Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 13 December 2023

Published 13 December 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: help us to improve the online Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) opt-in and renewal forms

We would like to improve the digital journey that you use to opt-in to the RPA scheme, and to download your membership certificate. Your feedback can help us deliver a better digital experience for you.

To book a confidential online research interview with a user researcher and receive further information, you can email the researcher with your availability and preferred times.

These interviews will run for around an hour on Microsoft Teams from December 2023 and January 2024.  

2. Action: academies financial returns help

Thank you to everyone who has submitted their trust’s financial statements and accounts return. If you are still working on them, please submit these by the deadlines.

• The deadline for your trust’s financial statements using the accounts submission coversheet is Sunday 31 December 2023. If you are having difficulties submitting your financial statements, please see our guidance.

• The deadline for your external auditor to submit your trust’s accounts return is Tuesday 30 January 2024. Please make sure your external auditors are registered and set up to use the Academies Accounts Return Online form.

To help you complete the accounts return, we are hosting a series of MS Teams calls and web chats. The next web chat is on Thursday 14 December 2023 from 10:00-11:00. We use sli.do for our web chat service. Please enter #AR2023 to access the web chat forum.

You can either use the MS Teams app or call on 02033 215 238, using conference code 121674446# when prompted.

You can view the full schedule for our MS Teams calls and web chats on GOV.UK.

3. Information: free short courses from the Teacher Mentoring Programme (TMP) 2023-24

As part of the government-backed Teacher Mentoring Programme, Cognition Learning Group has launched a new range of free online short mentoring courses, funded by the Department for Education.

Whether you are a mentor, mentee, or someone who oversees or coordinates mentoring within your organisation, the new short courses will help consolidate and build on your existing mentoring knowledge.

To access the courses, follow the below links, create an account, and start your training:

• Getting ready to mentor - an introduction to mentoring in the FE sector

• How to be an effective mentee - for practitioners already working with a mentor

• How to lead effective mentoring and coaching schemes - for those in leadership or managerial roles overseeing mentoring and coaching programmes in FE.

• How to coordinate mentoring and coaching programmes effectively - for those who oversee the coordination of mentoring in their organisation.

4. Information: School Business Professional (SBP) roundtable events in 2024 – 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 DfE, you can register to attend one of the upcoming roundtable events. 

The roundtables are free to attend, and will be taking place in  Hereford, London, Bristol and Derby. 

Register now and don’t miss out.

5. Information: new report on ‘Building school and trust business professional capability’ published

 
The new ‘Building school and trust business professional capability’ report for school and academy business professionals has been published with details of what training and support are currently on offer.

6. Information: an invitation to all FE Teachers and Leaders – DfE want to hear your views 

DfE is inviting all teachers and leaders from colleges teaching 16- to 19-year-olds, to join the School and College Voice (SCV).

The SCV is a regular survey that collects robust insight on high priority topics for the FE sector. 

To join the panel, please click this link: School and College Voice and select the appropriate survey for your role. 

The SCV is your chance to provide your views to DfE. Julia Kinniburgh, Director General for Skills Group, said that: “School & College Voice helps the Department for Education to make effective policy by collecting robust evidence on the most important topics facing the FE sector. We need college leaders and teachers like you to take part in the survey so the department can understand perspectives and experiences, and to check we have the right support structures to help colleges prosper. Please do take part.” 

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges also said that: “The DfE School and College Voice is a great opportunity for college leaders to provide feedback and inform key policy decision making.” 

7. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery premium grant allocations 2023 to 2024 

The recovery premium grant is part of the government’s package of funding to support pupils whose education has been impacted by COVID-19. 

We have now published the allocations for December 2023 on GOV.UK. 

8. Information: pupil premium allocations 2023 to 2024 

We have published the updated allocations for the 2023 to 2024 financial year. This takes into account the third quarter payment. 

9. Information: the new Customer Help Centre

We are rebranding the ESFA Help Centre.

During December, the ESFA Help Centre will become the Customer Help Centre and the URL will change to https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/. Please share this with other colleagues at your organisation who may need to know.

You may notice some changes in the design, layout, and navigation of the website, but the rebranding process will not affect the availability of our services. After the transition to the new URL, if you access the Help Centre with your old links, you will be re-directed to the new address.

The Customer Help Centre will continue to provide you with easy access to information and guidance on topics related to education and skills funding. This information is available for apprenticeships, adult education, traineeships, 16 to 19 funding and more.

Additionally, in early 2024, we will be launching our new Customer Help Portal which will replace our ESFA enquiry form. We will be in touch with further details on the Help Portal as we approach the launch date.

We appreciate your understanding during this transition period. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us using the ESFA enquiry form.

10. Reminder: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) adjustments to previous claims   

This message is for all academies in relation to NNDR.   

Academies and trusts can adjust previously paid NNDR claims for 2022 to 2023 using the academies NNDR service.   

Claims can be submitted up until 31 January 2024. Claims are only required where billing authorities are not submitting on your behalf.  

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

11. Reminder: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) new claims for 2023 to 2024   

This message is for academies opted out of the current national non-domestic rates (NNDR) process.  

Academies that remain under the old NNDR arrangements because their billing authority has decided to not implement the central payment process for April 2023, should submit new claims for 2023 to 2024 by 31 January 2024.    

Claims can be submitted on the academies NNDR service.   

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

12. Your feedback: user research on your experience of using ESFA funding service. 

We are conducting research to understand the needs of ESFA users. 

We would like to invite you to participate in an interview session to help us gain an understanding of your experience as a user of ESFA services. The session will last for up to an hour. You will need access to Microsoft Teams. 

If you are involved in any process to get funding from ESFA for your organisation, and would like to participate, please note the following: 

• Please fill the Screener form before Thursday 21 December 2023,
• We will ask for information about your name, role, and organisation. Your personal data will be kept confidential.
• We would like you to provide your available date / time slot between Tuesday 2 January and Friday 12 January 2024.

If you are shortlisted for the research session, we will send you a meeting invite and a consent form. 

Note we may not be able to shortlist every respondent due to logistical constraints. 

Thank you for considering participation in our work.