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What鈥檚 new

The winter claim window is now closed. You can only submit new claims during the summer (end of year reconciliation) window, which runs from 18 May to 1 July.

All institutions who have already submitted Care to Learn (C2L) claims in previous windows, or are submitting a claim in the final window, must submit data for end of year reconciliation. Institutions who fail to return data will be subject to recovery of funds in full.

Introduction

From academic year 2025 to 2026, we鈥檝e changed the delivery model for this funding.

There are 3 separate claim windows for academic year 2025 to 2026:

1. Autumn 2025 - The first funding claim window opened on 8 September 2025 and closed on 12 November 2025. This claim window is closed.

2. Winter (January 2026) - The second funding claim window opened on 5 January 2026 and closed on 11 February 2026. This claim window is closed.

3. Summer 2026 (end of year reconciliation) - The third and final window opens on 18 May 2026 and will close on 1 July 2026. All institutions submitting claims for C2L must submit data for end of year reconciliation. You may also submit any late funding claims for both schemes if you need to. We will action any recovery of funds and make any final additional payments in September 2026 (October 2026 for academies).

You must complete the to claim funding. If you are claiming for both C2L and the defined vulnerable bursary groups (VB), you will need to complete 2 separate forms.

Care to Learn

The C2L scheme provides funding for childcare to help young parents (defined as those aged under 20 years old at the start of their programme) continue in education after the birth of a child. The C2L academic year 2025 to 2026 conditions of grant funding explains the scheme in full.

16 to 19 Bursary Fund for defined vulnerable groups

This fund provides financial support to help students overcome the specific financial barriers to participation they face so they can remain in education. The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for academic year 2025 to 2026 explains the defined vulnerable group bursary in full.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for settings who need to claim C2L or defined vulnerable group bursary funding for eligible students in summer 2026 and the end of year reconciliation for C2L only.

When to complete your submission聽

Accessing the form聽

Read the sections below before accessing the to submit your claims.

Before you start

To access this digital collection, you need to have an active that is linked to your organisation. If you have not used DfE Sign-in before you will need to .

DfE Sign-in

Sign in to your DfE Sign-in account

Follow the below steps to access the form via your DfE Sign-in account:

1. Access the and when prompted, enter your credentials (your username and password) for authentication.

2. If multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled on your account, you will need to enter a verification code to login. To send the verification email with the code you need to click on 鈥楨mail code to [your email address]鈥� on the 鈥榁erify your identity page鈥� you were directed to after entering your email and password.

3. After clicking on 鈥楨mail code to [your email address]鈥� you will progress to the next page 鈥楨nter code鈥�. Copy the code from the verification email and paste it into the box. Then select 鈥榁erify鈥�.

4. Choose the organisation that you are completing the form for. This is only required if your account is linked to several organisations.

5. The next page will display the details we hold about the organisation you selected when you signed in.聽This will show the name, address, and unique identifier of the local authority, as well as the name and email address of the person who signed into the form.

6. If these details are correct, select 鈥楥ontinue鈥� to go to the next page.

7. If you believe these details are incorrect, contact us through the and we will investigate. However, you can still proceed with your submission.

If you do not have a DfE Sign-in account聽

You will need to create one by completing steps 1 to 7 below:

1. Access and select 鈥榗reate a DfE Sign-in account.鈥� On the next page, select 鈥楴o account? Create one.鈥�

2. Enter your name and email address. You must use a valid business email address that contains your name. We are unable to accept generic emails, such as 鈥榓dmin鈥� or 鈥榠nfo鈥�. You cannot use a personal email address.

3. We will send you an email to verify your email address. Copy the code from this email and paste it into the box on the verification page.聽

4. Create a memorable password that is a minimum of 8 characters and contains 3 out of lowercase characters, uppercase characters, numbers and symbols. Enter your given name and surname.

5. Sign in using your new credentials. Request your multi-factor authentication (MFA) verification email by clicking on 鈥楨mail code to [your email address]鈥� on the verify your identity page.

6. We will send you an MFA email to verify your identity. Copy the code from this email and paste it into the box on the verification page.

7. Follow the next step instructions outlined in 鈥楢dding an organisation to your DfE Sign-in account鈥� below.

Once your request to access an organisation has been approved, you can follow the steps outlined under Sign in to your聽DfE聽Sign-in account to complete the form.

You may have noticed the term 鈥榓pprover鈥� when creating 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 a manager.

For security reasons, you will need authorisation from one of your organisation鈥檚 approvers before you can access the form.

Adding an organisation to your DfE Sign-in account

To add a new organisation to your DfE Sign-in account, follow steps 1 to 6 below:

1. Login to your .

2. Select 鈥極rganisations鈥� from the tab at the top of the page.

3. Select 鈥楻equest access to an organisation鈥� from the 鈥楻elated actions鈥� on the righthand side of the page.

4. Enter the name of the organisation you wish to add.

5. Select the organisation.

6. Select 鈥楥onfirm鈥�.

Your request will be sent to the approvers of your organisation. If you do not already have an approver your request will be actioned by the DfE Sign-in support team.

