Guidance for additional funding
Introduction
This page provides information and key documents to help schools provide evidence to claim additional funding, including for high uptake (above 87%), Special Schools, and exceptional circumstances. This guidance relates to the current academic year: 2025-26.
Schools have been allocated funding for pupils who are not receiving government funding for FSM. This calculation was based on the number of non-government-funded pupils at KS2 on census day in January 2025, at a rate of £3.00 per meal, and assuming up to 87 per cent of pupils take the Mayor’s FSM.
Funding is issued to local authorities, who administer the funding to their state-funded schools.
The GLA is aligning all additional funding processes into a single annual review point. All claims must be submitted by 1 May. The process for claiming additional funding where pupil uptake exceeds 87 per cent can be found below and is broadly the same as previous years.
Please note that the following guidance is optional. Only schools where their pupil meal uptake rate is over 87 per cent, and they want to claim additional funding, are required to follow this process.
Other additional funding claims
Additional funding is also available for special schools, additional pupil numbers, and for exceptional circumstances.
In previous years, the process for additional pupils and exceptional funding has been done ad-hoc. Now, all requests for additional funding – high uptake (above 87% take-up), Special Schools, and additional pupils. and for exceptional circumstances, must be submitted by boroughs before 1 May and then reviewed by the GLA.
All accepted additional funding claims will be processed and paid, alongside the 1st milestone payment for Year 4 (academic year 2026/27), directly to the boroughs.
Further information on each additional funding request will be provided in due course and will be found on this page. This will also be communicated to schools and boroughs through email communications.
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