Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 15 February 2023

Updated 16 February 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: submit your school resource management self-assessment checklist

This is a reminder that the school resource management self-assessment checklist is now open for academy trusts to complete and return by Tuesday 15 March 2023.

All academy trusts with an open academy on 31 December 2022 must submit a checklist.

2. Reminder: academies land and buildings collection tool (LBCT) deadline

Thank you to those trusts who have already submitted their land and buildings collection tool (LBCT) return. For everyone else, this a reminder that the deadline for submission is next Tuesday 21 February 2023.

The return must be completed by all academy trusts in scope with at least one open academy on 31 August 2021.

If you have church owned land, diocesan review is required. You should speak with your local diocese as soon as possible to discuss diocesan review of your church owned land by the deadline.

Please visit our LBCT GOV.UK page where you will be able to view the summary guidance, the optional LBCT workbook along with the link to the online form. You can also find details of our Microsoft Teams call for all LBCT users. The calls take place every day from 10:30 – 11:00 until the deadline 21 February 2023.

3. Information: academy general allocation guide for 2023 to 2024

We’ve published the academy general allocation guide for the 2023 to 2024 academic year for mainstream academies, free schools, UTC’s and studio schools, special and alternative provision academies, and special free schools.

This guidance is for all existing academies as well as academies opening between April 2023 and March 2024.

For those academies open prior to February 2023, we’ll begin issuing 2023 to 2024 general annual grant allocation statements towards the end of February 2023 and expect to finish by the end of March 2023.

We will issue allocation statements for academies opening between February 2023 and March 2023 by the end of April 2023.

We will publish guidance and issue statements for academies with 16 to 19 provision according to our timeline.

4. Information: backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training (national roll-out)

Schools using one of the DfE-funded training providers to deliver ECF mentor training from 1 September 2021 (national roll-out) will receive backfill payments to cover 36 hours of mentor time off timetable for training per mentor over 2 years.

The first payment will be made in the summer of year 1, covering 18 hours of mentor time off timetable for training. The second payment for the remaining 18 hours of mentor time off timetable for training will be made in the summer of year 2 where there has been sustained engagement with the mentor training.

The payments will be made to maintained schools via local authorities and directly to academies. In summer 2023, year 1 payments will be made for mentors who started their training from 1 September 2022 and year 2 payments will be made for mentors who started their training from September 2021.

We will publish school level allocations for payments due in summer 2023 in due course.

You can read the published conditions of grant and summer 2022 allocations

For any queries, email continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.

5. Information: funding for time off timetable for early career teachers and mentors who participated in the national roll-out of the early career framework reforms

The national roll-out of the early career framework (ECF) reforms was launched to all schools in England from September 2021.

ECF year 2 time off timetable funding​ is paid in the summer of year 2 of the early career teacher’s (ECT) induction. This funding covers the cost of giving each ECT in year 2 of induction:

• 5% off timetable for induction activities including ECF-based training and mentor sessions
• a dedicated mentor for each ECT, based on 20 hours of mentoring in year 2 of induction

This funding is linked to the ECT and paid to the school who has registered the ECT as undergoing their ECF training at that school.

We expect payments to be made to local authority maintained schools via their respective local authorities and directly to academies in summer 2023.

You can view the published conditions of grant.

For any queries please contact continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.

6. Information: RPA members – safety culture and behavioural science

Willis Towers Watson is providing risk management support for all RPA members through audit, guidance and advice. As part of the risk management support, RPA members are invited to a workshop covering:

• how to develop a safety culture within your school through good leadership
• consequence management and how to instil the correct behaviours to control risk

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis:

• 9 March 2023
• 23 March 2023

7. Information: are you looking at in-house catering for your school?

A new DfE-approved ESPO Grocery, fresh, chilled and frozen foods framework is now available on Find a Framework.

This new in-house catering framework offers:

• market leading suppliers ranging from SMEs to large national distributors
• offers customers the option to consolidate their fresh and frozen food deliveries
• all framework suppliers stock extensive ranges including brand names and vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, nut free, lactose free and halal options

8. Information: reporting of apprenticeships data in public sector organisations

Last year we announced the public sector apprenticeships target would end on 31 March 2022. We set out how we would continue to publish annual data on new apprenticeship starts, total numbers of apprentices and organisation headcounts.

We want the public sector to continue increasing its commitment to apprenticeships. To drive this focus and promote the sharing of good practice we plan to increase transparency in employer performance.

We are therefore asking public sector bodies with 250 or more staff to continue to submit the following data through your apprenticeship service account:

• organisational headcount
• total number of new apprentices
• apprentices as a percentage of headcount

8.1 Changes to data reporting

• The data reporting deadline will be brought forward to 31 May 2023. We will publish the data on gov.uk in the summer.
• To increase transparency and enable comparisons between organisations, the underlying published data will include apprentices as a percentage of headcount for each organisation.
• We will no longer ask for information on the actions taken to meet the target.
• We have made changes to enable local authorities to separate out maintained schools data in their return for greater data transparency.

In the coming months, we will send you more details about how to submit your apprenticeship data.

Thank you for your support and continued efforts in making public sector apprenticeships a success.