ESFA Update academies: 19 January 2022
Published 19 January 2022
Applies to England
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1. Action: submit your school resource management self-assessment checklist
The school resource management self-assessment checklist is now open for academy trusts to complete and return by Tuesday 15 March 2022.
All academy trusts with an open academy on 31 December 2021 must submit a checklist.
2. Action: we are seeking feedback on the Academies Accounts Direction 2020/2021
You will have used the Academies Accounts Direction to guide you in preparing your 2020/21 audited financial statements, which were submitted by 31 December 2021.
To ensure the Academies Accounts Direction continues to meet your needs, we are seeking feedback on the Academies Accounts Direction 2020/21. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to complete the short feedback survey.
3. Action: register for the Academies Finance Professionals Power Hour - networking event
We still have limited places available for our networking event on Thursday 27 January 2022 from 3pm to 4.30pm.
This networking event will provide an opportunity to meet virtually with peers from your region and discuss the challenges of strategic and financial planning.
The Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer from Rainbow Education Multi-Academy Trust will begin the session, sharing their experiences of strategic planning and balancing educational and financial priorities.
The second guest speaker is the Chief Financial Officer from Nova Education Trust who will be sharing their experience of strengthening financial health through the use of integrated curriculum financial planning (ICFP) and other tools.
This will be followed by an hour for you to network with your peers, ask questions, spotlight your issues, and utilise the experience from others to get support.
Register for the January Power Hour.
4. Information: 2022 to 2023 academic year general annual grant allocations
We’ll begin issuing 2022 to 2023 general annual grant allocation statements towards the end of February 2022. We expect to issue all allocation statements to academies that opened before or on 1 January 2022 by the end of March 2022.
Allocations for 2022 to 2023 for February and March 2022 opening academies will be issued by the end of April 2022.
We’ll publish general annual grant allocations guidance in February 2022 before we start to issue the allocation statements.
For those academies with sixth forms, we will issue 16 to 19 allocation calculation toolkits containing funding factors and student numbers in February. We also expect to start issuing 16 to 19 allocations in February, including high needs place numbers, to most school sixth forms, academies and special academies. You can read information about 16 to 19 education: funding allocations.
5. Information: separate budget forecast return outturn no longer required
We can confirm that, with immediate effect, we will no longer require academy trusts to submit a separate budget forecast return outturn each year.
We have permanently included the outturn information in the main budget forecast return. We have published the information required on the academies budget forecast return GOV.UK page.
6. Information: high needs place change request outcomes 2022 to 2023
We have published the high needs place change request outcomes: 2022 to 2023 that will inform the funded place numbers for the 2022 to 2023 academic year in academies, free schools, further education colleges and independent learning providers.
You should review the published outcomes as soon as possible, to ensure the numbers reflect those expected. If an institution is not listed, this means no change was notified for that institution and the published 2021 to 2022 place numbers will be used as the basis of the 2022 to 2023 allocation.
Local authorities, academies or further education institutions can contact ESFA to query their 2022 to 2023 place numbers between 19 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.
More information about the enquiry window can be found in the high needs place change process guidance.
7. Information: allocation calculation toolkits available to support 2022 to 2023 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations
Allocation calculation toolkits (ACT) confirming how we have used 2020 to 2021 individual learner record (ILR) data to calculate funding elements which will be used in the calculation of 2022 to 2023 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations have been made available on Document Exchange.
If you have any questions after reading our guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.
8. Information: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school
The Department for Education (DfE) 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 buying goods and services for your school, Energy and Supply teachers.
- Buying for schools – multiple dates
- Heating systems and renewable technology – multiple dates
- Hiring supply teachers and agency workers – multiple dates
- Energy – multiple dates
For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.
9. Information: Get help buying for schools – create a specification tool
If your school is planning a procurement for catering or multi-functional printing and scanning devices (MFDs), a new Create a Specification tool to help you is now available on GOV.UK Buying for schools.
Designed by the Department for Education in conjunction with schools and suppliers, this free online tool will assist you in planning your procurement needs in detail, ensuring both your school leadership and prospective suppliers are clear on all your requirements.
You can complete your specification over time and download it to share with suppliers as a valuable part of your procurement process.