ESFA Update academies: 11 September 2019
Published 11 September 2019
Applies to England
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1. Information: schools funding arrangements for 2020 to 2021
On Monday 9 September, Minister Gibb made a ministerial statement setting out the key aspects of the funding arrangements for schools and high needs for 2020 to 2021.
We will add further detail to our academy funding information on GOV.UK during the autumn about the allocations round for 2020 to 2021.
We have also published information on 16 to 19 funding following the Chancellor’s announcement. This will be of interest to academies with sixth forms.
2. Information: land and buildings collection tool series (part 1 of 3)
This is the first in a three-part series of updates focusing on the land and buildings collection tool (LBCT) return. This return is for academy trusts that were open as at 31 August 2019. We will write to academy users in early October to confirm reporting arrangements for the LBCT.
Over the next few weeks, we will focus on key areas that will help trusts complete their return. In the last week of September, we will be hosting two Skype calls to answer any questions you may have.
In this edition we will cover entering:
- occupation types
- assets
2.1 Occupation types
The LBCT uses the term ‘occupation type’ to refer to the way an academy occupies the site it uses. Please enter all occupations separately and include a brief and meaningful description. Please make sure that you’ve added the relevant documents for each occupation type to the document store, (we’ll cover this in more detail in next week’s ESFA Update). When reviewing your school site plan and your Land Registry documents this will help you identify how many pieces of land you occupy and how you occupy them (the type).
This year we have included a useful flowchart in the guidance, to help when completing your occupation types.
A flowchart to help academy trusts complete their occupation types in the LBCT.
For further guidance on occupation types, please refer to the LBCT guidance.
2.2 Assets
After adding each occupation route that the academy occupies, each asset that sits on the occupation type must be added. We will ask you if the asset is land or building. Please name each asset on the site with a brief and meaningful description.
The land for your school site must be added as an asset. If you have not included any land as an asset on any occupation in your return we’ll ask for an explanation as to why. In most cases we would expect all occupations to have land but there are some rare cases as why there isn’t.
Please refer to this flowchart when recording assets
A flowchart to help academy trusts complete their assets in the LBCT.
You can find further guidance on assets in the LBCT guidance.
We have added case studies in the guidance that will show how certain scenarios should be recorded in the LBCT. Such as how to record temporary assets and how to enter a sublet.
In next week’s Update we’ll cover the document store and the data adjustments tab, which are new for LBCT2019. In week three, we will be covering top tips for completing the LBCT return.
We’ll also be hosting two Skype calls to answer any questions you may have.
3. Information: school resource management self-assessment tool
We have updated school resource management self-assessment tool to include:
- a revised set of questions in the checklist
- improvements to the dashboard functionalities, including layout improvements and making it easier for MATs to complete for their academies by allowing the data for up to 20 schools to be inputted in one dashboard
- updated RAG ratings in the dashboard to reflect the latest data and the recent pay award and pensions contribution changes
The equivalent school financial value standard (SFVS) for local authority maintained schools has been mandatory for some years
From autumn 2019 completing the self-assessment tool will be mandatory for academy trusts on an annual basis. All academy trusts must complete the self-assessment tool and submit their completed checklist to ESFA by Thursday 14 November 2019.
Please note, the dashboard must be completed in order to answer the final question in the checklist, but the dashboard does not need to be submitted.
We will provide more information and a link to an online form in October.
4. Information: understanding your data – a guide for school governors and academy trustees
The understanding your data resource provides a basis for board discussions through the strategic use of data to ensure that value for money is achieved, whilst focusing on educational outcomes.
We have recently updated this resource. We have:
- republished the resource in a more accessible version
- improved all sections, adding further clarity on messaging, highlighting the importance of data relating to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- included links to additional sources of information, including guidance on setting executive salaries and academy trust good practice guides on internal scrutiny and management letters
5. Information: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019
On 2 September, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2019 came into force.
Schools and colleges must have regard to it. This version replaces both KCSIE 2018 and the ‘for information’ version published on 26 June 2019.
The changes are of a largely factual and technical nature and includes new content on:
- serious violence,
- upskirting (now a criminal offence),
- a link to the departmental advice supporting schools to teach pupils how to stay safe online
A full breakdown of the changes are included at Annex H of the guidance.
Schools and colleges should note that since the publication of the ‘for information’ version a change has been made to ensure KCSIE is up to date. Paragraph 79 has been updated to include advice about the sharing of pupils’ education data where the serious harm test is met.
6. Information: child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment
Schools and colleges are reminded to have regard to part 5 of the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. It covers managing reports of child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment. Children can sexually abuse other children and it doesn’t only happen in secondary schools; it can take place in primary schools too.
Child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment exists in many forms, from calling someone sexualised names, flicking bra straps, lifting up skirts, grabbing bottoms, breasts and genitalia to sexual assault and rape. Sexual violence and sexual harassment is not acceptable, it should never be tolerated and should never be seen as an inevitable part of growing up.
Detailed advice is available to support schools and colleges understand, prevent and respond to reports of child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment.
7. Your feedback: would you like to make the general annual grant (GAG) statement easier to access?
Our user research team are looking for individuals from academies, free schools or multi-academy trusts that would be interested in helping us to improve the design of the general annual grant (GAG) statement that we send out to you each year.
What this would involve:
- we will invite you to an online meeting with our researchers to remotely give us your feedback on a prototype of the GAG statement
- we might ask you to complete a few set tasks to test the usability, look and feel of the design
- we would also like to get any additional thoughts you have on improving the way you access the GAG statement
The session will last approximately 60 minutes and will give you the opportunity to provide feedback to government service designers which could directly influence our work.
Sessions will run between Monday 30 September to Wednesday 23 October 2019.
Session slots are available Monday to- Friday as follows:
- 8am to 9am
- 9.30am to 10.30am
- 11am to 12pm
- 1pm to 2pm
- 2.30pm to 3.30pm
- 4pm to 5pm
If you are interested in taking part, please contact our user researchers at natasha.chowdory@education.gov.uk, adding ‘GAG Research’ to the subject line.