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The government has introduced several funding incentives to support and increase participation in level 3 maths qualifications.

Increasing participation in level 3 maths is a key part of the government’s Industrial Strategy to equip more young people with important maths skills and create a more productive economy. Professor Sir Adrian Smith’s review of post-16 mathematics recommended more funding and incentives to increase the uptake of maths post-16. In 2017, the DfE announced changes to the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) and introduced the Advanced Maths Premium (AMP).  In August 2019, the government announced an additional £400 million of funding for 16-19 education and introduced the High Value Courses Premium (HVCP).

In October 2024, the Prime Minister announced proposals to introduce the Advanced British Standard for 16 to 19-year-olds, a new baccalaureate style qualification. The announcement included increased funding so schools and colleges can deliver maths to more students aged over 16. The investment has led to an increase in the rate of the AMP and the introduction of a new Core Maths Premium (CMP).

If your school or college has students studying level 3 maths, you may be eligible for additional funding.

  • If you have students studying 2 or more maths and other STEM A levels, you will be eligible for the High-Value Courses Premium.
  • If you have students enrolled on a Core Maths qualification, then they will be eligible for the Core Maths Premium in the first year of studying it.
  • If you are increasing student participation in any of the advanced (i.e. level 3) maths qualifications, excluding Core Maths, you may be eligible for the Advanced Maths Premium.
  • If you have students studying A level Mathematics or Further Mathematics as part of a four (or more) A level programme, you may be eligible for the Large Programme Uplift.

This funding is designed to encourage greater participation in advanced maths qualifications, including AS and A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics. A brief summary of the details is provided below. For full details, refer to the DfE’s guidance for schools and colleges, which was last updated on 13 February 2024.

  • The premium was first included in 16-19 funding allocations for the academic year 2019-20. It has been paid to schools/colleges each year since 2020-21. The February update means that the AMP will continue to be funded in the academic year 2024-25.
  • The premium is £900 per year per additional student, above a baseline, studying an advanced maths qualification.
  • The baseline is calculated from the mean number of your students studying advanced maths qualifications in academic years 2019-20 and 2020-21 within your school/college. Note that the baseline used to include Core Maths but will no longer do so from 2024-25. Some financial protection is available for schools/colleges where the change of baseline will significantly reduce the AMP allocation (see DFE guidance).
  • Maths schools are not eligible for the funding as they are already required to enter all their students for maths and further maths A level courses.
  • For new providers (with the exception of maths schools), including those that do not have 16-19 student numbers for academic years 2019-20 and 2020-21, the baseline is determined from a national average.
  • Students studying A level Mathematics alongside A level Further Mathematics are counted twice for each year of the two-year course.
  • The Eligible Qualifications Advanced Maths Premium 2024 to 2025 document provides a full list of eligible maths qualifications. This no longer involves the Core Maths qualifications as they are funded separately under the Core Maths Premium announced in February 2024.
  • Students studying A level Mathematics alongside A level Further Mathematics are counted twice for each year of the two-year course.

The Advanced Maths Premium offers schools and colleges an excellent opportunity to increase participation in advanced maths qualifications. Separate funding is available to increase participation in Core Maths qualifications via the Core Maths Premium.

The Core Maths Premium (CMP) was announced in February 2024 to encourage the provision of Core Maths and expand maths education for students up to the age of 18. The funding is designed to allow institutions to have the resources to provide extra hours of education or other extra support in order to deliver Core Maths qualifications.

  • Students enrolled on a Core Maths qualification will be eligible for the premium in their first year of studying it.
  • The funding rate for the CMP is £900 Per student. There is no baseline. Guidance on how the allocation is calculated can be found at on the Government website.
  • A student is not eligible for both the CMP and the Advanced Maths Premium (AMP) in the same funding year. If a student is eligible for both, they will remain in the entry for the CMP and will be removed from the entry for the AMP.
  • Maths schools are not eligible for the CMP as they are already required to enter all of their students for A level Maths and Further Maths qualifications.
  • Full details of the CMP can be found in the DfE Core Maths Premium guidance.

Many schools and colleges now limit most students to studying three A level subjects in both Years 12 and 13. However, there is an additional funding uplift of 10% for students who are studying four A level subjects (or 20% for five A level subjects). To be eligible, students must achieve grade B or higher in all their A level subjects (except for Further Mathematics – see below). AS levels do not count in large A level programmes receiving the large programme uplift.

The large programme uplift is also available for a T level programme with at least one A or AS level taken alongside, or a full level 3 International Baccalaureate.

This additional funding means that schools and colleges can continue to provide challenging large programmes of study for their more able students. It is particularly helpful where students wish to study A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics. Further Mathematics is commonly studied as part of a four A level programme (44% of students entered for Further Mathematics in 2017 took it as part of a four or more A level subject programme of study).

In order to encourage schools and colleges to continue to offer students the opportunity to study A level Further Mathematics alongside 3 other subjects, the eligibility criteria for the Large Programme Uplift was changed in 2018-19. Now when students study A level Further Mathematics as part of a four (or more) A level programme, their school or college qualifies for the additional 10% (or 20%) funding uplift provided they achieve a grade C or better in Further Mathematics, rather than a grade B or better which is required for their other subjects.

Full details of the Large Programme Uplift are available in the DfE guidance. Guidance on offering Further Mathematics as part of a four (or more) A level programme is available here.

This is additional funding to encourage and support the teaching of selected level 3 courses in subjects that research indicates lead to higher salaries. The aim is to increase participation in these, mainly STEM, subjects.

A level Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Statistics are all included in the list of qualifications that attract the HVCP, alongside other science A levels and some level 3 vocational qualifications and T levels with 360 or more Guided Learning Hours, (GLH). Core Maths, with only 180 GLH, is not a qualifying qualification for HVCP, however does attract the Core Maths Premium.

Students enrolled on at least two of the selected A levels are eligible for the premium of £600 per student for each year the student is on their study programme. This is in addition to any Advanced Maths Premium funding that the school/college may be eligible for.

Further details of how the HVCP is calculated and paid is on the DfE website.


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