Correspondence

EFA e-bulletin for academies: 5 March 2015

Published 5 March 2015

This correspondence was withdrawn on 13 December 2019

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. The EFA e-bulletin has been replaced by ESFA Update.

1. Information: March accounts return due 31 May 2015

Education Funding Agency (EFA) requires academy trusts that did not prepare audited financial statements as at 31 August 2014 and academy trusts that opened new academies between 1 September 2014 and 31 March 2015 to submit a March 2015 accounts return by 31 May 2015.

We will publish the return, guidance and a training video in March, and will hold a webinar in April. Information about these will be published in a later issue of this e-bulletin.

2. Action: financial management and governance self-assessment (FMGS) return

We have introduced a new online form for academy trusts to use to complete and submit their financial management and governance self-assessment (FMGS) returns, due within 4 months of opening. Academy trusts can also use this form to confirm if they will be providing alternative assurance instead of the FMGS.

The FMGS is a self-assessment that helps academy trusts ensure compliance with financial and governance requirements.

You will need to use the online form rather than submit the return by email, unless you have already downloaded and completed the previous Microsoft Word version.

3. Information: validating academy trusts’ 2013 to 2014 accounts returns

EFA’s delivery partner, Deloitte, is validating academy trusts’ 2013 to 2014 accounts returns. This needs to take place before we consolidate them into our annual accounts.

We have now published the validation tests and standard questions Deloitte will use.

4. Information: new academies financial benchmarking website

In order to support schools in their strategic planning, the Department for Education has introduced a new financial benchmarking site for academies which complements the established schools financial benchmarking website for maintained schools.

The new benchmarking site contains information about academies that have been open for more than 12 months, provided through their accounts returns.

These facilities enable schools to prepare charts that compare one school’s income and expenditure profile with that of similar schools, using a range of factors such as size, type, percentage with special needs. They are invaluable in generating benchmarking reports.

Further information is now available, as well as a short video demonstration of the financial benchmarking websites as part of our online programme providing schools with an efficiency toolkit.

5. Reminder: national non-domestic rates (NNDR) claims

Academies who have not yet claimed for national non-domestic rates (NNDR) for the 2014 to 2015 financial year should submit an online form by 31 March 2015.

6. Information: Residential Support Scheme - guidance for the 2015 to 2016 academic year

We have published the Residential Support Scheme guidance for the 2015 to 2016 academic year.

The guide provides information to all institutions receiving Residential Support Scheme allocations in the 2015 to 2016 academic year. It sets out the requirements for the administration of the funding and describes how we will collect monitoring information for the scheme.

7. Information: post-16 allocations

We are in the process of uploading final 2015 to 2016 academic year post-16 allocation statements to EFA Information Exchange. Uploads have been completed for most further education colleges, school sixth-forms and academies.

Over the next 2 weeks, uploads will be completed for the remaining institutions including commercial and charitable providers, non-maintained special schools and special post-16 institutions. Local authorities will receive summaries in the second half of March.

For support and guidance about accessing EFA Information Exchange please visit GOV.UK.

7.1 Business cases

By exception, EFA will consider evidenced and credible business cases from institutions where there has been a major error in your data return. We will apply standard minimum thresholds to decide whether we will consider a case, which are:

• cases affecting lagged student numbers, 5% of students or 50 students, whichever is lower
• cases affecting the full-time/part-time split and other funding factors including programme cost weightings, retention and disadvantage funding, an overall impact of 5% on total funding or £250,000, whichever is lower

For other cases not covered above, we will review the cases individually.

EFA will consider the impact of multiple data errors where there is a combined overall funding impact of 5% on total funding or £250,000, whichever is lower.

Business cases must be submitted using our online form by 31 March and you will receive a response to your case by 31 May.

7.2 High needs

The high needs place allocation process has been delivered earlier for 2015 to 2016 and is distinct from the mainstream allocations process.

The details included in the final allocation statement for high needs students reflects the high needs allocated place numbers for 2015 to 2016 that we published on GOV.UK. Therefore, we will not consider business cases in relation to the high needs place numbers in your statement. Local authorities should provide additional funding from their high needs budgets when they commission places over and above your allocated place number.

8. Information: new public contracts regulations

All schools are required to comply with the new public contracts regulations which came into effect on 26 February 2015.

Detailed guidance on buying and managing public sector goods and services efficiently and effectively is available. The Department for Education will shortly update all buying guidance for schools.

9. Information: purchasing energy for schools

The Department for Education has announced an arrangement with Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to enable schools achieve greater value for money when purchasing their energy requirements.

This will help minimise the issues for schools caused by the complexity and volatility of the energy markets.