Is there any information regarding Academies funded on estimated pupil numbers?

For most academies the autumn census return will form the basis of calculating the pupil led funding for each academic year.

Some academies may have a clause in their funding agreement stating that funding will be calculated on pupil number estimates rather than confirmed pupil census data.

It is likely that academies funded on estimates are either a brand new institution with no previous school or a growing school where year groups are still to be introduced. Some older academies may also have this funding agreement clause.

The clause may be conditional until certain criteria is met. For example, until all year groups are complete or where occupancy is more than 90 % of total capacity. Once the specified conditions are met, the autumn census data then becomes the basis of calculating the pupil data.

The ESFA collect the pupil number estimates through the annual revenue funding data collection (RFDC) process in October. To assist in the producing the estimate, the RFDC online form will include trends specific to your academy and details of up to the last five years estimated pupil numbers and the autumn census figures for the same year.

Academies receiving funding based on estimated pupil numbers will be included in an annual pupil number adjustment exercise (PNA) to assess if adjustments are required to bring their initial funding allocations in line with actual pupil numbers recorded in the October school census. For some academies, the funding agreement will contain a PNA threshold where no adjustment is made if actual pupil numbers fall within a specified percentage. If the estimate is outside of the threshold or no threshold is in place, the EFA will adjust the funding through the PNA process.

The estimate funding allocation and adjustment cycle is detailed below:

Full details including a link to the PNA calculator tool can be found here