Correspondence

ESFA e-bulletin for academies: 5 April 2018

Published 5 April 2018

This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2019

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. The EFA e-bulletin has been replaced by ESFA Update.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: T level panel recruitment

The Department for Education is recruiting for the next phase of T level panels in the 5 routes which will be delivered from 2022:

• agriculture
• environmental and animal care
• business and administration
• catering and hospitality
• creative and design
• hair and beauty

The recruitment launched on Tuesday 27 March 2018 and will be open for 6 weeks. The closing date for submitting an Expression of Interest is 5pm, Tuesday 8 May 2018.

The department is seeking experienced practitioners, managers/trainers of practitioners, or members of professional bodies or trade associations with direct experience of occupations in these routes. Applicants should be employed or self-employed and actively working in their industry or sector. They should be willing to commit their time and expertise in one of the following roles to co-create improvements to technical education across England:

• Panel members: who will collectively be responsible for developing outline content for qualifications relating to specific technical occupations by determining the key skills, knowledge and behaviours that individuals should meet to become competent. These will incorporate and build on apprenticeship standards.

• Panel chairs: who, in addition to the above, will lead the overall panel for a technical pathway, drive progress in the creation of outline content, and facilitate the active participation of all panel members.

T level panels are responsible for developing the outline content for the qualifications forming part of the new T levels: a gold standard for technical and professional excellence.

You can read more about T levels and why, to make sure we get this right, we need a genuine partnership between business, government and education professionals, by reading Skills Minister Anne Milton’s blog.

Please contact employer.panels@education.gov.uk for further information.

2. Information: national non-domestic rates (NNDR) claim form

We’ve updated the online claims form for national non-domestic rates (NNDR).

This will allow claims for the 2018 to 2019 financial year. You’ll still be able to make claims for the 2015 to 2016, 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 financial years. We’ll make payments in full within 2 months of your claim, depending on payment deadlines.

To make claims for buildings revalued before the 2015 to 2016 financial year, please contact us using our enquiry form. Please attach associated invoices relating to the revaluations.

3. Information: calling all users of Information Exchange

Thank you to all of you who have given feedback so far. To support the research, we want to talk to a broad mix of customers in different roles and organisation types. Your input will help us make user centred improvements and prioritise future developments.

Can you give us 45 minutes of your time to help us improve Information Exchange? We are flexible and can do this over the phone, via web meeting, visit you, or you can come to us at our Coventry location.

To share your views and experience, please fill in your information in this short form so we can contact you to arrange a time and date that suits you. The form will only take a few minutes to complete.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at pds.mailbox@education.gov.uk.

4. Information: high needs allocated place numbers

We’ve published the high needs place numbers for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

We’ve also updated the high needs place numbers for the 2017 to 2018 academic year.

We’ve published these documents in the interests of transparency, and to promote collaboration between local authorities and institutions.

5. Information: FE residential accommodation - new national minimum standards

Following the consultation on revised standards for residential accommodation for under 18s in FE colleges and 16 to 19 academies, DfE have published the government response. The new national minimum standards were published on 28 March 2018 and will come into effect on 1 September 2018. Colleges will be required to comply with the standards from this date, and Ofsted will take them into account in deciding whether or not an institution has complied with its duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Although Independent Learning Providers (ILP) and Special Post 16 Institutions (SPI) are not in scope for these standards, we are exploring the option to include a new clause in the Funding Agreements for 2018 to 2019. This will require them to operate to the standards for 16 to 18 and high needs students up to the age of 25.