Once your request to access an organisation has been approved, you can follow the steps outlined under Sign in to your聽DfE聽Sign-in account to complete the form.

If you need further assistance with DfE Sign-in

Use our to request assistance. When raising a support request, select 鈥榦ther.鈥�

If you are having problems accessing the form collection, you can contact us through our .

Completing the forms聽

Access the and select 鈥楽tart now鈥�. Once authenticated through DfE Sign-in, you will find a portal that lists links to the forms your organisation is in scope to complete as below:

• Care to Learn (C2L)
• 16 to 19 Bursary fund for defined vulnerable groups (VB)

Each form will display a status indicator showing either:

• 鈥楴ot Yet Started鈥� 鈥� the form has not been accessed
• 鈥業n Progress鈥� 鈥� the form has been started but not yet submitted
• 鈥楥omplete鈥� 鈥� the form has been successfully submitted

Ensure you check the status and complete the relevant forms. If you are completing both C2L and VB forms, they can be completed in any order.

If you experience any issues or have questions, contact our support team using the for assistance.

When you select a form from the portal, you will find a 鈥榮ave and continue鈥� button that will take you through each page of the form. If you sign out of the form or leave it opened for an extended period before submitting it, you can resume your submission when you sign back in.

Once you have submitted a form, you will be advised of next steps and will receive an email confirmation of your submission with a link to download a PDF copy of your submission. This link will expire after 6 months, so you must download a copy as soon as possible.

The digital portal will record the status of your form submissions, you can edit and resubmit your forms until the submission deadline. We will use your latest submission to calculate the recovery amount and disregard any previous version.

Further details on how to complete each form are outlined below:

Your details (applicable to both forms)

This page will display the details we hold about the organisation you selected when you signed into your DfE Sign-in account.聽

Care to Learn (C2L) 鈥� summer 2026 (end of year reconciliation) claim form

This page shows information about C2L funding and completion of the form. Your claim will be reviewed and used to assess payment of C2L funding.

The C2L academic year 2025 to 2026 conditions of grant funding explains the scheme in full.

Before you start

Before you start the submission process, ensure that you have collated the:

• number of students you are claiming C2L for
• total amount you are claiming for childcare
• total amount you are claiming for registration fees
• total amount you are claiming for travel costs
• total amount you are claiming for summer retainers for summer 2026聽

You must also have the authority to make the claim on behalf of your organisation.

The amount of funding you request must be the amount you have assessed is required for the full academic year. You will be required to submit end of year data for reconciliation.

Academic year 2025 to 2026 claim payments聽

This shows you the number of students claimed for and the payments you have received for the first 2 windows.

Select 鈥榶es鈥� if this is your full and final funding claim for C2L for academic year 2025 to 2026 and you do not wish to make any amendments. Select 鈥榥o鈥� if you do wish to make amendments or you have not submitted a claim in windows 1 or 2 and wish to do so now.

Reconciled C2L claim details

If you are claiming for more students or additional funding than in your previous form submissions click 鈥榶es鈥�, otherwise click 鈥榥o鈥�.

Student funding

You must ensure you have assessed, and have evidence to support, the eligibility of the student and their childcare as well as ensuring the education provision meets the criteria and provide the total number of students you wish to claim C2L for in academic year 2025 to 2026.

Childcare funding

You should provide the total amount of C2L eligible childcare costs incurred by the eligible students. This must not exceed the permitted maximum amounts. Do not include registration fees, travel, summer retainers, or administration costs as we will ask you about these later in the form.

Other costs

C2L can also pay for registration fees, travel costs, and summer retainer fees. If you have an eligible claim for any or all of these areas check 鈥榶es鈥�, otherwise check 鈥榥o鈥�.

Other costs details

Select all the categories of costs you want to claim for.

Registration fees for childcare providers

C2L will pay registration fees charged by a childcare provider, up to a maximum of 拢80 per child. This is a one-off payment and does not form part of the weekly maximum amount.

Do not include deposits as these form part of the weekly maximum amounts and you should have included them in the total childcare amount.

Travel costs funding

C2L will pay for travel costs where appropriate and if these are additional costs that are necessary for the student to take their children between childcare and home. Travel costs are only applicable if the childcare and education are delivered at separate locations.

Summer retainer costs

C2L will pay for summer retainers if required to hold the childcare place over the summer holiday period. You must ensure any summer retainer claimed meets the specific summer retainer rules in full.

