Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 1 July 2020

Published 1 July 2020

This correspondence was withdrawn on 29 December 2021

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for up to date news and information.

Applies to England

1. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.

Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.

2. Information: reducing burdens on educational and care settings from the Department for Education and its agencies

To help reduce the burden on educational and care settings at this time, in April 2020, the Department for Education (DfE) and its agencies cancelled or paused all but the most essential data collections, services and requests and published the list.

The list of collections and services was reviewed in June 2020 and a revised list has now been published along with a summary of changes. Data collections which are paused will next be reviewed in September 2020 and the pause period extended if necessary.

For further information, and the full list of data collection changes, please read the guidance on reducing burdens on educational and care settings.

If you have any questions, please email managing.burdens@education.gov.uk.

3. Information: consultation response on subcontracting post-16 education and training with ESFA funding

We have published our response to subcontracting post-16 education and training with ESFA funding. Some of the key reforms include:

• reducing the volume of subcontracted activity
• requiring providers’ Corporations and Boards who choose to subcontract to publish a curriculum rationale for their subcontracted activity
• placing restrictions and limits on types of subcontracting that have been identified as higher risk
• acting on use of brokers to ‘sell on’ provision to subcontractors
• improving the management and oversight of subcontracting, assessed through a new subcontracting standard
• improving, across ESFA, the use of the data and audit returns to identify and act on risks

We will work with the sector to test and implement these changes to ensure that the offer for learners is central and will set out the detail of these reforms later this year. You can read the full consultation response on GOV.UK.

4. Information: eligibility rules for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals for access to FE 19+ and apprenticeships

Eligibility rules for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals, and their family members, who wish to access further education funding for those aged 19+, and apprenticeships, in England in the academic year starting in August 2021 are changing.

EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for ESFA funded adult education budget funding, or apprenticeships, in England for courses or apprenticeships starting in academic year 2021 to 2022.

It will not affect students or apprentices starting courses or apprenticeships in academic year 2020 to 2021, nor those EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefitting from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively.

It will also not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis for UK and Irish nationals under the Common Travel Area arrangement.

The adult education budget and apprenticeship funding rules will be updated in due course. The written ministerial statement is available online.

5. Information: Department for Education Sustainability Award

DfE is inviting nominations for the 2020 Sustainability Award, which forms part of the Educational Estates conference in October.

The award aims to celebrate education institutions in England that have made a significant attempt to become more sustainable.