Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 28 June 2023

Published 28 June 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: sign-up for updates and actions from the Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) programme

The Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) programme will replace the current Public Contract Regulations 2015, aiming to improve how public procurement is regulated, and will introduce changes to the way public sector organisations buy goods and services.

All the information schools and MATs need can be found on GOV.UK including guidance documents to help with planning and preparation, recent webinars and details of the learning and development package available.

We would encourage anyone in a procurement or purchasing role to sign up to the regular TPP updates using this form to ensure you are up to date with all of the relevant information.

2. Information: universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) allocations for academic years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024

An uplift to the per-meal rate for Universal Infant Free School Meals has been agreed and we can confirm that this will be increased from £2.41 to £2.53 from the start of the 2023 to 2024 academic year. We will publish the final allocations for 2022 to 2023, and the provisional allocations for 2023 to 2024 shortly.

We have scheduled allocations to be paid on 30 June 2023 for local authorities, and 10 July 2023 for academies. These will include 2 separate payments: a final allocation for 2022 to 2023 at the previous rate of £2.41, and a provisional allocation for 2023 to 2024 based on £2.53.

3. Information: pupil premium allocations for the 2023 to 2024 financial year

We’ve published the June update of the pupil premium grant allocations for the 2023 to 2024 financial year.

Note that the school level pupil premium allocations published on GOV.UK are only the deprivation FSM6 element of the allocations and do not include the pupils listed below, as this data is suppressed due to data protection guidelines. This is the case every year.

• looked after children (LAC), including post-LAC
• pupils recorded on the alternative provision (AP) census as receiving free school meals
• service children
• general hospital school pupils

Schools can confirm all the pupils included in the ESFA allocation and which element of funding they attract via the Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) site. GIAP can be accessed via DfE Sign-in .

You can read more about how to access the pupil premium data within GIAP on the pupil premium grant allocations page.

4. Information: national professional qualification (NPQ) targeted support funding 2022 to 2023 grant allocations

We’ve published the national professional qualification (NPQ) targeted support funding 2022 to 2023 grant allocations for participants who started in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

We’ve also updated the ‘eligibility’ section of the national professional qualification (NPQ) targeted support funding: conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year, alongside these.

We will pay the 2022 to 2023 allocations to local authority maintained schools in June 2023 and to academies in July 2023. We will make a further payment to independent special schools from July 2023 onwards.

A sweep up payment will be made in autumn 2023, to ensure all eligible schools and organisations not captured in the summer 2023 payment window are paid in year.

If you think your school or organisation meets the eligibility criteria but has not yet received a payment as indicated on the published grant allocations, please contact your training provider to check that confirmation of training engagement has been submitted to the department.

If you don’t have a training provider or have any queries, please contact continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.

You can read further information on targeted support funding and more information on NPQs currently available can be viewed in our course prospectus.

5. Information: COVID-19 recovery premium grant 2022 to 2023, June 2023 allocations

We’ve published the June 2023 allocations for the recovery premium grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

6. Information: ESFA adult education budget (AEB) funding rules 2023 to 2024

We will publish an update to the ESFA adult education budget (AEB) funding rules 2023 to 2024 (1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024) during early July.

This update is for the inclusion of the performance management rules for 2023 to 2024. The rules apply to all providers of education and training who receive AEB funding from the Secretary of State for Education acting through ESFA. This will also include information on the review process for AEB allocations that we referred to earlier this month.

If you have any feedback regarding the funding rules, please contact us using the online enquiry form or speak to your territorial lead.

7. Information: crime, fire safety and Health & Safety workshops for RPA members

Willis Towers Watson is providing risk management support for all RPA members through audit, guidance and advice. As part of the risk management support, RPA members are invited to a workshop covering:

• overview of the crime, fire safety and health & safety resilience programme
• information/advice on maintaining internal fire doors and fire compartmentation

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis:

• 6 July 2023
• 13 July 2023

8. Information: Buying for Schools still have some great webinars running – book your place now

If you buy goods and services for your school or trust, come and join one of our free webinars.

You can find the full programme of webinars for the summer term on the Summer 2023 webinar page. Visit the page to find out more and book your place.

Webinars include:

• Leasing advisory services – 4 July
• Printers, copiers and digital solutions – 4 July
• Corporate software, including HR, MIS and payroll – 4 July
• Risk protection arrangement, an alternative to commercial insurance – 13 July
• Leasing and loan finance – 13 July

Visit this page to find out more and book your place.

9. Information: if you are looking to buy IT hardware for your school or trust, join this webinar on 6 July

DfE is encouraging schools and MATs, who are planning their ICT hardware purchases for the next academic year and beyond, to consider joining the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) IT Hardware Aggregation.

Your order could be large or small, one laptop or a dozen, you can still join this aggregation and save money.

Sign up for our webinar for more information and details of how to join the aggregation.

10. Information: book a 1:1 chat to discuss your school’s buying needs – spaces available 11 July

The Schools Commercial Team are offering the opportunity for a free, virtual 1:1 conversation with a member of the team to see how we can support you.

You can speak to us about anything you like to help you make informed buying choices for your school.

There is no pressure or obligation to take any of our recommendations forward following the conversation.

Book your 1:1 conversation now.