Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 21 February 2024

Published 21 February 2024

Applies to England

1. Action: final opportunity to register to deliver T Levels and the T Level Foundation Year from the 2025 to 2026 academic year

This is the final opportunity for providers not currently delivering T Levels to register an interest to deliver T Levels in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. They can also receive implementation planning support. The registration portal will close at midnight on Friday 22 March 2024.

Providers will require a DfE sign-in account to register. Only providers not signed up to deliver T Levels already should apply. 

You can access the registration portal and supporting guidance on GOV.UK.

A new registration process will open on Monday 25 March 2024 and close on Friday 21 March 2025. This process is for those planning to start delivering T Levels from September 2026.

If you have a question about the registration process, or want to confirm you are registered, check the GOV.UK T Level provider list. Alternatively, contact the TLevel.Registration@education.gov.uk mailbox. 

Please quote your organisation’s name and UKPRN in the subject header.

2. Information: for academies opted into the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) billing authorities centralised payment process

As specified in the ‘academy accounts’ section of the national non-domestic rates accounting guidance for academies, whose billing authority or billing authorities have implemented the central payment process, we will issue a remittance advice to show the general annual grant (GAG) payment and balancing NNDR recovery for your accounts.

For claims we have received from billing authorities in April to November 2023, we will provide a remittance advice in March 2024. This will have no effect on the payments you have received, as the GAG payment and NNDR recovery lines will balance.

For claims we have received from billing authorities after November 2023, these transactions will show on a future remittance. 

Where we have received backdated claims, you may see multiple lines on your remittance advice, with the year stated in the description. It is also possible that these amounts may differ from the ‘for information’ invoice you received from your billing authority. This is due to further in-year adjustments and we advise you to contact your billing authority for a revised invoice for your accounts.

3. Information: academies general annual grant (GAG) allocation guides 2024 to 2025

We’ve published the GAG allocation guides for 2024 to 2025 for mainstream academies, free schools, University Technical Colleges and studio schools, special and alternative provision academies, and special free schools.

This guidance is for all existing academies, as well as academies opening between April 2024 and March 2025.

For those academies open prior to February 2024, we’ll begin issuing 2024 to 2025 GAG allocation statements towards the end of February 2024 and expect to finish by the end of March 2024.

We will issue allocation statements for academies opening between February 2024 and March 2024 by the end of April 2024.

We will publish guidance and issue statements for academies with 16 to 19 provision according to our timeline.

4. Information: allocation calculation toolkits (ACT) available to support 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for academic year 2024 to 2025

ACTs confirming how we have used 2022 to 2023 data to calculate funding elements, which will be used in the calculation of 2024 to 2025 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations, are now available on document exchange.

If you have any questions after reading our guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.

5. Information: free school business professional (SBP) webinars on Tuesday 27 February – spaces available

The Schools Commercial team is hosting a programme of free webinars on how using DfE approved frameworks could save you time and help your school get value for money.

The webinars take place on Tuesday 27 February. Follow the links to find out more and book your place.

• 9:30am –​ Buying facilities management services for your school
• 11:00am –​ How the Get help buying for schools service can support your school buying
• 2:00pm –​ The risk protection arrangement (RPA) - an alternative to commercial insurance

Get help buying for schools turns 2 this month and celebrates supporting over 2,000 schools and trusts. Jane Davies, Head of Schools Commercial Operations at the DfE, reflects on what has been achieved so far, and the future aims of the service. Read Jane’s blog post.

6. Information: fraud awareness

Stop! Think Fraud.

ESFA is proud to support the government’s new National Campaign Against Fraud.

It has never been more important to know how to protect yourself against, and how to recognise attempts to defraud you and your school. Fraud is getting more sophisticated.

Fraud is the most common crime in the UK, accounting for almost 40% of all crime in England and Wales. Across just one year, 1 in 17 people in England and Wales were victims of fraud.

Stay ahead of scams. Visit gov.uk/stopthinkfraud and watch the latest campaign

https://youtu.be/GvdzZlV3HYQ