Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 21 August 2024

Published 21 August 2024

Applies to England

Action: Apply now to be notified of future opportunities to deliver publicly funded skills training for adults and young adults

The Crown Commercial Service RM6348 ’Adult Skills and Learning’ dynamic purchasing system (DPS) is now live for supplier membership applications.

This DPS is available to all public sector buyers to procure a range of training requirements. Supplier applications will remain open until DPS expires in October 2028.

To apply, visit the Supplier Registration Service website. Once registered, visit the adult skills and learning DPS and download the bid pack for full information and guidance.

A recording is available of the supplier guidance event that took place on Wednesday 10 July 2024.

If you have any questions, visit the clarifications page.

Information: Devolution postcode dataset guidance for academic year 2024 to 2025

ESFA has published new devolution postcode dataset guidance and postcode files for academic year 2024 to 2025.

We use this data to support publicly funded education and skills in England. The data covers the adult skills fund, both in devolved and non-devolved areas. 

The guidance explains how:

• we use this data
• you can use it to help you enrol learners and create individualised learner record (ILR) data

Information: 16 to 19 exceptional in-year growth for 2024 to 2025

Each year (subject to affordability) ESFA awards in-year growth funding to grant-funded institutions which have recruited significantly more students than their allocations were based on. For the academic year 2024 to 2025, we have published the rules for calculating 16 to 19 funding: in-year growth for 2024 to 2025 awards. We will fund in year growth in 2024 to 2025 with the expectation that this will be funded based on the same rules and thresholds as for the  academic year 2023 to 2024. 

In the unlikely event that the resulting in-year growth funding would be exceptionally high, we may need to amend the rules to ensure the payments are affordable. We will provide an update on this in February 2025 once the level of growth is known.

We review the thresholds each year because they are usually subject to affordability, so we cannot confirm this will be the same in 2025 to 2026.

Information: Guidance to support the widening of the English and maths flexibilities for apprentices who have learning difficulties or disabilities

A change in the apprenticeship funding rules 2024 to 2025 widens the availability of the flexibilities for lower-level English and maths qualifications for apprentices who have a learning difficulty or disability. 

In addition to those apprentices who have been issued with education health and care (EHC) plans, training providers can consider the flexibilities for those apprentices who do not have an EHC plan but face a barrier to achieving the standard English and maths requirements.

The Department for Education (DfE) has produced guidance to support training providers in assessing the needs of these individuals and how decisions should be made and evidenced.

For more information see the support for apprentices with a learning difficulty or disability guidance.

Information: Disapplication and dedicated schools grant webinars – now on YouTube

ESFA has published the following local authority webinars which took place on 18 July 2024.

You can view both webinars on the ESFA YouTube channel:

• Disapplication request process – this presentation covers what a disapplication is and what supporting evidence is required as part of the process to give the best chance of a successful outcome – It also covers examples of common requests which are received, such as general and block movements
• Dedicated schools grant (DSG) management plan 2024 to 2025 – this presentation covers the background of what a DSG management plan is and its purpose – It covers the data and information we would expect to see in a management plan