Guidance

Understand your funding: using the dashboard

Updated 4 November 2024

Applies to England

Understand your funding is a new dashboard within the submit learner data service that shows the funding values that are calculated using the data you provide. This guidance explains how the dashboard gathers, calculates and displays your data.

If you have access to submit individualised learner record (ILR) returns, you will automatically have access to the dashboard. If you want to provide access to colleagues who do not submit ILR returns, you need to assign them with the role of ‘Submit Learner Data – Finance Dashboards’ within their DfE Sign-in account.   

Development of this dashboard is ongoing. Your feedback will help us improve it.

1. Dashboard data

All data in your dashboard is generated from your latest ILR file submission. The data updates almost instantly each time you submit an ILR or earnings adjustment statement (EAS) file. If you have submitted a new file but the dashboard does not reflect the latest data, try refreshing the page.

The funding values in the dashboard are indicative earnings and reflect the latest file submission. The values you will be paid may be different to what you have earned from your latest file submission, for example due to capping. The values you will be paid are not included in the dashboard.

You can select the academic year you want to view data for. The earliest academic year on the dashboard is 2023 to 2024.

2. How the funding values are calculated

Funding values in the dashboard will match those in funding reports, as they are calculated in the same way. Funding earned through your file submissions and actual payments made may differ.

The dashboard aggregates the funding for each month by funding model.

The dashboard combines data from the ILR and the EAS files to calculate indicative funding.

The months in the dashboard are when you delivered the learning (or the month of the learner’s achievement date, for example) rather than the month when you might expect to be paid for this.

2.1 What’s included in the calculations

Funding value calculations take account of all ILR valid learners, including apprentices with data locks, although some learners may not generate any funding.

2.2 Funding included for each funding model

FM25 – 16 to 19:

• programme earnings
• some adult funded traineeship learners whose funding values are calculated by the 16 to 19 funding calculation

FM35 and FM38 (combined) – adult skills fund including devolved funding:

• programme earnings
• learning support earnings

FM36 – apprenticeships:

• indicative programme earnings (or indicative government co-investment for non-levy delivery not on apprenticeship service)
• English and maths earnings
• framework uplift earnings
• disadvantage earnings
• additional payments for providers
• additional payments for employers
• additional payments for apprentices
• learning support earnings

FM37 – skills bootcamps:

• fully funded and co-funded milestone earnings

FM81 – other adult:

• apprenticeship trailblazers, including:
  • core government contribution
  • English and maths earnings
  • employer incentive payments
  • learning support earnings

FM99 – non-funded:

• loans bursary funding
• loans bursary area cost uplifts

2.3 Devolved funding 

On the funding summary pages, the funding values and learner numbers include devolved funding for adult skills and community learning courses.

For providers who deliver adult skills, there is an option called ‘Adult skills source of funding’. This shows a breakdown of ESFA-funded provision and devolved provision.

The row of summary boxes (for example, ‘Valid learners’) shows the total adult skills values, which is the sum of ESFA and devolved funding. The tables and graph show breakdowns by source of funding.

2.4 Projected values 

These are projections based on your latest ILR file submission. They include on-programme funding but not completion or achievement funding that could be generated in the future. Projected values are illustrative and show how the end of the current year will look based on the latest submitted data. If circumstances change, the projected funding may change. Values are calculated in the same way as they are in funding reports.

3. Funding timelines

Funding is calculated by calendar month. For 16 to 19 funded learners, funding will show against the calendar month in which they started, or against August for continuing learners.

Return periods (R01 to R14) are when you return ILR data. R01 to R12 periods close on the 4th working day of each month. R13 closes in mid-September. R14, the final return, closes in mid-October. As a result, there is overlap between calendar months and return periods.

Valid and invalid learner numbers are based on the return periods. Year on year learner numbers show learners in learning within each calendar month.

We combine both monthly and return period data sources and display them on the dashboard.

4. Year on year data

This shows your historical ILR data for up to 5 academic years.

Past academic year data matches the latest return period for that year. This will usually be R14, the final return period, but may be R12 or R13 if those collection periods are still open.

