Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely effect of the decision to end the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium on pupils who do not achieve the expected standard in reading or maths at the end of Key Stage 2.

Although the year 7 catch-up premium has been discontinued, we continue to provide funding which can be used to support pupils who did not reach the expected standard in reading or maths at the end of key stage 2. The national funding formula (NFF) contains a low prior attainment factor which is allocated on a similar basis to the year 7 catch-up premium, but provides funding for all five years that a pupil is in secondary school. NFF allocations do not directly determine schools’ budgets, which are set through formula determined by local authorities in consultation with local schools. Local authorities are free to use a low prior attainment factor in their local formula, and for 2020-21, all are doing so.

In 2020-21, the amount allocated through the secondary low prior attainment factor in the school’s NFF is increasing by £49 million from £924 million to £973 million.

In addition, the £1 billion catch up package that the government announced on 19 June includes £650 million to help all pupils make up for the lost teaching time and £350 million for a new National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils.