Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 10 October 2018

Published 10 October 2018

This correspondence was withdrawn on 21 February 2020

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Find the latest information from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in the latest ESFA Update.

1. Action: funding claims 2017 to 2018 – final claim

Your 2017 to 2018 final claim form will be available on the Hub from 9am Friday 19 October and will close at 5pm Wednesday 24 October.

You must sign your claim digitally on SFS by 5pm on Monday 29 October by your principal or a delegated authority. You will need to submit and sign a claim if you receive funds through:

• a grant for your adult education budget (AEB)
• a grant for your 16 to 19 funding
• a grant with an advanced learner loans bursary contract
• a learner support contract
• a community learning contract

Once you have submitted your claim on the Hub, you will be able to view it and sign it on the skills funding service within 15 minutes.

You can find guidance on submitting a claim on GOV.UK there is separate guidance for 16 to 19 education funding.

There is also a user guide to help you complete the claims form.

For further information or related queries, please email the service desk.

2. Action: publication of 2017 to 2018 college finance record and updated college accounts direction

We have published the college finance record for 2017 to 2018, which further education and sixth-form colleges must complete and return to ESFA (using email address: PRA.Financialhealth@education.gov.uk) by 31 December 2018, alongside their audited financial statements and associated documents.

As set in the post-16 audit code of practice, we also require colleges to complete a regularity self-assessment questionnaire, and to share it with their auditors as part of the regularity assurance engagement.

3. Information: non-levy growth awards

We have awarded £7.5m additional funding to 77 providers delivering apprenticeship training services to small and medium employers to deliver more training to meet demand from employers.

Additionally, we have awarded £0.4m to 4 construction providers, ensuring that employers can access the training they need in this priority sector.

This brings the total additional funding for non-levy apprenticeship growth this year to almost £76m, made available over 2 growth rounds.

We have no plans to run any further growth rounds this year however we will keep this under review.

4. Information: withdrawal of apprenticeship frameworks

As previously published, the government will move from apprenticeship frameworks to standards by 2020. We can now confirm that all frameworks will be withdrawn by the 2020 to 2021 academic year, as we expect that employers and providers will have completed the transition by this date.

The the last date for new starts for all remaining live apprenticeship frameworks will be 31 July 2020.

All starts from 1 August 2020 will be on new, employer-designed standards.

5. Information: Individualised Learner Record (ILR) - R14 hard close

It is critical that you make any amendments to your 2017 to 2018 ILR data before the hard close at 6pm on the 18 October 2018.

After this date, you will not be able to fix any data match issues from your 2017 to 2018 ILR return and will not receive payment for activity relating to August 2017 to July 2018.

6. Information exchange and the skills funding service – can you give us your feedback?

Can you give us 45 minutes of your time to join us for a user research session, to help us make user service improvements and prioritise future developments?

The research sessions are flexible and can take place over the phone, via web meeting, by visiting you at your place of work, or you can come to us at our Coventry location.

Thank you to all of you who have already signed-up to join our feedback community. To sign up to share your views and experience, please complete the form on the following links:

• the skills funding service
• information exchange

We will only invite you to research that is relevant to you.

If you have any questions please contact pds.mailbox@education.gov.uk.

7. Information: data returns for special post-16 institutions

a short video for special post 16 institutions

We have published a short video for special post 16 institutions about an upcoming consultation and the need to submit accurate and timely individualised learner record (ILR) data to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The video explains:

• how incorrect or late ILR returns may affect your funding and payments
• how to make data returns and the tools available to help you

We recommend that colleagues responsible for collecting and submitting ILR data watch this video.