Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 26 January 2022

Published 26 January 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Action: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund assessment processes 

This is a reminder for institutions to ensure they comply with the funding rules in the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide 2021 to 2022.

Both types of bursary funding are designed to help students overcome the individual financial barriers to participation they face.

Institutions must:

• ensure funds go to those who genuinely need them and reflect the needs each student has, which will vary depending on individual circumstances
• not award any student a fixed or flat rate of funding without an assessment of the actual needs they have
• make sure their application forms and bursary policies avoid any terminology such as ‘guaranteed bursary’ or any wording that implies a student will get a fixed amount of funding.

The guide includes a summary of key points for institutions to consider when administering the bursary fund.

2. Action: 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 supply workers, purchasing ICT, energy and ongoing maintenance.

• Buying gas and electricity – multiple dates
• Internal fit-out and maintenance – multiple dates
• Professional services – multiple dates
• Everything ICT support for your IT strategy – 10 February 2022
• Agency Supply workers – multiple dates

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

3. Reminder: mid-year funding claims for 2021 to 2022

The mid-year funding claim window will open at 9am on Tuesday 8 February 2022.

Please submit your mid-year funding claim by 5pm on Friday 11 February 2022.

The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data. For more information, please see the 2021 to 2022 funding claims guidance.

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through:

1. grant funded - ESFA funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) (Adult Skills, Community Learning, 19 to 24 Traineeships and National Skills Fund Level 3 Adult Offer)
2. grant funded - Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB)

Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding.

If you have any queries about this, please contact your Territorial Manager.

4. Information: high needs place change request outcomes 2022 to 2023

We have published the High needs place change request outcomes: 2022 to 2023 that will inform the funded place numbers for the 2022 to 2023 academic year in academies, free schools, further education colleges and independent learning providers.

You should review the published outcomes as soon as possible, to ensure the numbers reflect those expected. If an institution is not listed, this means no change was notified for that institution and the published 2021 to 2022 place numbers will be used as the basis of the 2022 to 2023 allocation.

Local authorities, academies or further education institutions can contact ESFA to query their 2022 to 2023 place numbers between 19 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.

More information about the enquiry window can be found in the high needs place change process guidance.

5. Information: 16 to 19 subcontracting

We have published the 16 to 19 subcontracting data for the 2020 to 2021 academic year on GOV.UK. This publication includes subcontracting data for FE institutions, schools and academies funded by ESFA. It is based on the R14 individualised learner record (ILR) return produced by FE institutions, and the autumn census return for schools and academies.

6. Information: Financial Assurance: Monitoring post-16 funding for 2021 to 2022 

R05 data is now available in the post-16 monitoring dashboard. Please ensure you review your data and make necessary corrections in your R06 data submission as this is used for mid-year claims and calculating future allocations.

We’re contacting certain providers before R06 about learner support claims where there are potential data issues. Please ensure you record the appropriate learner support reason FAM code for learners you’re making a claim for (this is required under the adult education budget (AEB) funding rules 2021 to 2022).

We’ve published further guidance to support our FRM37 report, which reviews off the job training (OTJT) hours reported for apprentices. This report monitors both planned and actual OTJT hours and includes continuing apprentices where planned OTJT hours don’t meet the minimum required for their employment intensity band. This document can be used alongside Apprenticeship off-the-job training: policy background and examples.

7. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) mass testing exceptional premises costs claim form to open shortly

There will shortly be an opportunity to submit claims for exceptional premises costs incurred during the mass testing of pupils and students on their return in January 2022.

Schools and academies with secondary age pupils, along with colleges and other eligible establishments, will be able to submit claims from Monday, 31 January 2022.

The window will then close on Sunday, 20 February 2022 giving schools and colleges three weeks to submit a claim.

The process to claim is changing and the claim submission guidance has been updated on GOV.UK.