ESFA Update local authorities: 17 November 2021
Published 17 November 2021
Applies to England
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1. Action: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school
The Department for Education is hosting webinars on how using our approved frameworks could help your school get value for money. If you are responsible for buying goods and services for your schools check out the range of informative webinars that could help you save time and money.
All sessions are free, use these Eventbrite links to join the Schools Commercial Team and take the opportunity to ask providers the questions you may have about catering, cleaning and leasing.
- 30 November 2021 - select 10:30-11:15am: Catering
- 30 November 2021 - select 2:00-2:45pm: Cleaning
- 2 December 2021: Leasing
- Risk Protection Arrangement – multiple dates
For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.
2. Action: claim form for mass testing exceptional premises costs now open
Schools and academies with secondary age pupils along with colleges and other eligible establishments can now submit claims for exceptional premises costs incurred during the mass testing of pupils and students on their return at the start of the academic year 2021 to 2022.
The form and submission guidance is available on GOV.UK and the window to claim closes on Sunday, 5 December 2021.
3. Information: International fraud awareness week – 14 to 20 November 2021
Please watch this video by Matt Atkinson, director of Provider Market Oversight who has shown his support to the importance of tackling fraud. He explains how we all have a responsibility to protect the valuable money and resources that we use across ESFA, and encourages you all to join the global effort to minimise the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education within your teams as part of International Fraud Awareness week.
Please check out the resources available online.
4. Information: changes to payment history in Manage your education and skills funding
The old interface for viewing payment history in Manage your education and skills funding will no longer be available from Thursday 9 December.
To continue to see your payment history via the new interface, please ensure you have requested the role of PaymentsViewer in IDAMS by Thursday 9 December.
If you miss this deadline, you will still be able to request the PaymentsViewer role but you will not be able to see your payment history until the request has been actioned.
5. Information: changes to T Level Policy and the post 16 qualifications review timetable
On Monday 15 November, the Secretary of State announced some changes to T Level Policy and the post-16 qualifications review timetable.
Following feedback from providers, we have made changes to:
- the English and maths requirements for T Levels.
- the timeline for the reform of level 3 qualifications
5.1 Changes to the English and Maths requirement for T Levels
Until now T Level students have been required to achieve either a grade 4 in English and maths GCSE or level 2 in functional skills in order to pass their T Level. Following feedback from providers we have agreed with the Institute to remove the exit requirement with immediate effect for all T Level students, bringing T Levels into line with other level 3 post-16 programmes, such as A levels. We will provide guidance shortly on how this will be implemented.
5.2 Changes to timeline for reform of level 3 qualifications
The Secretary of State has announced plans allowing an extra year before our Level 3 reform timetable is implemented. This extra year will allow us to continue to work hard to support the growth of T Levels and gives more notice to providers, awarding organisations, employers, students and parents so that they can prepare for the changes. We will be writing with more detail to all providers.
6. Information: update to the 16 to 19 funding guidance
We have had some questions raised following the pandemic that some providers may replace national qualifications with employment, enrichment and pastoral activity and some students’ study programmes would then be inconsistent with the requirements set out in the Wolf review.
As a result, study programmes where non-qualification hours form the majority of total planned hours will, from this academic year, attract a higher level of funding audit scrutiny. This may include the need to provide evidence of recognised educational costs which is set out in annex B of our funding regulations. This does not include study programmes for High Needs and/or learners with education health and care plans because we recognise that for some of these students, higher levels of non-qualification activity may be appropriate.
We have updated our funding guidance documents and any changes are clearly shown in the ‘what’s new section’. We will add a new report to our existing reports to help providers identify the students that are likely to fall under higher funding audit scrutiny.