FAQs

What could a school expect to happen if it fails to complete the digital reporting by the deadline?

Completion, and submission of the digital expenditure reporting return by the given deadline (5pm on 31 July 2025) is a requirement of the Conditions of Grant. As outlined in this document, if a local authority, school or proprietor of an academy fails to comply with the terms and conditions set out in this document, the Secretary of State may recover some, or all the PE and sport premium grant that has been allocated.

Is the content of the form only available to schools?

Is it possible to get access to the content of the form for organisations that are supporting schools? Only schools are able to access the form.

How long does the form take to complete? 

It will vary from one person to another, but in the pilot exercise last year people spent on average between 2-3 hours. We have made further improvements based on feedback to help simplify the completion of the return e.g. breaking down the return into a series of forms so people can complete sections in stages. We have advised that anyone completing the form should have at hand a breakdown of details of how much PE and sport premium funding the school has received, how it has been spent and the impact it has had – as feedback has shown this makes it even easier to complete the digital return. We advise that schools may find it helpful to use the PE funding evaluation form (accessible through published guidance) to plan and record how they use the PE and sport premium throughout the year in readiness of completing the digital reporting tool at the end of the school year.

If the Head of School is the PE lead, can they sign for both?

Yes. There is also the requirement for the Chair of the Board of Governors/Trustees to sign also.

Will DfE send copies of this form to anyone post completion?

Following the submission of the completed digital expenditure reporting return, DfE will not be able to send copies of completed returns. If a school wants to keep a record of its submissions, then it should print off a pdf copy of each of the submitted forms. DfE will not be sharing copies of returns with anyone following submission.

Do we need a personal DfE number, or do we use the school's?

Access to the form is through the Department for Education (DfE) Sign-in service for which the school should have log-in details. If new log-in details are required, you should follow the steps outlined in the published guidance.

In our CPD spend, should we include all or some of our SSP membership fee?

100% is not spent on CPD as it includes other support, such as festivals, but we don’t have a percentage breakdown. Staff CPD is essential, and schools should prioritise spending the PE and sport premium on it to help ensure that the quality of the teaching of high-quality PE, sport and physical activity in a school is sustainable. SSP membership fees do not form part of CPD, and these should not be accounted for in the CPD section of the digital expenditure reporting return. Schools should only include amounts used for providing staff with professional development; mentoring and support; appropriate training; and access to external resources.

Will schools get a reminder before the deadline? 

Details advising schools of the deadline for the submission of the digital expenditure reporting return will be published in guidance. A reminder will not be issued to schools advising of the deadline, but schools will continue to be advised when the expenditure return becomes ‘live’ and accessible for them to enter information. The deadline for submission of the digital expenditure reporting return for the academic year 2024/25 is 5pm on 31 July 2025.

Can you edit/resubmit the digital tool once the FINAL declaration has been completed?

Until the deadline is reached for the submission of the digital expenditure reporting return (5pm on 31 July 2025), schools can continue to resubmit edited versions of the return regardless of if the school has submitted its final declaration. But the school would be required to resubmit a final declaration if further returns were made.

When signing up for a DfE sign-in account, it says 'Request access to a service'. Which service am I meant to request?

I can't see any mention of the PE premium, can you advise please Access DfE Sign-in page and select ‘create a DfE Sign-in account’. On the next page, select ‘No account? Create one’. Then follow the instructions. You might notice the term ‘approver’ when you create your account. An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It is usually a senior person, such as an administrator or a manager. To access the digital expenditure reporting return you must enter through the weblink contained in the guidance, you cannot access the return through the DfE sign-in page.