After the government’s introduction of the National Funding Formula, the Department for Education has discontinued the Year 7 catch-up premium.

In a message to schools, the DfE said the introduction of the formula meant the Year 7 catch-up grant would no longer be available.

The funding formula aims to remove discrepancies in funding between local authorities.

The message to schools read: “As you will be aware, the introduction of the National Funding Formula provides for schools to attract low prior attainment funding for pupils in Year 7 to 11 with lower attainment who need support to catch up.

“As a result, the Year 7 catch-up grant - the Department’s previous mechanism to direct funding to support pupils with lower attainment - will no longer be made available.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “This government is providing the biggest funding boost for schools in a decade, giving every school more money for every child.

“Through our new National Funding Formula, schools attract additional money for their pupils with lower attainment who need extra support to catch up - covering not just Year 7, but all five years of secondary school.

“We have also announced a £1 billion catch-up package to support pupils who may have fallen behind as a result of coronavirus, consisting of £650 million to help pupils make up for the lost teaching time and £350 million for a new National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. These additional funding streams go significantly further in directing support to pupils who need extra help to catch up, including those in Year 7.”