ESFA Update further education: 2 March 2022
Published 2 March 2022
Applies to England
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1. Reminder: survey on financial management and governance processes for independent training providers (ITPs)
We are exploring the development of a framework to help ITPs to develop and/or enhance their financial management and governance processes. To assist us with this work, and to help us understand the scope of processes already in place across the sector, we would be grateful if ITPs would complete our anonymous survey.
By completing the survey, you will be contributing vital feedback that will help to inform and influence the direction of the framework.
The survey contains 37 questions (mostly multiple choice) and should take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the level of comments you wish to provide.
Please only complete the survey if you meet both criteria below. You:
- are an ITP (that is, you are not an academy, college, or local authority), and
- received any post-16 education funding from the ESFA or an MCA/GLA for the 2020/21 funding year.
In October 2021 we invited all ITPs to a series of workshops on financial management and governance processes, and attendees completed an initial survey. This new version is updated based on the feedback from those sessions, and we encourage all ITPs to provide feedback, even if you previously attended a workshop.
To ensure that the survey is representative of the sector, we request that only one response is submitted from your organisation.
The survey is completely anonymous and will be used to inform the development of the framework only. The deadline to complete the survey is 16 March 2022.
Many thanks for your assistance in advance.
2. Information: latest COVID-19 guidance for FE
On Monday 21 February, the Prime Minister set out the next phase of the government’s COVID-19 response ‘Living with COVID-19’. COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.
For the education and childcare sectors, the main changes announced include:
- changes to self-isolation and daily testing of close contacts
- changes to testing in education and childcare settings and children’s social care services
We have updated the following guidance to reflect these changes:
- further education COVID-19 operational guidance
- SEND and specialist settings additional COVID-19 operational guidance
- contingency framework for education and childcare settings
2.1 Reminder to all mainstream education settings about ordering COVID-19 test kits
Following the ‘Living with COVID-19’ announcement on Monday 21 February, staff and students in all mainstream education settings are no longer advised to undertake twice-weekly asymptomatic testing. You should no longer distribute test kits to your students or staff for regular testing and therefore will not need to place further orders for test kit supplies.
The online ordering platform remains open for education settings to access lateral flow device (LFD) test kits free of charge, but should only be used if your setting is experiencing an outbreak and you have been advised to resume testing by a director of public health, your local authority, or a local health protection team.
Staff and students may choose to access test kits, if required, from their local pharmacy or by ordering online.
Staff and students in SEND settings, alternative provision settings, and SEND units within mainstream settings, or equivalent in further education, are advised to continue regular twice-weekly testing. These settings will continue to receive LFD test kits free of charge for twice-weekly testing and are invited to place orders for test kits through the online ordering platform as usual.
2.2 New testing in education settings document sharing platform
Following the recent announcement of the ‘Living with COVID-19’ plan, which included changes in asymptomatic testing in early years, schools and colleges, a new testing in education settings document sharing platform is now live and has been updated with all our latest guidance and supporting documents, including a ‘Living with COVID-19’ webinar.
This also contains further information on continued regular testing of staff and students in SEND settings, alternative provision, and SEND units within mainstream settings, or equivalent in further education. This includes guidance, information on eligibility and FAQs.
The existing primary and secondary schools document sharing platforms are no longer in use, please save the new platform as a bookmark for ease for future reference.
3. 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.
4. 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.