. And number three. Number three. When a funder explicitly says what it wants, give it exactly that.

Don't get creative. Right. Give them one research question, not 10 random activities. Give them hard dated evidence, not emotive adjectives. And whatever you do, do not start the physical work before they decide to fund you. I've got two critical questions for the staff room tomorrow morning, then. Let's hear them. This is one for the business manager. OK, what is our devolved formula capital this year? And is any of it currently unallocated? Excellent. And for the PE lead, which is me, if the new network shifts away from cash and offers targeted support next year, what exact data would prove we desperately need it?

Both fantastic questions. And, you know, every single pot we mentioned today and more than 60 others is detailed in our school funding guide 2027. That's a lot of funding. It breaks down what each funder wants, exactly how much money there is, which school types can apply and what you need to highlight. So useful. It's on the website, the education commute dot co dot UK. And it unlocks with a free newsletter, which also tells you when we refresh the guide with next year's rates. And I should note that most of the 2027 to 28 figures aren't officially published yet, where that's the case.

The guide gives this year's figure and clearly says so. Fascinating. The money's not actually hidden, then. No, it isn't hidden. It's just sorted by what the funder wants to achieve, not by what we happen to want. Once you learn there's sorting logic, that glossy catalog on your desk finally starts to make sense. Safe trip in. See you at the gates.