The terms of the ERA Licence provide for tariff rates to be published on the ERA website. Please refer to the rates set out below for your educational establishment. Abatements against application of the tariff rates may be negotiated at ERA’s discretion to cover groups of educational establishments for whom licence fees are paid central.
(a) The annual tariff for students in primary schools (including preparatory schools, special schools, pupil referral units and non-maintained special schools) is 53p per student. (b) The annual tariff for students in secondary schools and students in educational establishments of further education who have not attained the age of 18 at the start of the education year is £1.11 per student.
ERA has negotiated abated licence fees with umbrella organisations representing large numbers of educational establishments. As a result some educational establishments may be covered by one centrally-held blanket licence. Some examples are listed below:
All state funded schools and academies in England are covered by an agreement between ERA and the Department for Education under which relevant licence fees for the Licence year commencing 1 April 2026 will continue to be paid centrally by the Department for Education. Once licence fees are paid the relevant schools will be informed of the terms of their licence.
Most local authorities pay centrally for all state funded schools within their remit. The exception is Ceredigion Council where all schools are licensed individually, via CEFM.
All schools in Northern Ireland are licensed through the education authority.
The Centre for Education and Finance Management (CEFM) will continue act as ERA’s agent for invoicing for fees and confirming the issue of ERA licences to independent schools within England and Wales. Schools in membership of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), United Learning Trust, Cognita Schools Group and Alpha Plus Group, will be licensed through ERA, and blanket licence agreements with ERA may be put in place. Please contact ERA for further details.
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