Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 19 June 2024

Published 19 June 2024

Applies to England

Information: Updated adult skills fund funding rules for the academic year 2024 to 2025

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has updated the adult skills fund (ASF) funding rules guidance that was first published in March 2024, to clarify 2 points.

1. When using the earnings threshold, you must apply this to the learner’s gross annual salary and exclude any benefits.

2. You can fund unemployed learners using the ASF and we have added the unemployed definition back into the guidance.

In July, we will issue version 2 of the ASF funding rules 2024 to 2025 to include performance management rules.

Information: Adult skills fund contract for services allocations for the 2024 to 2025 funding year 

This week we will issue the contract for services allocations for ESFA’s adult skills fund for the 2024 to 2025 funding year. These allocations were procured from 2023.

Allocations will be issued in a digital format on manage your education and skills funding. 

Note that only the following roles can view allocation statements:  

• contract authoriser
• contract manager
• contract user
• data returns and claims authoriser

The published timeline shows when to expect information from us. We have also updated our 19+ technical guidance, which will explain how we have calculated your allocation. This will be published as the allocations go live.  

ESFA’s Independent Market Oversight division will contact you for a new volumes and values sheet and social value templates. You must return these promptly as contracts cannot be issued until we have received updated files. 

Ensure that you sign your contract variation before Wednesday 31 July 2024 so it does not expire. 

Business case requests 

We have replaced the form for business case requests with a new digital form. You can access this either through manage your education and skills funding or our 19+ funding allocations guidance. This will be available following the publication of your allocations. 

Information: 2023 to 2024 year-end forecast funding claim – indicative reconciliation statements

Following the submission of your year-end forecast funding claim, we will upload your indicative year-end reconciliation statements through manage your education and skills funding in July for the following ESFA grant funding streams:

• adult education budget (AEB) – adult skills and community learning
• 19 to 24 traineeships
• level 3 free courses for jobs
• advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB)

These statements are indicative and based on your recent year-end forecast claim and R10 individualised learner record (ILR) data return. We do this so that you are aware of the indicative reconciliation position before we publish your final reconciliation statements in November 2024.

Where appropriate, we will show any post-16 monitoring errors and the indicative earnings boost value within your indicative reconciliation statement. This is so you are aware of the potential impact before final claim reconciliation statements.

If you have any queries, contact us using the Customer Help Portal.

Information: 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024 spend reporting 

The digital form to report your 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024 spend will be available to complete between mid-September until mid-October.

Further information will be included in a future edition of ESFA Update.