ESFA Update local authorities: 29 January 2020
Published 29 January 2020
Applies to England
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1. Action: qualification achievement rates (QAR) 2018 to 2019 – provisional data now live
We have published your provisional QAR 2018 to 2019 data. All the data is available through the View Your Education Data portal. There will no longer be any data on the Hub.
You have until 5pm on Friday 31 January to inform us of any concerns about how we have implemented our published methodology. You cannot request fixes or adjustments to your 2018 to 2019 individualised learner record (ILR) data.
If you have any queries with the provisional data, please complete a data query form, email this to sde.servicedesk@education.gov.uk and ask us to assign your query to ‘ESFA Business Operations QAR’.
The in-year QAR guidance and QAR webpage provide details about this data release and accessing the dashboard.
To access the data, please ensure you have the correct IDAMS user access. Please see the IDAMS user guides for creating access or checking your user permissions.
Please check the latest versions of the business rules, data set specifications and data extract guides on the QAR 2018 to 2019 webpage.
For further information, refer to the QAR webpage.
2. Reminder: R06 individualised learner record (ILR) data return closes Thursday 6 February 2020
The R06 ILR data return closes on Thursday 6 February. We encourage you to make your return now, don’t wait until the deadline. It’s critical that your return is accurate and on time.
We use your R06 data return in several ways, particularly to:
- calculate 16 to 19 funding allocations for academic year 2020 to 2021. We use this return to calculate student numbers for FE institutions, including high needs student numbers for special post-16 institutions. Any inaccuracies in your data will affect your funding allocation
- calculate local authority import/export adjustments for financial year 2020 to 2021 by looking at high needs students recorded in the data. It is important these adjustments are accurate so local authorities can fund agreed high needs placements in institutions. We share this data with local authorities to ensure it is accurate and reflect the high needs places they have commissioned at institutions
- monitor 16 to 19 funding reconciliation for independent learning providers as set out in our ILR funding returns guide for 2019 to 2020
3. Information: mid-year funding claims for 2019 to 2020
The mid-year funding claim window will open at 9am on Monday 10 February 2020.
You must submit a mid-year funding claim by 5pm on Thursday 13 February 2020. The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data. Failure to submit the form will be a breach of your agreement.
You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through:
- adult education budget (AEB) (Adult Skills and Community Learning) – grant-funded
- Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB) – grant-funded
- