ESFA Update further education: 14 July 2021
Published 14 July 2021
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-14-july-2021/esfa-update-further-education-14-july-2021
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: adult education budget (AEB) reconciliation thresholds for ESFA grant funded providers for 2020 to 2021 academic year
We have published information confirming that following the year-end claims submissions, whilst the 90% remains unchanged, we are developing arrangements to allow grant funded providers to apply for support.
The details of the new arrangements, including how this will operate, are being finalised and we expect to publish these in early September 2021.
If you have any questions, please contact your ESFA territorial colleague or use our online enquiry form.
3. Information: 2020 to 2021 year-end forecast funding claim – indicative reconciliation statement
We will upload your indicative year-end reconciliation statements through Manage your education and skills funding (MYESF) week commencing Monday 19 July for the following funding streams:
- adult education budget (AEB) adult skills and community learning
- AEB Covid-19 skills offer
- AEB 19-24 traineeships - grant funded
- advanced learner loans bursary – grant funded
- learner support for procured 19-24 traineeships 2020 – paid on profile
- learner support for ESFA AEB procured adult skills – paid on profile
- learner support for ESFA AEB Procured 19 to 24 traineeships – paid on profile
You do not need to take any action at this stage. These statements are indicative and based on your recent year-end forecast claim return, so that you are aware of any potential impact before we publish your final reconciliation statements in November 2021. Please read our news story about thresholds and final reconciliation.
Where appropriate, we will show any funding monitoring return errors within your indicative reconciliation statement. This is so you are aware of the potential impact before final claim reconciliation statements.
If you have any queries, please contact the Service Desk or your Territorial team.
4. Information: traineeships performance management 2020 to 2021
For 2020 to 2021, we will pay for delivery up to 130% of delivery. We have increased the threshold from 110% to 130% for 16 to 18 traineeships (without a 16 to 19 contract) and 19 to 24 traineeships in 2020 to 2021. We will take into account payments already made.
This is subject to meeting our track record checks in the adult education budget (AEB) funding and performance management rules 2020 to 2021 and we may recover funds over your contract value if you do not meet the required criteria.
Any delivery you undertake above this level is at your own risk.
5. Reminder: applications are open for two Education and Training Foundation (ETF) mentor training programmes
Applications are open for two Education and Training Foundation (ETF) mentor training programmes, designed to develop high-quality mentoring provision in the Further Education (FE) sector. 325 places are currently available to FE practitioners and will be allocated on a first-come-first served basis providing eligibility criteria are met.
Applications will remain open to the sector until all places have been filled. In line with ETF’s commitment to fairer access to courses, as well as in recognition of the diversity of the FE sector and the government’s ambition to increase social mobility, 25% of places will be ringfenced for applicants who satisfy one or more of three criteria:
- those working in one of the 12 opportunity areas
- disabled people
- those from black and minority ethnic communities.
The ‘New to mentoring’ programme will provide participants with opportunities to engage in facilitated action learning sets and practice a variety of new mentoring techniques.
The ‘Advanced mentoring’ programme’ will offer professional development activities for more experienced or qualified mentors who will also undertake a small project to improve mentoring in their organisation.
Both training programmes will run between September 2021 and February 2022, during which participants will be required to undertake 40 hours of supported mentoring. The programmes are free and will be supported with a grant to each participants’ organisations of up to £6,000.
For further details on how to register for this opportunity please visit the ETF mentoring webpage.
6. Information: further education workforce data collection
The FE workforce data collection for the 2020 to 2021 academic year opened on 12 July 2021. The collection will close on 24 September 2021.
This will collect data about staff working in FE providers and was outlined in the recent ‘Skills for Jobs’ White paper published in January 2021.
We’ve published guidance on the collection including the specification and provider support manual.
Users will need an Identity and Access Management System (IdAMS) account. Instructions on how to register for this are available for users who do not already have an account.
To access the collection users will need to request a new role ‘Submit Learner Data FE Workforce’ and this will need to be approved by the providers super user.
The collection sits on the Submit learner data service and will offer 2 options for returning data:
- an online form which will allow direct entry on staff data
- uploading an XML file
There is also desktop application which you can use to generate an XML file for upload, should you wish to use this option and cannot generate the file from your MIS.
7. Information: ILR data integrity guidance for colleges
ESFA has published guidance for college corporations on maintaining complete and accurate ILR data.
Following clarification in the Post-16 Audit Code of Practice for the year 2020 to 2021 that funds’ payments statements provided to colleges and their external auditors by the ESFA set out amounts claimed rather than providing assurance over the funds earned, this guidance has been produced to help colleges:
- understand ESFA funding rules,
- ensure the integrity of their individualised learner record (ILR) data and submit complete and accurate ILR returns and funding claims to ESFA, thereby recognising the appropriate level of ESFA funding in their financial statements, and
- better understand how external auditors can obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence in respect of ESFA funds recognised in college financial statements to inform their external audit ‘true and fair’ opinion.
This document is aimed at sixth-form and FE college corporations but may also be useful to external auditors when planning their external audits of college financial statements.
Other providers receiving funding from the ESFA through the ILR, including independent training providers and sixth form colleges which have converted to academy status, will find elements of this guidance helpful in maintaining the integrity of their ILR data and, where appropriate, preparing for external audit of their financial statements.
The guidance is intended to assist colleges and does not introduce any new requirements for colleges or their auditors.
8. Information: 16 to 19 study programmes guidance for 2021 to 2022
We have published the 16 to 19 study programme guidance for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
All students funded through the 16 to 19 funding methodology must be enrolled on a study programme, a T Level Transition Programme or T Level programme, which typically combines qualifications and other activities, and is tailored to each student’s prior attainment and career goals. T Level is not in the scope of this guidance because a T Level is a full study programme in itself with a number of components that have to be completed or achieved in order for the T Level to be awarded.
