ESFA e-bulletin for academies: 21 December 2017
Published 21 December 2017
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2017
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-e-bulletin-21-december-2017-issue-200/esfa-e-bulletin-for-academies-21-december-2017
1. Final reminder: deadline to submit academy trust audited financial statements
Over three quarters of academy trusts have already submitted their audited financial statements. lf you have not yet submitted yours, please ensure that you have processes in place to meet the 31 December deadline.
Please refer to the published guidance on submitting your financial statements and auditor’s management letter by uploading within the accounts submission coversheet. It means that trusts are no longer required to access ESFA’s Document Exchange to submit their documents.
2. Information: school workforce census
Please log into COLLECT and check that your workforce census return status is ‘approved’ or ‘authorised’. If you have made any amendments to your data and the current status is ‘loaded’ and ‘validated’ or ‘amended by source’ you must press ‘submit’.
If you are unsure how to do this, please consult the COLLECT guide.
The deadline for submission was 1 December. If you have not done so you should make your return now. If you expect any significant delay in submitting your return, please contact the helpdesk.
The school workforce census is a statutory return, therefore you have a legal obligation to submit data. You can see what you must provide by law.
If you don’t have a management information system, or you can’t provide data in the correct format required by COLLECT, please request the XML generator tools from the helpdesk.
3. Reminder: spring school census 2018
The spring school census 2018 begins on Thursday, 18 January. The deadline for approved submissions is Wednesday, 14 February and the database will be closed to amendments from schools and local authorities on Wednesday 14 March.
A ‘beta’ release of the 2018 spring school census live COLLECT blade is now available via secure access for you to become familiar with. This will remain available until 4pm on Friday, 12 January at which point the blade will be removed and cleared out in advance of the start of the live collection on Thursday, 18 January.
The school census guide for the 2017 to 2018 academic year is available on the school census website.
4. Information: keeping children safe in education consultation
DfE has published a consultation on proposed changes to statutory safeguarding guidance. The consultation closes on 22 February.
DfE intends to publish revised guidance – for information to help you plan for any changes – in early summer 2018. The revised guidance will come into force in early September 2018.
5. Information: advice covering sexual violence and sexual harassment between children
DfE has published advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges.
The advice includes descriptions of sexual violence and sexual harassment, the important role preventive education can play and effective safeguarding practice to manage reports of sexual violence and sexual harassment.
We expect the advice will be especially useful for designated safeguard leads and their deputies.
6. Information: school revenue funding settlement: 2018 to 2019
The 2018 to 2019 schools revenue funding settlement was announced on 19 December 2017, in a written ministerial statement. This sets out the details for the dedicated schools grant (DSG), education services grant, and pupil premium.
6.1 DSG
We’ve published the details for the DSG in 2018 to 2019, in the following documents:
- Conditions of grant, including payment dates
- Technical note
- Allocations tables
- Pupil number tool
The schools block is allocated on the basis of the schools block units of funding, and actual costs for premises, growth and mobility, announced in September 2017.
The new central school services block is allocated on the per-pupil rates and historic commitments announced in September 2017.
The high needs block is based on the high needs national funding formula announced in September 2017.
The early years block is allocated using the early years funding rates and calculations announced on 17 November 2017.
6.2 Education services grant (ESG) protections
ESG protection arrangements for academies will remain the same for 2018 to 2019, which means no academy will see losses of more than 3% of their overall budget as a result of ending the ESG.
6.3 Pupil premium
We’ve also published the pupil premium conditions of grant for 2018 to 2019.
The rates per pupil for the pupil premium for 2018 to 2019 are maintained at their current rates. The rate for pupil premium plus for looked after children and children adopted from care will increase to £2,300 per pupil in 2018 to 2019.
6.4 Other grant funding
The grant for universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) continues at a meal rate of £2.30 for the 2018 to 2019 academic year. Further details will be available in 2018.
The year 7 catch-up premium continues in 2018 to 2019. Further details will be available in 2018.
The primary PE and sport premium continues in academic year 2018 to 2019 at the current level of £320 million a year. Further details will be available in 2018. We will continue to advise schools on sustainable and effective ways to use the premium.