Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 11 January 2023

Updated 12 January 2023

Applies to England

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1. Reminder: Academies Accounts Return deadline next week, Thursday 19 January 2023

A reminder to all trusts that the deadline to submit your trust’s accounts return is Thursday 19 January 2023.

If you have not already completed the external auditor details section, please do as soon as possible as this will give them access to the form. The return can only be submitted by the trust’s external auditor.

If you are having difficulties completing or submitting the form, please see our guidance or join either our teams calls or web chat sessions.

2. Information: 16 to 19 funding arrangements for 2023 to 2024

We have published details on how 16 to 19 funding will work for academic year 2023 to 2024 and confirmed the timeline for delivering allocations.

We have increased the national funding rate for students aged 16 and 17 and students aged 18 and over with high needs in band 5 to £4,642, and we will continue to fund an extra 40 hours per student. We’ve also confirmed the funding rates for T Levels and other students.

We have updated our guidance on:

  • programme cost weightings
  • advanced maths premium
  • high value courses premium
  • teachers’ pay grant and teachers’ pension employer contribution grant

If you have any questions after reading our guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.

3. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) historical claims for unclaimed years

This message is for all academies in relation to NNDR.

Academies can submit historic claims for previously unclaimed years. This applies to financial years 2017 to 2018 up until 2021 to 2022, which have not been claimed for.

Claims can be submitted on the academies NNDR service.

Claims can be submitted up until 31 January 2023.

We will not, under any circumstances, accept claims for previously unclaimed years after this deadline.

4. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) new claims for 2022 to 2023

This message is for academies opted out of the new NNDR process. You can check if you still need to submit your own NNDR claim.

Academies that remain under the current NNDR arrangements because their billing authority has decided to not implement the new payment process for April 2022, should submit new claims for 2022 to 2023 by 31 January 2023.

Claims can be submitted on the academies NNDR service.

We will not, under any circumstances, accept new claims after this deadline.

5. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) adjustments to previous claims

This message is for all academies in relation to NNDR.

All academies and trusts can adjust previously paid NNDR claims for 2017 to 2018 to 2021 to 2022 using the academies NNDR service.

Claims can be submitted up until 31 January 2023.

We will not, under any circumstances, accept adjustment claims after this deadline.

From April 2023 academies will only be able to submit adjustments for the previous financial year (2022 to 2023).

For academies whose billing authority has implemented the new payment process the previous financial year’s adjustments will be managed by the billing authority.

6. Information: Academy Finance Professionals Power Hour – Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)

The next Power Hour is on 26 January 2023 from 3pm to 4pm.

Join our colleagues from the capital team who will provide an overview on the post-approval processes and requirements for delivering Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) projects.

This session will be of particular interest to all CIF qualifying establishments and will explain support the department can offer, the importance of compliance as well as the expectations of delivery.

There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the event. Register now to guarantee your place

Following feedback from academy finance professionals we will be trialling a different day and time for the February and March Power Hours. Keep an eye out in the ESFA Updates for more information on these sessions.

7. Information: register for free school resource management training webinars

Don’t miss out! School business leaders, SBPs, governors and trustees register now for free school resource management (SRM) training webinars covering a variety of topics including; HR planning and Benchmarking Financial Metrics, with bespoke sessions for primary, secondary, SEN and AP settings.

Register now.

8. Information: school business partner (SBP) roundtable events – book your place now

If you would like to join other SBPs from across your region to network, share your procurement issues and priorities, and find out more about the free procurement support available from the DfE, you can register to attend one of our upcoming roundtable events.

The roundtables take place from 31 January until 30 March across the country and are free to attend. Register now and don’t miss out.

9. Information: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school

Are you responsible for buying goods and services for your school? The Schools Commercial Team (SCT) within the Department for Education is leading on the Buying for Schools programme; delivering services to support schools to buy goods and services.

The team are hosting free webinars on how using our approved frameworks could save you time and help your school get value for money. Click on the links to find out more and book your place:

You can find the full programme of webinars for the spring term on the Spring 2023 webinar page. Visit the page to find out more and book your place.

10. Information: book a 1:1 chat to discuss your school’s buying needs – spaces available on 26 January

Schools Commercial Team are offering the opportunity for a free, virtual 1:1 conversation with a member of the team, to see how we can support you.

You can speak to us about anything you like to help you make informed buying choices for your school.

There is no pressure or obligation to take any of our recommendations forward following the conversation. Book your 1:1 conversation now.

11. Information: buying energy and energy efficiency goods and services for your school

In our latest Buying for Schools blog post, Dan Baker, Schools Commercial Team Category Lead, gives an overview of the DfE support available to help schools buy energy and energy efficiency goods and services.

If you’d like to know more once you have read the blog, you can sign up for our Energy and your school – how we can help webinar which takes place on Thursday 19 January, 11am to 11.45am.

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