Administration funding

This page will automatically calculate the 5% administration funding your claim is eligible for based on your earlier funding claim answers. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Total funding claim

This page will show you your total C2L claim in academic year 2025 to 2026. This page also gives you the option to return to previous screens to amend your answers. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

16 to 19 Bursary for defined vulnerable bursary groups 鈥� summer end of year form

This page shows information about VB bursary funding and completion of the form. Your claim will be reviewed and used to assess payment of the funding. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Final reconciliation 鈥� student funding

This page provides a summary of the number of students you have previously claimed for, the revised number you have input in this window and the difference between them. This page also gives you the option to return to previous screens to amend your answers. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Final reconciliation 鈥� total claim

This page provides a summary of the amount of C2L you have previously received, the revised claim amount you have input in this window, and the difference between them. This page also gives you the option to return to previous screens to amend your answers. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Decrease of funding claim

This page will appear if based on the information you have provided there is an amount of funding to recover.

Increase in funding claim

This page will appear if based on the information you have provided there is an increase in funding to receive.

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for academic year 2025 to 2026 explains the bursary for defined vulnerable groups in full.

Before you start

Before you start the submission process, ensure that you have the:

• total number of students you are claiming for including any zero bursary students
• total number of students and amount you are claiming for in the following categories:
  • vulnerable group category 鈥� in care
  • vulnerable group category 鈥� care leavers
  • vulnerable group category 鈥� in receipt of Income Support (IS) or Universal Credit (UC)
  • vulnerable group category 鈥� in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) plus Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC
• the authority to make the claim on behalf of your organisation

The amount of funding you request must be the amount you have assessed is required for the full academic year.

Academic Year 2025 to 2026 claim details and payments聽

The table below confirms the student numbers and funding that have been paid in the preceding 2 claim windows for academic year 2025 to 2026.

If you have not had any previous payments, the table will be blank.

Students 鈥� 鈥榸ero鈥� bursary students

If a student in a defined vulnerable group either does not need financial help or you already have enough funds to fully support them, they are considered a 鈥榸ero bursary鈥� student. You still need to include these students in your funding claim

Student number 鈥� claiming funding

You must have verified that students are eligible, have evidence to confirm they meet the definition for at least one of the defined vulnerable groups and have a financial need.

Vulnerable group categories

There are 4 categories:

• in care
• care leavers
• in receipt of IS or UC
• in receipt of DLA or PIP and also ESA or UC

For each, confirm the number of students and the total amount of funding you are claiming.

You must have:

• verified that students are eligible and that you have evidence to confirm they meet the definition of the defined vulnerable group in full
• carried out an assessment of each student鈥檚 actual need for funding and ensured the actual amount of funding you are claiming is what is required by the students, based on their actual needs and costs

You must not automatically claim 拢1,200 per student, only the amount each individual student needs based on your assessment of their specific costs.

Total students per category

This page shows the number of students per vulnerable category that you have entered and gives you the option to return to the data to make amendments. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Total claims per category

This page shows the amount of funding per vulnerable category that you have entered and gives you the option to return to the data to make amendments. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Final reconciliation 鈥� student funding

This page provides a summary of the number of students you have previously claimed for, the revised number you have input in this window and the difference between them. This page also gives you the option to return to previous screens to amend your answers. You do not need to make any entries on this page.

Final reconciliation 鈥� total claim

This page provides a summary of the amount of VB you have previously received, the revised claim amount you have input in this window and the difference between them. This page also gives you the option to return to previous screens to amend your answers

Declarations page (applicable to both forms)

Once you have completed all data entries in each form you must agree to the mandatory declarations.

You will not be able to submit your form without completing the mandatory declarations.

Submission summary (applicable to both forms)

The summary page for each form allows you to check your answers before submitting the form. You can change your answers using the 鈥楥hange鈥� link that appears next to each data entry.

You can also save this summary by selecting 鈥楽ave summary as PDF鈥� before you submit.

We cannot accept a PDF summary of your answers as proof of submission. You must still submit the form.

You must select 鈥楽ubmit鈥� at the bottom of this page and you will receive a unique reference number for your submission to be processed.

Confirmation (applicable to both forms)

The final page for each form confirms your submission and will provide a unique reference number. It also provides you with a link back to the digital collection portal to either claim the other funding or amend a submission.

We will send you a confirmation email to the email address that you logged into DfE Sign-in with. This will contain a link to download a PDF of your submission, which is valid for 6 months from the date of your submission. You must download a copy as soon as possible.

Make a note of your unique reference number as we will not include this information in your confirmation email.

Amending your submissions (applicable to both forms)

You can make changes to the forms and resubmit up until 5pm on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 when this digital portal will close. To amend and resubmit the relevant form before the deadline, you will need to sign back in and resubmit your . We will use your latest submission to calculate the recovery amount and disregard any previous version.

We cannot grant any extensions to the deadline. Once we receive a new submission, any previous submissions for that form will be overwritten.

贰苍辩耻颈谤颈别蝉听

If you have read this guidance and have any questions, contact us through the quoting 鈥楥are to Learn (C2L) and 16 to 19 Bursary (VB) 鈥� summer 2026 digital collection鈥�.

Feedback

We are committed to enhancing our user experience and improving our digital forms. We, therefore, welcome and encourage your .