Details on how payments for Covid-testing will happen

The Department for Education has set out how payments will occur for schools to pay for Covid testing of pupils and staff.

The latest guidance says a single payment will be made retrospectively based on information reported through Test and Trace. It will make this payment in the Spring 2021 and it will relate to testing for the period of 4 January 2021 to February half term. Payments will be  made  directly  to  colleges, academies and local authorities. Local authorities must pass payments onto maintained  schools and non-maintained special schools.

The ESFA will make these payments automatically. There will be no requirement to make a claim in order to receive the funding for Test and Trace reported testing.

Institutions have been asked to make the necessary payments to carry out testing from their existing budgets and record these in line with local finance policies.

Schools that are academies on 1 January 2021 will receive payment directly from ESFA. Local authorities should pass on funding to schools due to convert to academies after this date.

What's more, the DfE has said it will consider claims for additional funding needed to cover the additional costs incurred by schools / colleges.

This includes schools/colleges that have had to hire additional premises or make significant alterations to their existing premises to conduct testing. This will only be available in exceptional circumstances where the funding allocation is not sufficient and after every other alternative option has been exhausted. Claims will need to be supported by an invoice or other documentary evidence of the costs incurred.