Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 2 March 2022

Published 2 March 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Action: coronavirus (COVID-19) no recourse to public funds – free school meals additional pupil premium claim form

The coronavirus (COVID-19) no recourse to public funds: free school meals additional pupil premium claim form is now live.

The deadline to submit your claim is 23:59 on 1 April 2022.

We’ve published guidance to help you complete the claim form.

You can read more guidance for schools and local authorities on school meals arrangements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

2. Reminder: action required by 5pm on Thursday 3 March for School Rebuilding Programme nominations

If you would like a school to be considered for the programme, you must register and submit nominations via the online portal by 5pm on Thursday 3 March 2022. You will not be able to nominate schools without supplementary professional evidence after this time.

For those who have selected to provide supplementary professional evidence, you must nominate your blocks and indicate that you would like to provide supplementary evidence by 5pm on Thursday 3 March 2022. The portal will remain open until Thursday 31 March 2022 to submit supporting evidence.

Guidance on how to nominate a school for consideration is available on GOV.UK.

Please ensure all necessary steps have been completed ahead of the deadline to ensure your nomination(s) are considered. If you need any support, please email school.rebuilding@education.gov.uk.

3. Information: academies budget forecast return (BFR)

We have added the Excel workbooks to the academies budget forecast return GOV.UK page. The workbooks are an aid to help users prepare for completing the online form.

There are 2 workbooks this year. You can choose between:

• a single page format
• a new multi-page format that mirrors the layout of the BFR form

Both version have the same validations and questions; these are identical to the BFR online form.

4. Information: updated good practice guide – choosing an external auditor for an academy trust

We have updated the guide choosing an external auditor for an academy trust.

The guide sets out best practice and important information requirements, to help academy trusts appoint an external auditor that will provide the highest quality, cost effective and efficient audit.

The good practice guides collection supports trustees, accounting officers and chief financial officers to develop good practice within their trust.

5. Information: the impact of school resource management advisors

We have published a news item about the impact of working with schools resource management advisers (SRMAs) along with a case study detailing how two Hackney schools are set to save £1.5 million over 3 years following their work with a SRMA.

The SRMA offer is free of charge and open to any school, local authority or trust that may benefit from this support, whatever their financial position.

6. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) workforce fund extension to Easter for support with the costs of staff absences in schools and colleges

The coronavirus (COVID-19) workforce fund has now been extended, providing financial support to eligible schools and colleges for costs incurred due to staff absences from Monday 22 November 2021 to Friday 8 April 2022.

The fund is available to support schools and colleges facing significant staffing and funding pressures in continuing to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils.

Further information on the COVID-19 workforce fund is available in our guidance for schools and colleges.

The claims window will open in the spring.

7. Information: academy general annual grant allocations guides for 2022 to 2023

We’ve now published academy general annual grant allocation guides for the 2022 to 2023 academic year for academies open between 1 April 2022 and 31 August 2022.

We expect to issue all allocation statements to academies that opened before or on 1 January 2022 by the end of March 2022.

We expect allocations for 2022 to 2023 for February and March 2022 opening academies to be issued by the end of April 2022.

8. Information: schools supplementary grant – school level allocations calculator

Ahead of confirmed school level allocations for the 2022 to 2023 schools supplementary grant, we’ve published a calculator tool to accompany the existing grant methodology. User guidance is in the first tab of the document.

Schools can use the calculator to see an indicative estimate of school level allocations for the schools supplementary grant. We’ve published the calculator to enable schools to budget plan before the final allocations are published in May 2022.

If you have any questions about this calculator, refer to the guidance in the first instance and direct any further queries through the ESFA enquiry form.

9. Information: 16 to 19 tuition fund allocations for the academic year 2022 to 2023

We have not shown amounts for the tuition fund in 16 to 19 funding allocation statements for the academic year 2022 to 2023 because this is part of a separate process.

The 16 to 19 tuition fund will continue into the academic year 2023 to 2024 as confirmed in June 2021. The fund will continue to provide targeted small group tuition in English, mathematics and other subjects where learning has been disrupted because of the pandemic and is available to all 16 to 19 providers.

We expect to publish guidance for the fund in March and confirm allocations in May.

If you have any further queries, please use our contact form.

10. Information: IFRS 16 leases implementation - impact on schools’ leasing activities

Below sets out the Department for Education’s approach to the impact of IFRS 16 on schools’ leasing activities. Implementation for LA maintained schools will be subject to the outcome of the CIPFA consultation on delaying the implementation of IFRS 16 which closes at 23:00 on Thursday 3rd March 2022.

Currently, maintained schools and academies are generally free to take out operating leases, while finance leases require approval from the Secretary of State under the terms of the Education Act 2002 (maintained schools) and the Funding Agreement and Academies Trust Handbook (academies). The implementation of IFRS 16 will end the distinction between operating and finance leases and in effect, all leases will be classified as finance leases.

In response, DfE has worked with the sector to develop a new approach as we want to continue to allow maintained schools and academies to use leases to support their operation without additional administrative burdens.

The new approach involves giving the Secretary of State’s consent for particular classes of leased asset (listed below). Leases for items on this list will therefore not need to be submitted to the department for approval:

• all existing leases already in place by 1 April 2022 (maintained schools) and 1 September 2022 (academies)
• IT equipment
• telephony
• catering equipment
• furniture
• bathroom/sanitary equipment
• gym equipment
• grounds keeping equipment
• minibuses and other vehicles for the use of the school
• temporary classrooms and equivalent structures

The list will be kept under review following implementation and the relevant guidance and documents are being updated accordingly. Leases not included on the above list will need to be submitted for consent. We believe these will largely be leases in relation to land and buildings, and guidance can be found on GOV.UK.

If you have any queries please email IFRS16.ENQUIRIES@education.gov.uk.

11. Information: get help buying for schools

DfE’s new Get help buying for schools service now enables all state funded schools and trusts to access free advice and guidance on buying goods and services through the DfE’s approved frameworks. Schools can click the ‘request advice and guidance’ link at the bottom of each of the Find a Framework webpages to contact our procurement team.

From the summer, schools will also be able to get further advice about buying, ongoing support to help run a procurement process themselves, or if a school or trust needs extra support, the service can undertake the buying process on their behalf. The service aims to help schools get best value for their non staff spend.

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

12. Information: join the Schools Technology Day on 17 March 2022

This is an opportunity to join the DfE Schools Commercial Team Technology Day 2022.

Schools Commercial Team have a range of DfE approved frameworks that support schools with their buying needs. This is an opportunity to join a series of webinars which will show how we can help you save money on ICT – from telecommunications to printers, scanners to interactive whiteboards, networks to laptops.

Please remember to book a separate ticket for each individual webinar you wish to attend.

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

13. 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 facilities management including catering, buying gas and electricity and cyber security.

• Cyber security – 8 March 2022
• ICT networking and storage solutions – 9 March 2022
• Buying gas and electricity – 10 March 2022
• Catering, cleaning, and other facility management aspects – multiple dates

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

14. Information: RPA members – long term health risks webinar

As part of our risk management support, DfE, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson, are hosting a webinar on long term health risks.

This workshop will focus on:

• those hazards within schools that can result in long term health effects
• the Regulations applicable to hazards that cause long term health effects

Please select the best date for you to read more information and register:

• 17 March 2022 - 10:00am to midday
• 31 March 2022 - 10:00am to midday