ESFA Update academies: 21 July 2021
Published 21 July 2021
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-21-july-2021/esfa-update-academies-21-july-2021
1. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.
Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.
2. Reminder: budget forecast returns due by 27 July
Thank you to those academy trusts that have already submitted their budget forecast return (BFR).
We’d like to remind those that have not yet submitted their BFR that there is less than a week to do so. The deadline for submissions is close of business 27 July 2021.
You can find information about the BFR and details of the support available to help you complete the return.
We know that many users prepare the return offline using the Excel workbook but we recommend you start using the online form as soon as possible. This is so you have more time to download the report which includes your pre-populated balances.
If you are experiencing any difficulties, please contact us.
3. Information: Academies Accounts Direction 2020 to 2021 supplementary bulletin
We have published a supplementary bulletin to the Academies Accounts Direction, containing requirements and guidance on how academy trusts must reflect the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their 2020 to 2021 financial statements.
The bulletin covers:
- a summary of the main sources of DfE/ESFA COVID-19 funding
- regularity and audit implications
- annual report disclosures
- requirements for disclosure of financial support received
The bulletin has the same status as the Accounts Direction, so compliance with both documents is a condition of academy trust funding agreements.
4. Information: schools funding arrangements 2022 to 2023
On 19 July, the Minister of State for School Standards made a written statement setting out the schools, high needs and central school services national funding formulae (NFF) for 2022 to 2023.
Provisional 2022 to 2023 NFF allocation tables and technical notes have been published, along with the NFF policy document detailing changes. The school-level provisional allocations have also been published in an online tool.
We have written to our contacts at local authorities to let them know that we have published the schools operational guide for 2022 to 2023 for them to progress their planning.
5. Information: funding eligibility for the repeat year offer for 2021 and 2022
On 2 June 2021, as part of the Education Recovery announcement, the Department for Education announced that schools or colleges will be able to offer students in year 13 (or equivalent) the option to repeat the year or part of the year if they have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic.
Schools and colleges will be funded by the department to help accommodate the additional student numbers.
This will take effect from September 2021 and is only available for the 2021 to 2022 academic year. It is open to 17, 18 and 19 year old students in all settings whose planned final year of study concludes at the end of the 2020 2021 academic year.
This intervention is only for those who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic; the vast majority of eligible students should be encouraged to progress to a suitable destination in education, training or the workplace. It is expected that this option is unlikely to be needed for more than 5% of eligible students.
Guidance has been produced to outline scope, eligibility, and actions required if offering this intervention to more than 5% of eligible students. Further details on how this will be funded will be included in forthcoming updates to the funding regulations.
6. Information: update to the 16 to 19 tuition fund guidance
We have updated the 16 to 19 tuition fund guidance to reflect tuition funding in academic year 2021 to 2022.
The update includes:
- the policy for the funding in 2021 to 2022
- content detail for the opt in process for 2021 to 2022 funding
- content detail on the carry over process for 2020 to 2021 funding
- how the allocations will be calculated for 2021 to 2022
- definition of small group tuition
If you have any questions after reading the guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.
7. Information: Reception Baseline Assessment
The Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) will be statutory in all maintained primary, infant and first schools in England from September 2021. It is a short, activity-based assessment of pupils’ early mathematics, literacy, communication and language skills, taken within the first weeks of starting reception.
Its purpose is to form the starting point for cohort-level primary school progress measures, to help build a fairer progress measure for schools, and give teachers recognition for the work they do with pupils throughout primary school. Claire Harnden, Deputy CEO at South Farnham Educational Trust, shares her experiences of piloting the RBA.
Further details about the assessment and how it will work in practice can be found in the RBA information video and school information leaflet.
A parent information leaflet is available to use with parents, which explains what the RBA is and what it means for their child.
8. Information: EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
The deadline for EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications passed on 30 June 2021. Where there are reasonable grounds, there is still an opportunity for late EUSS applications to be made, including applications for children.
As we move into the summer break, the Home Office values your continued support in reminding parents and families to check to see whether they are eligible and to make an application on behalf of their child(ren) who will not be covered by their parent’s application or status.
Further information on late applications is available in a new information guide on GOV.UK, whilst updated social media assets - including one about applications for children - can be downloaded from Brandworkz for use on your own communications channels.
For parents requiring additional assistance to make an application, a list of organisations providing additional EUSS guidance and information is also available.
Applications to the EUSS are free and can be made online on GOV.UK. Successful applicants get either settled status or pre-settled status.
For questions about applications, call 0300 123 7379 or +44 (0) 20 3080 0010 from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm). Find out about call charges.