Post-16 Funding — Board briefing
Generated 30 July 2026 · fefunding.co.uk · Indicative — confirm against official sources
Funding intelligence status
31Sources monitored
PendingLast checked
0New updates (30 days)
0Pending review
Rule changes to note
- HighCorrection: 2026–27 16–19 national funding rates verified against Table 1 (16–19, 18 July 2026)Verified the full 2026–27 rate table against the primary GOV.UK Table 1. The Band 5 rate is £5,256 per student (not £5,133), with 4a/4b £4,348, Band 3 £3,536, Band 2 £2,796 and Band 1 £5,256/FTE (FTE basis 640 hours). Rate tables move as a unit — every band changed together — so all bands, the calculator, guidance and FundingGPT were corrected together in one versioned release.
- Medium16 to 19 funding rates and formula confirmed for 2026–27 (16–19, 15 June 2026)The 2026–27 national funding rates are published. The full-time Band 5 rate is £5,256 per student, with the full band table (4a/4b £4,348, Band 3 £3,536, Band 2 £2,796, Band 1 £5,256/FTE) and formula. Now loaded into the rule engine, the calculator and FundingGPT.
- HighLevel 7 apprenticeship funding withdrawn for most apprentices (Apprenticeships, 12 June 2026)Government funding for level 7 apprenticeships is being removed for most apprentices from January 2026. The rule engine selects fundability by start date so calculations reflect the cut-off automatically.
- MediumApprenticeship funding rules and assessment plan guidance 2026 to 2027 published (Apprenticeships, 10 June 2026)The 2026–27 apprenticeship funding rules and assessment plan guidance are published. FundingGPT now answers from and cites the 2026–27 rules, selected by the apprentice's start date.
- MediumAdult Skills Fund funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 published (Adult Skills Fund, 5 June 2026)The 2026–27 ASF funding and performance management rules are published, including the latest eligibility and low-wage thresholds. Now referenced across the guidance and FundingGPT, with devolved areas applying their own rules.
- LowILR Validation Rules 2025–26 — Version 5 published (ILR, 22 April 2026)A new version of the ILR validation rules was published. Uploaded data is checked against the current version before processing so invalid funding models or codes are flagged early.
16–19 national funding rates (2026–27)
| Band | Planned hours | Applicable students | Rate / student |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 580+ hours | 16 and 17 year olds, and students aged 18+ with high needs | £5,256 |
| 4a | 485+ hours | Students aged 18 and over who are not high needs | £4,348 |
| 4b | 485 to 579 hours | 16 and 17 year olds, and students aged 18+ with high needs | £4,348 |
| 3 | 385 to 484 hours | All students | £3,536 |
| 2 | 300 to 384 hours | All students | £2,796 |
| 1 | Up to 299 hours | All students | £5,256 per FTE (÷ 640 × planned hours) |
Source: 16 to 19 funding 2026 to 2027: rates and formula (Tables 1 & 2).
Key reporting dates
- 4 September 2025 — ILR R01 return closes (ILR return)
- 6 October 2025 — ILR R02 return closes (ILR return)
- 6 November 2025 — ILR R03 return closes (ILR return)
- 4 December 2025 — ILR R04 return closes (ILR return)
- 6 January 2026 — ILR R05 return closes (ILR return)
- 4 February 2026 — ILR R06 return closes (ILR return)Mid-year reference point