Learning support funding claims for apprenticeships in England

Learning support funding is one of the most useful and most misunderstood parts of the apprenticeship funding system. Used well, it pays for the reasonable adjustments that help disabled apprentices finish. Used badly, it becomes a monthly claim with thin evidence behind it, which is exactly what auditors look for. This guide explains the 2026 to 2027 rules in plain English, shows what evidence you need, and sets out a simple monthly routine.

A note on who publishes the rules. Responsibility for apprenticeships moved from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), confirmed in a written ministerial statement on 20 November 2025. The 2026 to 2027 apprenticeship funding rules (version 3, July 2026) are published on GOV.UK under DWP. You will still see DfE named in older documents, and the guidance says DWP and DfE may examine claims. The Education and Skills Funding Agency, which used to run this, closed in March 2025.

This is not legal or audit advice. Always read the current funding rules in full and check paragraph numbers against the version you are working to.

What is apprenticeship learning support funding?

Learning support funding meets the costs a provider incurs in putting reasonable adjustments in place so that an apprentice with a learning difficulty or disability can complete their apprenticeship. It is paid to the main provider, not the employer or the apprentice.

The 2026 to 2027 rules set out three tiers:

For apprenticeship units, which started in April 2026, the guidance describes learning support as a one-off fixed amount of £150 rather than a monthly payment. Check the separate apprenticeship unit funding rules if you deliver units.

Learning support is not deducted from the employer’s apprenticeship service account and does not need employer co-investment. That matters when you talk to employers: claiming it costs them nothing.

Who is eligible for learning support?

An apprentice is eligible when they have a learning difficulty or disability and need reasonable adjustments to complete their apprenticeship. The rules use the familiar definition of a learning difficulty: the person has significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of people of the same age.

Key points from the rules and guidance:

• A formal label is not always required up front. The rules say eligibility can include a need that was not previously identified but would directly affect the apprentice’s ability to complete.
• The need must affect completion. A need that cannot be evidenced as directly affecting the apprentice’s ability to complete is not eligible. Support for “everyday difficulties” is not covered.
• There must be a cost. Where putting the adjustment in place costs the provider nothing, you must not claim. You still have to make the adjustment, because the duty under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 does not depend on funding.
• Workplace adjustments are excluded. The guidance says employers should not use learning support to make or fund workplace adjustments. The apprentice may get help in work from Access to Work.

The guidance also expects an evidence base: an existing EHC plan, a statement of special educational needs or learning difficulty assessment, or a thorough, evidence-based assessment carried out by the provider. Decide each case individually.

What can learning support pay for?

It pays for the direct costs of reasonable adjustments that relate to the apprenticeship, including the apprenticeship assessment. The DWP guidance gives examples:

• additional staff to support learners, such as a learning support assistant or specialist tutor
• extended or more frequent assessor visits
• specialist equipment
• enabling additional time on exams and tests

Equipment you buy becomes your property, and the guidance asks you to reuse it for future learners. Learning support should not cover indirect costs or overheads.

Fictional example. Priya is a level 3 business administration apprentice who is dyslexic. Her provider’s further assessment shows she needs fortnightly one-to-one sessions with a specialist tutor on written assignments, assistive software, and 25% extra time on knowledge tests. In months where she receives the specialist sessions, the provider has evidenced costs, a signed plan and session records, so it can claim the £150. In a month where she only uses the software already bought and nothing else costs money, there is nothing to claim.

How do you assess an apprentice for learning support?

Screening is mandatory; further assessment is not funded. The rules say the provider must carry out a screening exercise for learning support as part of initial assessment, which is an eligible cost. If screening suggests a need, you may need a more detailed assessment before you claim. That further assessment is not eligible for funding, and the monthly payment cannot be used to pay for it.

Two timing rules catch providers out:

1. Claims start from the date evidence is acquired. You cannot backdate learning support to the start of the programme because the need was “probably there”.
2. Claims stop immediately when support stops. If the apprentice no longer needs the adjustment, or leaves, end the claim from that date.

The guidance also warns against relying only on an automated assessment. A screening tool can start the conversation; a person needs to finish it, ideally with the apprentice in the room. Our guide to person-centred support planning covers how to hold that conversation.

What evidence do you need for an apprenticeship learning support funding claim?

You need an evidence pack that shows need, agreement, delivery and review. The funding rules list the evidence. In practical terms it looks like this:

Notice what is required: the apprentice signs off the plan and its changes. That is a learner voice requirement written into the funding rules. A plan written about the apprentice, not with them, is weak evidence.