The current academic year may display both actual and projected values, depending on where we are in the year. For example, if we are in R09, all months up to and including April will be actual values and May onwards will be projected values.

4.1 Year on year funding

This dashboard tab shows yearly funding by funding model.

The ‘total’ row in the table shows the monthly sum of the funding values for the selected funding models. The graph displays data to match the table.

4.2 Year on year learner numbers

This dashboard tab shows learner numbers by funding model. The data is taken from the number of learners in learning based on your latest ILR file submission. Each file submission updates the dashboard.

The ‘learner count’ row in the table shows the monthly sum of the learner numbers for the selected funding models. If a learner is on more than one funding model within a month, they are counted multiple times.

The graph shows the learner count for the selected funding models and academic years.

Please see the terminology section for further details on learners in learning.

5. Contract values

The contract values section of the dashboard shows your organisation’s funding against contract allocation for the current academic year.

Contract data is taken from your latest approved contract in the manage your education and skills funding service.

You can choose to display any of your active contracts for the selected academic year. The current academic year displays by default. The dashboard will show one contract at a time.

For 16 to 19 contracts, the total allocation value includes core programme funding plus all non-core funding, which includes high needs students and student financial support. Development in this area is ongoing. Your feedback will help us improve it.  

5.1 What’s not included in the contract values data

• Levy and non-levy apprenticeships that are managed through the apprenticeship service
• Devolved contract values and devolved funding values

5.2 What’s included in the contract values dashboard

• Master contract number: taken from manage your education and skills funding. It is the official Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) reference number for your contract.
• Current contract version: the most recently updated and approved version of your contract. It can take up to 24 hours for contract updates to be reflected on the dashboard.
• Total allocation value: taken from the most recently updated and approved master contract in manage your education and skills funding. For 16 to 19 contracts, it includes programme funding (element 1) plus non-core funding (element 2), such as high needs funding and student support. Total cumulative funding only includes programme funding (element 1).
• YTD funding: the year to date (YTD) funding value represents the cumulative indicative earnings, up to and including the current collection month.

5.3 Contract value tabs and graph

• Year to date: this tab shows how your organisation’s YTD funding is doing against its YTD allocation value.
• Financial year: this tab shows the total allocation value broken down by financial year. The values will match the YTD tab. The table also shows the breakdown for financial years 1 and 2.
• The graph: displays the total allocation value for the selected allocations. You can select an individual allocation or multiple allocations. The graph shows how close your organisation is to fulfilling or passing your allocation, based on indicative earnings and projections calculated from the latest submitted ILR file.

5.4 Contract value table data

• Allocation name: lists all allocations under your selected master contract.
• Contract reference number: taken from manage your education and skills funding. It is the official ESFA reference number for your contract.
• YTD allocation value: calculated using the monthly contract profile.
• August 2023 to March 2024 allocation value: your allocation value split by financial year.
• April 2024 to July 2024 allocation value: your allocation value split by financial year.
• YTD funding: indicative funding based on your latest ILR file submission.
• Total allocation minus YTD funding: the value is the difference between the total contract allocation and how much funding you have earned.
• Contract delivery percentage (%): shows how funding is doing against allocation. It can exceed 100% if there is over-delivery. It is calculated by dividing the ‘total allocation minus YTD funding’ value by the ‘total allocation’ value.

6. Terminology

• End of year (EOY): this looks at the projected end of year funding where YTD values are added to the projected rest of year values. This gives a total for what funding will look like at the end of the academic year based on your latest ILR file submission.
• Invalid learners: this includes any learners in your file submission that have not met the validation rules.
• Learners in learning: this includes valid learners who have not completed. Learners who complete, withdraw or are on a break in learning will not be included in these numbers after their actual end date. The number of learners in learning may be lower than the number of valid learners.
• Valid learners: all learners in your file submission that have passed the validation rules, including learners who are continuing, are on a break in learning, or have withdrawn or completed.
• Year to date (YTD): this depends on the active return period. For example, if we are in R04, the dashboard will calculate all funding from August up to and including the month of November