ESFA Update further education: 16 October 2019
Published 16 October 2019
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-16-october-2019/esfa-update-further-education-16-october-2019
1. Reminder: get ready for Brexit
The UK is leaving the EU on 31 October 2019. Find out how to prepare your business.
The advice for further education and apprenticeship providers in England on how to prepare for Brexit is being kept up to date with links to relevant guidance, including the new online service to check EU settlement status.
The advice includes information on topics including:
- EU settlement status
- funding
- staff and students that are EEA nationals
- UK nationals currently residing in the EU
- data protection
- travel to the EU
You are advised to familiarise yourselves with the guidance if you have not already done so, and to continue to check for updates throughout October. You can also sign up for Brexit alerts from GOV.UK.
2. Action: funding claims 2018 to 2019 – final claim
Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be a slight delay with the final claims window opening. In light of this the deadline dates for submission and signing will be extended by one day.
Your 2018 to 2019 final claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data from 9am Tuesday 22 October and will close at 5pm, on Wednesday 30 October.
You must sign your claim digitally on Manage your education and skills funding by 5pm on Thursday 31 October by your principal or a delegated authority. You will need to submit and sign a claim if you receive funds through:
- a grant for your adult education budget (AEB)
- a grant for your 16-19 funding
- a grant with an Advanced Learner Loans Bursary contract
- a Learner Support contract
Once you have submitted your claim on Submit Learner Data, you will be able to view it and sign it on Manage Your Education and Skills Funding within 15 minutes.
We have guidance on the funding claims and the separate 16 to 19 education funding guidance. The funding claims user guide will help you complete the form. If you have any queries about this, please contact your territorial manager.
3. Reminder: complete your autumn school census return by 30 October 2019
It is vital that school census returns are accurate as this is the basis for much of your revenue funding calculation.
To help schools and academies quality assure their census data prior to final submission, we have made a range of reports available in COLLECT. These will allow you to check the accuracy of the data that we will use to calculate your pre-16, and 16 to 19 funding.
Full information on the reports’ content and some of the common data issues is available on GOV.UK.
The school census post-16 interactive tool is available online. It is designed to help schools and academies with sixth forms understand how to ensure an accurate 16 to 19 census return. We have also published an interactive flowchart to help you understand whether a student meets the condition of funding, and what they can study.
4. Information: applications now open for two new education technology programmes
The Department for Education has launched two new education technology programmes for schools and colleges.
The EdTech Demonstrator Schools and Colleges Programme is an exciting opportunity for schools and colleges who are using technology effectively to apply to share their experience and help support other providers. Successful applicants will receive between £75,000 and £150,000 in grant funding to support the delivery of this programme.
A selection exercise will run until Friday 22 November 2019 with final interviews in January 2020.
The department is also seeking participants for the EdTech Innovation Testbed, in partnership with Nesta. This programme will help schools and colleges trial promising technology suited to their needs for free, with CPD for participants and hands-on support from evaluation experts to understand what works across:
- formative assessment and essay marking
- timetabling
- parental engagement
The closing date for applications is Monday 25 November 2019.
5. Information: International Charity Fraud Awareness Week, 21 to 25 October 2019
Week commencing 21 October is International Charity Fraud Awareness Week. This campaign is supported by the Fraud Advisory Panel, which is a coalition of charities, regulators and other stakeholders. ESFA is promoting the campaign to raise awareness of fraud in the college sector.
A free fraud awareness hub has been established, which will host webinars throughout the week, and provide practical help sheets and case studies. Further details can be found on the Fraud Advisory Panel website.
Not all the information may be relevant to your college, but the campaign will focus on a different topic each day. Topics include: a general overview of charity fraud, internal fraud and understanding data risks.
On Wednesday 23 October, the campaign will focus on cybercrime. Cybercrime is an increasing risk to all business, including the education sector. ESFA has published a guide on cybercrime and cyber security to help raise education provider’s awareness of cybercrime and cyber security.
6. Information: updated provider data self-assessment toolkit (PDSAT)
We have released an updated version of the provider data self-assessment toolkit (PDSAT) on the PDSAT section of GOV.UK.
This update enables both XML and funding information system (FIS) import and report output for the 2019 to 2020 funding year.
PDSAT is available to colleges and independent training providers to assist with their routine ILR data-checking procedures for their ILR data returns.
For further information, please email pdsat.ESFA@education.gov.uk.