Guidance

How to complete and return the dedicated schools grant (DSG) assurance statement

Published 27 October 2023

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-assurance-guidance-for-local-authorities-for-2022-to-2023/how-to-complete-and-return-the-dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-assurance-statement

1. Downloading and completing the templates

  1. Sign in to DfE Sign-in
  2. Select ‘Document exchange’ from the list of services
  3. Navigate to ‘Documents sent by ESFA’
  4. Download the DSG assurance statement and DSG note to the accounts template
  5. Print a copy of the DSG statement for the CFO to sign and scan in as a PDF
  6. Populate the table in the note to the accounts spreadsheet

There are 2 documents on Document Exchange, the dedicated schools grant (DSG) assurance statement and the DSG notes to the accounts template.

1.1 DSG assurance statement

The CFO must complete this form to:

  • confirm the DSG received by the local authority in 2022 to 2023 was fully deployed in support of the schools budget, in accordance with the conditions of grant and School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2022
  • report details of any fraud cases in maintained schools, and confirm what action has been taken to address the issue
  • report the numbers of schools with suspended budgets, notices of financial concern or recovery plans during 2022 to 2023

The fraud section of the statement improves the transparency of information that local authorities already collect from maintained schools through the schools financial value standard (SFVS). We have added a footnote to the statement explaining the meaning of fraud in this context.

There is no requirement for the assurance statement to be audited, but the return may be subject to review by external auditors, at their discretion.

1.2 DSG note to the accounts template

Please fill in the table and upload the completed template to the Document Exchange portal following the steps below. The data is required in MS Excel format to enable us to review the data.

We use the information you provide in this return to populate a national spreadsheet. Please do not change the format of the DSG assurance statement or note to the accounts spreadsheet, as this will affect our validation processes.

2. Submitting the DSG assurance statement and note to the accounts

  1. Navigate to the ‘Send a new document’ section
  2. Select ‘DSG Assurance Statement’ as the document type
  3. Browse for the signed PDF of the DSG assurance statement
  4. Follow the instructions to upload your first return
  5. Repeat the process by selecting ‘DSG Note to the accounts’ as your document purpose, and then browse for the DSG note to the accounts.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Document Exchange, view the ESFA Document Exchange user guide.

3. Specimen signatures

The signature on the statement will be checked against our records of specimen signatures for your local authority. If the person signing the statement has not previously supplied a specimen signature to us, they should contact LA.Assurance@education.gov.uk to request a specimen signature template.

4. Additional information

If you are unable to access the DSG note to the accounts document, or have any questions about your return, or the process, please email us at LA.Assurance@education.gov.uk.

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