ESFA Update local authorities: 12 August 2020
Published 12 August 2020
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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.
There is also guidance on the apprenticeship service about COVID-19.
Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.
2. Action: how to claim exceptional learning support (ELS) for 2020 to 2021
We have published the guidance and cost form for exceptional learning support for the 2020 to 2021 funding year.
Providers and employers must complete the estimated cost of exceptional learning support at the beginning of a learner’s programme and submit the completed cost form via the ESFA online enquiry form.
We are responsible for paying exceptional learning support for:
- learners aged 19 and over with an identified learning difficulty and/or disability (LDD) without an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- all age apprentices that have an identified LDD and are with or without an EHC plan
- advanced loans-funded learners with an identified LDD without an EHC plan as part of the Advanced Learner Loans bursary fund
Further information on ELS can be found in the adult education budget funding rules 2020 to 2021 and advanced learner loans funding rules 2020 to 2021.
If you have any questions after reading our guidance please contact us via the ESFA online enquiry form ensuring that you add “20-21 Exceptional Learning Support” in the subject title. You will need to select Contract (19+) as the “Query Type” to enable your query to be transferred to the correct team.
3. Information: 16 to 19 tuition fund opt-in template
The DfE announced additional funding to support small group tuition for 16 to 19 students that do not have a grade 4 in maths and / or English GCSE where learning has been disrupted because of COVID-19.
Providers must accept the extra funds, by signing a declaration to use the funds within the conditions stipulated in the guidance by completing an opt in template. The template will include the detail of the additional funds and will be issued to all eligible providers through the document exchange. You can access the ESFA Information Exchange by logging into DfE Sign-In.
4. Information: how T Levels will be funded in 2020 to 2021 academic year
As further information is made available regarding the size of the technical qualifications for the first wave of T Levels being delivered in 2020 to 2021, the guidance for How T Levels will be funded will be revised this week.
5. Your feedback: get help with ESFA services
We are developing an online help centre for education and training providers.
The aim is to make sure our key tools, services and guidance are easy to find, as well as making information available so that customers can resolve common issues without having to raise a query with our support teams.
Currently, the help centre includes knowledge articles for post-16 training providers, but we are conducting user testing to offer a similar service to academies and schools. If you would like to take part in this testing, please get in touch by sending an email to: customer.experience@education.gov.uk.
6. Information: See Hear Respond service in response to COVID-19
See Hear Respond is a service provided across England by Barnardo’s and other national and local community-based organisations in response to COVID-19.
The programme has been created to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during this period by providing support to those who are not being seen by social care or other key agencies.
Working with its partners Barnardo’s aims to reduce the likelihood of harm and ensure other support and protective networks are in place using:
- online digital support, including advice and information, online counselling and a telephone helpline
- face to face interventions, such as support for groups at risk outside the home and one to one support
- reintegration into education, including assessments and the delivery of support pathways back to education
See Hear Respond accept referrals from any source either through the Freephone number 0800 151 7015 and via the online referral hub.