ESFA Update academies: 11 November 2020
Published 11 November 2020
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2020
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-11-november-2020/esfa-update-academies-11-november-2020
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: land and building collection tool update
The online form for the land and buildings collection tool will now go live on 15 December 2020. The deadline for submission is 28 January 2021.
We appreciate that this further delay will disrupt your planning and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
You can view information about the land and building collection tool, including the Excel workbook to help you prepare the online form, on GOV.UK.
3. Information: academies accounts return online form now live
The academies accounts return (AR) online form is now live for users to complete and submit their trust’s return by the deadline of 23 February 2021.
The AR can only be submitted by the trust’s external auditor. Please check that your external auditor details are correct as soon as possible. This is to ensure they have access to the return to avoid delays. For more information, please see the guide to completing the accounts return online form.
If you have difficulties accessing the form, please read the IDAMS registration guidance. Your login details will be the same ones as previously used for the budget forecast return earlier in the year.
If you have any questions, please use our online enquiry form. Please select option ‘Academies financial returns/IDAMS’ and provide your trust’s UPIN or company number.
4. Information: early career framework reforms
The national roll-out of the early career framework (ECF) reforms will take place from September 2021.
To enable this, the Department for Education intends to make changes to statutory induction arrangements. These changes will ensure that all early career teachers undergoing induction are entitled to a two-year programme of training and support, underpinned by the ECF.
You can read an overview of the early career framework reforms on GOV.UK.
At this time there are no actions for schools to take. Further information and guidance to help schools prepare for national roll-out will be published in due course.
Please complete this form if you would like to receive updates about the ECF reforms.
5. Information: Schools and Academies Show 17 to 20 November
You are invited to join us at the first online Schools and Academies Show from 17 to 20 November 2020.
We’ve worked with the organisers to put together a programme of speakers and workshops for this online event.
You can also visit us in the virtual Government Education Village, where you can connect with staff at ESFA and DfE to:
- ask questions via live-chat functionality
- view sessions and roundtables hosted by ESFA and DfE
- set up 1-2-1 private video meetings with members of the teams
You can register for the Show to create your own personal agenda.
6. Information: monitoring post-16 funding
We have published the final reports for the 2019 to 2020 funding year in Submit learner data.
We have also released a new post-16 monitoring reports dashboard containing this information in View your education data. This is a preview of the new format we will use for 2020 to 2021 onwards for you to review and leave feedback on. This will help us develop the product further before we publish 2020 to 2021 data at R04.
We have published a user guide to support the dashboard. The user guide explains how to access and navigate the dashboard, with details of how you can export all of your data in a single file for importing into your own systems. It summarises the reports that support financial assurance: monitoring the funding rules for post-16 funding for 2020 to 2021, including the actions you need to take and what we will do to assure funding.
If you need any further support, please submit an enquiry.
7. Information: guidance for the delivery and application of industry placements – Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF) from the 2021 to 2022 academic year
We have published guidance for delivery and new funding applications for industry placements – Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF) from the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
CDF was introduced to support providers to build capacity for the delivery of T Level style industry placements. As T Level delivery increases over the next three years, industry placements delivered through CDF will be phased out. CDF will continue to support both level 2 and level 3 industry placements but at a reduced funding rate per qualifying student. The guidance explains in full the changes for both the 2021 to 2022 academic year and how and when the fund will be wound down.
The guidance also includes information on how to apply for CDF for 2021 to 2022 academic year. Providers can now apply for CDF with no minimum Ofsted grade threshold. This will enable those providers currently not in receipt of CDF and who intend to deliver T Levels in the future to build their capacity and capability in readiness.
8. Information: Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board – vacancy for a member representative
The Department for Education is seeking a suitable candidate to sit as a member representative on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board (TPSPB).
The successful candidate will not need to be a pension professional, but should be able to demonstrate the skills and experience detailed in the role and person specification.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to understand how the scheme is administered and the operational and delivery challenges associated with such a large scheme. Your role will be to support and challenge the Department and Teachers’ Pensions to ensure the scheme continues to be effectively and efficiently administered.
Please see the application pack for further details and how to apply.