Correspondence

ESFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges, local authorities and other 16 to 19 providers: 14 September 2017

Published 14 September 2017

This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2019

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. The EFA e-bulletin has been replaced by ESFA Update.

Applies to England

1. Information: final national funding formula consultation response

The Secretary of State for Education set out the final design of the national funding formulae (NFFs) for schools and high needs in a speech to Parliament today. This is set out in detail in the national funding formula for schools and high needs policy paper.

You can read the government’s response to the second stage schools national funding formula consultation and high needs national funding formula consultation.

We will shortly update the schools operational guidance for 2018 to 2019 to reflect this.

We will also shortly publish the high needs operational guidance for 2018 to 2019.

2. Reminder: making an accurate autumn census return

The autumn school census 2017 opens on 5 October 2017. The deadline for approved submissions is 1 November 2017. Local authorities and the department expect zero errors on the census return.

School census data is used to calculate funding allocations for schools and academies and institutions may not receive the correct funding if the data returned is not accurate. Where schools make an error in the data they return, there is no guarantee that it will be subsequently corrected. Therefore we urge all institutions to take particular care over data entry, particularly in respect of post-16 students and their qualifications data, as this is where we see the highest number of errors.

We’ve published a guide to help schools and local authorities complete and submit their autumn 2017 school census data.

We’ve published an interactive tool to support the return of accurate 16 to 19 school census data. The tool is aimed at business managers and staff responsible for preparing and submitting the autumn school census return.

Contact us if you have a question about the tool.

3. Information: 16 to 19 local authorities grant return and use of funds statement; process for 2016 to 2017

We sent an email to all local authority chief financial officers copied to chief executives and LA grant return nominated contacts on 11 September 2017. This highlighted the process for LAs to submit their 16 to 19 LA grant return and use of funds statement for 2016 to 2017.

ESFA will require LAs to upload a CFO signed grant return and use of funds statement to the ESFA’s Information Exchange by 31 October 2017. We have published detailed guidance on GOV.UK.

All files should be uploaded to the ESFA Information Exchange in the document exchange ‘Finance and Payments’ folder, under ‘AY 2016-17’.

To access Document Exchange log into ESFA Information Exchange and choose the Document Exchange tab at the top of the page. For support and guidance about ESFA Information Exchange, please visit our support page.

4. Information: Dedicated Schools Grant Chief Finance Officer’s Statement: Outturn 2016 to 2017

The department is asking local authorities for information in relation to the deployment of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for the outturn period 2016 to 2017. We sent an email to all local authority chief financial officers and LA grant return nominated contacts on 11 September 2017. The email contained instructions on submission.

ESFA will require LAs to upload a CFO signed statement and notes to the account to the ESFA’s Information Exchange by 31 October 2017. We have published detailed guidance on GOV.UK.

All files should be uploaded to the ESFA Information Exchange in the document exchange ‘Finance and Payments’ folder, under ‘AY 2016-17’.

To access Document Exchange log into ESFA Information Exchange and choose the Document Exchange tab at the top of the page. For support and guidance about ESFA Information Exchange, please visit our support page.