The study programme guidance is designed to help providers understand their obligations and duties in relation to the provision of 16 to 19 study programmes in their institutions. This year’s guidance includes new information relating to education recovery and remote learning, as a result of COVID-19.
We continue to welcome your feedback on how to make this guidance more useful – please email us with your comments and suggestions at Post16.Level3AndBelowReview@education.gov.uk.
9. Information: prestigious new quality mark unveiled with first set of digital Higher Technical Qualifications
A quality mark has been unveiled for prestigious new Higher Technical Qualifications.
The logo will appear against the first of these qualifications approved for use by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute).
Digital Higher Technical Qualifications will provide training for a range of occupations like cyber security, software development, and network engineering. You can view them all on the Institute’s website.
10. Information: interactive post-16 school census tool
We have updated our post-16 interactive tool to support the return of accurate post-16 school census data. Some institutions risk not getting the funding they should because of inaccurate data.
The tool will help you understand:
- how your data is used to calculate your post-16 funding
- how common data errors affect your funding
Updated worksheets for 2021 to 2022:
- Census data fields: updated with the new name for GCSE prior attainment fields (‘maths/English GCSE prior attainment year group’ fields are now ‘maths/English GCSE prior attainment year 11’)
- Data usage map: updated to include T Level occupational specialism codes, and the use of postcode data for discretionary bursary
- Programme cost weighting tab: updated to include information on T Level occupational specialism codes
- T Levels tab: also updated to include information on T Level occupational specialism codes; the T Levels examples include a new example
- Condition of funding tab: updated with additional information on completing the highest prior attainment field for students who resit GCSEs; also updated to reflect new requirements on traineeship students
Those responsible for preparing and submitting the autumn school census return will find it useful.
A suite of ESFA funding reports will be available in COLLECT when the autumn census opens in October. They will show you how your data looks in relation to our post-16 funding calculations. We strongly advise institutions to use these reports to help quality assure census returns.
The tool is in an Excel workbook, please make sure that macros are enabled so that the workbook functions properly.
If you have any questions, please use our online enquiry form.
11. Information: ESFA funded adult education budget performance management review 2021 to 2022
We will shortly be conducting a performance review for ESFA Funded adult education budget. Providers will have the opportunity to request a first time request for 19 to 24 traineeships or ESFA Funded National Skills Fund allocation up to the value of £45,000 – or a top up increase to an existing 16 to 18 traineeships, 19 to 24 traineeships, or ESFA Funded National Skills Fund allocation if it is below £45,000.
Full details will be available within the request form, which will be published on Tuesday 20 July, with a submission deadline of 5pm on 3 August.
The form will be published on the AEB performance management requests page.
If you have any queries about this process, please contact your territorial team lead.
12. Information: changes to the 16 to 19 tuition fund in academic year 2021 to 2022
We are broadening the eligibility for the 16 to 19 tuition fund to include economic disadvantage in addition to low prior attainment in academic year 2021 to 2022.
Including these students allows providers to offer tuition to all disadvantaged students who have been impacted by the pandemic, while still maintaining focus on low prior attainment.
We are also making some adjustments to the scheme based on feedback from providers to:
- allow some flexibility in the number of students included in a small group for the purposes of the fund
- strengthen accountability of the fund
We will publish further details on GOV.UK in due course.
13. Information: recording your apprentice data correctly
If your apprentice data is not recorded correctly then you could be preventing employers from receiving their incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice.
Please ensure that you are recording all learners on the apprenticeship service as Apprenticeship Contact Type (ACT)1 within the ILR. If a learner is listed as ACT2, then this will not be paid through the apprenticeship service and the employer will not receive their incentive payment.
Also please resolve any Data Locks on your account and ensure that the data in your ILR matches that in the apprenticeship service. If the information is different and you have an active Data Lock, then payments will not be made to yourself for training delivered, or the employer for their incentive.
If you need help with regards to resolving Data Locks, please use our Data mismatch errors knowledge article, or contact us on 0800 0150 600 (option 1 then option 2) and/or email us on helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk.
14. Information: training providers take part in our research trial
We are currently developing a new service which will enable apprentices to view and confirm their apprenticeship details using the Apprenticeship Service. We are looking for 5 training providers to take part in our research trial to help us test the service before we release it further.
During the trial you will access a version of the service that is only available to selected training providers. The trial is due to start on the 27 July and will last for 3 weeks:
- during this time, using your new service access, we would ask that volunteers:
- add apprentice email addresses as you register them onto the digital Apprenticeship Service
- share a research invitation (drafted by Education Skills Funding Agency) with 3 of your new apprentices
- test the notification view within the “manage your apprentices” section of the service
- respond to any apprentice questions about the service (with support and lines to take from us)
- encourage the apprentice to complete their online confirmation
- keep a record of queries from apprentices and any difficulties experienced with the new service
- taking part in a 20 minute check in with a user researcher half way through the trial and a follow up 30 minute discussion at the end of the trial
If you’re interested in participating, then please email us at: user.researchers@education.gov.uk by no later than 16 July, and we will arrange a call to confirm your participation and respond to any questions you might have.
15. Information: the National Careers Service results day webinars for parents/carers
The National Careers Service is delivering a series of webinars for parents and carers whose children are receiving results this August. We recognise that it has been a challenging year for students and want to equip parents and carers with advice to support their children on the day. Click the links below to sign up to one of the webinars and get:
- tips on how your child can prepare for results day
- advice about their options
- advice about leaving education and exploring careers
- signposting to useful sources
- an opportunity for Q&A