Funding

We can offer financial support to primary schools, infant schools, junior schools and special needs schools and APs, and there is a presumption that this will be matched-funded.

Hubs can provide up to £3k in financial support if this is match funded by the target school.

Schools should use the most appropriate funding stream for support. If a school has had support from English hubs in the past but would benefit from new Accelerator Fund intervention, schools can fund this school with accelerator fund monies in 2023/24.

There is a presumption that resource funding is match-funded by supported schools (with a cap of £3,000 per school). An offer of outright funding at a cap of £6,000 per supported school can be made if it meets two of the following criteria:

• Primary schools with lower than average PSC scores for disadvantaged pupils. Schools with the lowest phonics scores for disadvantaged pupils.

• Primary schools where the bottom 20% of children are not on course to reach the expected standard (indicated through regular phonics assessment in school).

 • Primary schools with a lower than average percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check (75% met the expected standard in 2022).

• Primary schools with a higher than average proportion of children eligible for pupil premium (2022/23 the pupil premium national average is 24.3%).

• Primary schools that sit in an education investment area (PEIAs/EIAs).*

• Wave 1 and Wave 2 partner schools in PEIAs who have experienced significant systemic change since leaving the programme and who have failed to realise and/or maintain improvement in SSP scores

• Primary schools with a high proportion of groups considered hard to reach such as EAL, FSM, travellers.

• Schools referred by local partners (e.g. NLEs, RSCs, LAs).

• Primary schools where standards in phonics are identified as areas for development through Ofsted inspection findings.

• Primary schools where there is a risk of declining standards in phonics

*For schools that sit in an education investment area or priority education investment area, a cap of £9,000 per school applies. Exemption from the above criteria can be made if the hub is satisfied that the supported school needs the hub’s support, that the school is unable to match fund and the leadership of the school is committed to whole-school change