ESFA Update academies: 23 February 2022
Published 23 February 2022
Applies to England
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1. Action: register for the next academy finance professionals Power Hour on academy financial reporting
Join our next Power Hour on 17 March from 3pm to 4pm to find out more about the academies chart of accounts and automating the accounts return.
The session will include:
- what is the chart of accounts?
- why use the chart of accounts?
- what is automation?
- who can automate?
- how the chart of accounts and automation work together
- a case study from current user
There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the event.
Register now to guarantee your place.
2. Information: new guidance on record keeping for academies and trusts
We have published new guidance on record keeping for academies and trusts. Drafted in collaboration with the Local Government Association and The National Archives, the guidance aims to assist academies and trust with their record-keeping responsibilities.
Academies and academy trusts should recognise the importance of storing the right records for the right length of time. This includes transferring records to schools or academies when a pupil is transferring between educational settings, as well as storing records after an academy or a trust closes.
This guidance complements the existing guidance in:
-
the Information and Records Management Society’s (IRMS) academies toolkit
It covers pupil (including safeguarding records), staff, building, finance and governance records. It also includes records about the history of the school/academy and, if applicable, the ‘school history’ prior to converting to an academy.
It also provides specific guidance for:
- academy only closures
- trust closures/transfers within one local authority
- trust closures/transfers with academies in more than one local authority
If a trust or academy has any queries about the most suitable archive for its records, they can consult The National Archives or use the ESFA enquiry form.
3. Information: funding allocation statements for 2022 to 2023
We have now started issuing pre-16 and 16 to 19 allocation statements for school and academy sixth forms and for FE institutions, and are on track to issue them all by the end of March 2022.
Once your allocation statement is available you will receive a notification and can find it on Document Exchange in the ‘Documents received from ESFA’ section. Your allocation statement includes a breakdown of our calculation.
We have published the academy general annual grant allocation guidance and 16 to 19 allocation guidance to help you understand your statement.
4. 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.
- Heating systems and renewable technology - 3 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.
5. Information: Get help buying for schools
The 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 52 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.
6. 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.
7. Information: vacancy for a member representative on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board
The Department for Education is seeking a suitable candidate to sit as a member representative on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board (TPSPB).
The successful candidate will not need to be a pension professional but should be able to show the skills and experience detailed in the role and person specification.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to understand how the scheme is administered and the operational and delivery challenges associated with such a large scheme. Your role will be to support and challenge the Department and Teachers’ Pensions to ensure the scheme continues to be effectively and efficiently administered.
To ensure that the TPSPB can continue to undertake its role and represent all stakeholders effectively we would particularly welcome applications from members of minority groups.
Please see the application pack for further details and how to apply.