ESFA college and local authority accountability agreements
ESFA college and local authority annual Accountability Agreements and the Local Needs Duty Information for 2024 to 2025
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This document provides guidance for providers within scope to develop and submit an annual Accountability Statement (part 2) by 30 June 2024. The guidance aligns and simplifies the requirements for annual Accountability Agreements and (for further education colleges, sixth form colleges and designated institutions) the statutory duty to review how well the education and training they provide meets local needs.
We have removed the need for colleges to publish two separate documents and enable them to fulfil both requirements for Accountability Agreements and the Local Needs Duty in a single annual return. The Local Needs Duty is a requirement of Section 52B Further and Higher Education Act 1992, as amended by the Skills and Post16 Education Act 2022 which came into force 28 June 2022.
Providers in scope for the annual Accountability Statement are: all further education colleges, all sixth form colleges, designated institutions and local authorities delivering post-16 provision in excess of £1m.
Providers in scope for the Local Needs Duty are: all further education colleges, all sixth form colleges and designated institutions
Updates to this page
Last updated 15 March 2024 + show all updates
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Updated 'Published Accountability Statements 2023 to 2024' to include links to more providers.
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New attachment: Published Accountability Statements 2023 to 2024
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Guidance and information on this page has been updated for 2024 to 2025.
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We have updated the college and local authority accountability agreements guidance to reflect national priority sectors and programmes for 2023 to 2024.
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First published.