Notice also what is not enough: a plan alone. Auditors will ask what happened in each month you claimed. If you cannot show that support was delivered in March, the March claim is at risk. Our guide to recording support delivery evidence explains how to keep delivery records that stand up, and the learner support plan template gives a starting structure.

How does excess learning support work?

Excess learning support is the extra amount you can claim when a month’s evidenced costs are more than £150. The rules say that where costs exceed £150 a month but are under £19,000 a year, the extra can be claimed through the earnings adjustment statement. One-off costs above £150 in a month, such as a piece of specialist equipment, are also claimed through the EAS alongside the monthly fixed amount.

Practical tips:

• Keep invoices and timesheets. Where costs exceed £150 a month, the rules say the provider must provide invoices.
• Calculate actual costs, not estimates. Claim what it cost you, not a standard rate.
• Do not double count. The first £150 comes through the ILR. The EAS covers only the difference.
• Claim promptly. The deadline for claiming is the last ILR collection of the funding year.

How does exceptional learning support work?

Exceptional learning support (ELS) is for apprentices whose reasonable adjustments will cost more than £19,000 in a funding year. Typical examples are full-time communication support, such as British Sign Language interpreting across all training, or intensive one-to-one support.

The rules ask you to send the ELS claim form at the beginning of the apprenticeship, or as soon as the need is identified, so the department can authorise it. Do not wait until you have already spent the money. Keep the application, the supporting evidence and the actual costs in the evidence pack.

Before applying, check which parts of the cost belong to the employer. Interpreting in the workplace for the apprentice’s job, for example, is usually an employer adjustment, often supported by Access to Work, not a learning support cost.

How often must learning support be reviewed?

At least every 3 calendar months. The 2026 to 2027 rules clarify that reviews can be light-touch where a permanent need is stable. A light-touch review still needs a record and the apprentice’s sign-off of any change.

A good review asks three questions:

1. Is the support still being delivered as agreed?
2. Is it helping? Ask the apprentice first, then look at progress.
3. Should we keep, change or stop it?

If the answer is “stop”, end the claim from that date. Our guide to reviewing whether support worked has question prompts, and the support review meeting template gives a short agenda.

What other funding and flexibilities sit alongside learning support?

Several separate rules affect apprentices with additional needs. They are not learning support, but they are often handled by the same team.

• Additional payments. The provider and employer each receive £1,000 for an apprentice aged 16 to 18, or aged 19 to 24 with an EHC plan or who is or was in local authority care. It is paid in two halves, after 90 and 365 days, with different timing for shorter and foundation apprenticeships. For 19 to 24 year olds you need the apprentice’s consent before telling the employer about an EHC plan or care history. Payments must be passed on in full within 30 working days.
• Care leavers’ bursary. Eligible apprentices receive a £3,000 bursary in three instalments.
• English and maths flexibility. Where a learning difficulty or disability is a barrier, an apprentice may be able to achieve Entry Level 3 functional skills instead of the usual requirement. The rules require an existing or previous EHC plan (or legacy statement or learning difficulty assessment) or a formal, evidence-based assessment; self-declaration is not enough. If the apprentice disputes the judgement, you must offer a second opinion from another SEN professional.

Support often happens during off-the-job training, so record where and when it took place.

What are the common audit risks?

Most findings come down to a gap between the claim and the evidence. Watch for these:

• claiming from the start date when the assessment evidence came later
• plans not signed by the apprentice, or signed once and never reviewed
• months claimed with no record of delivered support
• claims continuing after the apprentice has stopped using support or has left
• adjustments that cost nothing being claimed anyway
• workplace adjustments paid for from learning support
• no link between the assessed need, the adjustment and the apprentice’s progress

A monthly routine prevents most of these. In the last week of each month, list every apprentice with an active claim, check there is delivery evidence for the month, check the next review date, and close claims where support has stopped. Run the support process health check once a term to spot gaps.

How does Inclusion Studio support this process?

Inclusion Studio is learner support software being built for FE colleges and apprenticeship providers in England. It is at pre-pilot stage, with a prototype using fictional learners. It is designed to keep the records the funding rules ask for in one place: the apprentice’s own view of what helps, a support plan the apprentice has seen, delivery tracking that records delivered and missed support, reviews that ask whether support helped, and a controlled evidence export. It does not calculate or submit funding claims, and the provider remains responsible for meeting the funding rules. See how it fits apprenticeship providers.