Correspondence

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

Published 19 October 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This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2019

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. The EFA e-bulletin has been replaced by ESFA Update.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. Reminder: 16 to 19 grant return and use of funds statement and Dedicated Schools Grant Chief Finance Officer’s statement

Local authorities are required to upload the following documents to the ESFA’s Information Exchange by Tuesday, 31 October 2017.

• 16 to 19 grant return and use of funds statement for 2016 to 2017
• Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) assurance statement and notes for 2016 to 2017

Please upload the returns using the guidance on 16 to 19 grant return and DSG Assurance Statement.

You should upload all files to the ESFA Information Exchange in the document exchange ‘Finance and Payments’ folder, under ‘AY 2016-17’.

To access the 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.

2. Information: Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) 2018 to 2019

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) 2018 to 2019 is now open for applications.

CIF is an annual bidding round for single academy trusts, smaller multi-academy trusts (MATs) and sixth-form colleges. It is mostly allocated to schools to address a significant condition need with a small proportion allocated to high performing academies and colleges to address overcrowding or create extra places.

We have updated the Condition Improvement Fund page on GOV.UK with refreshed guidance about the application process and the timeline of activities for 2018 to 2019.

If you are applying to CIF for the first time, you must register to use the portal by 5pm on 30 November 2017.

The deadline for all applications for CIF 2017 to 2018 is midday on 14 December 2017.

3. Information: ESFA school census autumn 2017 - 16 to 19 reports are now available in COLLECT

ESFA school census autumn 2017 16 to 19 reports are now available in COLLECT. The reports are available to schools and academies during the entire period the autumn census is open.

The report suite comprises 6 reports, 3 each for the current year and for the previous year. We have developed the reports to help schools and academies quality assure their data and make more accurate census returns.

If you find any anomalies, please contact us using the online form.

The ESFA school census autumn 2017: 16 to 19 reports user guide and complementary school census post-16 interactive tool are available on GOV.UK.

We have received a large number of business cases from schools and academies that have arisen from common errors, so we encourage institutions to use the tool to check that they have correctly recorded:

• GCSE maths and English prior attainment
• valid, up-to-date qualification numbers (QNs)
• transfers and withdrawals

There are examples of all these errors and their solutions in the tool.

4. Information: publication of schools block and 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for 2017 to 2018

This week we have published on GOV.UK:

• Schools block funding allocations to each individual mainstream maintained school (for financial year 2017 to 2018) and academy (for academic year 2017 to 2018) under local authorities’ funding formulae for the funding year 2017 to 2018
• 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for individual schools, academies and further education institutions funded by the ESFA for 16 to 19 year olds and 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan

We have published the data-sets to show how the ESFA has allocated £5.7 billion (16 to 19) and £32.5 billion (schools block funding) of public funds.

5. Information: Schools Buying Hubs

DfE’s Schools Commercial Team is looking for participants in the North West and South West regions to participate in a pilot for regional School Buying Hubs to support schools in their purchasing.

Do you want access to better deals?

Do you want buying to be easier?

Do you want access to help and advice?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions and are in the North West or South West region, you could help to shape the future of school buying through a new Schools Buying Hubs service.

You can read more about and register your interest in the regional schools buying hub pilot. Please contact the DfE Schools Commercial Team with any questions.

6. Information: visit ESFA at the Academies Show

If you want to know more about academies funding and financial management, and schools financial health, come and visit ESFA at the Academies Show on Wednesday 22 November 2017 at the NEC in Birmingham.

We look forward to meeting visitors at our exhibition stand and at the various workshop sessions we’re running at the show.

7. Information: National Apprenticeship Week 2018

We have announced the dates of the 11th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).

National Apprenticeship Week 2018 will run from 5 to 9 March 2018.

During the week employers and apprentices from across England will come together to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

More details will follow over the next few months so please keep an eye on social media and our pages on GOV.UK. In the meantime, please spread the word about the dates of the week.

8. Information: choices at 16 questionnaire

With the introduction of T-levels on the way, this is a good time to look at how students make their post-16 choices and consider how best DfE services can support their decision making.

Our short survey will help us understand your views on students entering 16+ education and making career choices. We will also use this questionnaire to recruit the user base for follow-up research e.g. phone interviews. The survey will close on Tuesday, 24 October.