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<p>The Department is providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets,
to cover unavoidable costs incurred between March and July due to the COVID-19 outbreak
that cannot be met from their existing resources.</p><p>Schools have been eligible
to claim for: increased premises related costs associated with keeping schools open
over the Easter and summer half term holidays; support for free school meals for eligible
children who are not in school, where schools are not using the national voucher scheme;
and additional cleaning costs required due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases,
over and above the cost of existing cleaning arrangements.</p><p>The first claims
window for the COVID-19 schools fund closed on 21 July. There will be a further opportunity
in the autumn for schools to claim for exceptional costs that fell between March and
July. This second claims window will be available for schools who were unable to claim
in the summer and will be for the same eligible cost categories.</p><p>Schools have
claimed £104 million against the standard expenditure categories in the fund, as set
out above. The Department will be making further payments in the autumn term to schools
who either claimed outside of the standard categories or whose claims exceeded the
cost limit, following an assessment of their claims. Along with other schools who
made a claim outside of the standard expenditure categories, Eversley Primary School,
Enfield, will receive a payment in the autumn term which will reflect the outcome
of that assessment.</p><p> </p>
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