ESFA Update academies: 15 January 2020
Published 15 January 2020
Applies to England
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1. Reminder: academies accounts return deadline Monday 20 January 2020
A reminder to all trusts that the deadline to submit your trust’s accounts return is Monday 20 January 2020.
If you have not already completed the external auditor details section, please do as soon as possible. The return can only be submitted by the trust’s external auditor.
If you are having difficulties completing or submitting the form, please see our guidance, join either our Skype dial ins or web chat sessions or send us a query using our online enquiry form. Please select option ‘Academies financial returns’ and provide your trust’s UPIN.
A reminder that ESFA will publish the names of academy trusts who are late, or do not submit, two or more financial returns in each academic year. We strongly advise all users to allow enough time for all checks to be completed and signed off before any deadlines.
2. Information: academy allocation statements timeline
We’ve updated the academy revenue funding information to include high level detail and an initial timetable for production of general annual grant allocation statements for academies for 2020 to 2021.
Academies with 16 to 19 provision will also find the 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations page useful.
We’re looking volunteers to help us improve our academy general annual grant guidance, if you would like to get involved with this, please register your interest at this email address Pre16Funding.COMMUNICATIONS@education.gov.uk, by Friday 24 January 2020.
3. Information: how to express an interest to deliver T Levels from 2022 to 2023
The Department for Education (DfE) is looking to identify the next tranche of providers to deliver T Levels from the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
The expression of interest went live on 9 January. Providers wishing to express an interest will be required to complete and submit an expression of interest to ESFA, by midnight on Friday 28 February 2020.
To complete the expression of interest providers need to be registered with DfE sign-in.
Further information and guidance is available on GOV.UK.
4. Information: funding for professional development for governors, trustees and trust board clerks
The Department for Education’s (DfE’s) funded professional development for governors and trustees has been extended to March 2021.
The programme is for those in governance leadership roles, including chairs, vice chairs and committee chairs, covering the essential skills and knowledge required to be effective. Training is open to all boards, including academy governing bodies, with additional funding and more focussed training for multi-academy trusts.
A separate clerking programme is available to all school or academy trust board clerks, who are currently supporting one or more boards.
Seven providers deliver the training across the country. Each provider’s offer may be different. Applicants should consider which programme best suits their needs.
5. Information: consultation on lifting the inspection exemption for outstanding schools, colleges and other organisations
Last autumn DfE announced proposals to lift the exemption from routine inspection for outstanding schools, colleges and other organisations delivering publicly-funded education and training.
This will help to give parents, students and employers a clearer picture of the standard of schools, colleges and other organisations in their area, and support these institutions to continue improving.
The consultation on lifting the inspection exemption for outstanding schools, colleges and other organisations is now live. The consultation closes on Monday 24 February 2019.
6. Information: Quality in Careers Standard events
Is your school meeting its legal requirements on careers provision and supporting pupils to make informed choices about their futures?
The Department for Education (DfE) is funding 3 free to attend events for schools and colleges to learn more about externally validating their careers programme through the national Quality in Careers Standard.
These events involve testimonies from schools and colleges already holding the Standard and are hosted by the Quality in Careers National Director. They are intended for staff in schools and colleges that have not yet engaged with the Standard.
The event details, including the speakers from schools and colleges, have now been confirmed:
- Wednesday 4 March 2020, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Thursday 12 March 2020, Birmingham
- Tuesday 17 March 2020, Bristol
For more information and to book your free ticket, please visit the Quality in Careers website.
7. Your feedback: we would welcome your feedback on a new online form to report extremism concerns
As part of our work to help the education sector raise any matters or concerns that arise on extremism, we would like to speak to the sector to receive their feedback on a new online form.
DfE offer a service for anyone to report a concern relating to extremism within an educational environment using email or phone. We are currently working on an online form as an additional anonymous method to use the service. To ensure that the form is intuitive and easy to use, we’re looking for some volunteers to help us with our research. The research session will consist of you going through a test version of the form.
If you wish to take part in the research, where we will spend 30 to 45 minutes speaking to you on a 1 to 1 basis, either remotely using Skype or during a site visit, please email contact DataScience.USERRESEARCH@education.gov.uk by Friday 31 January 2020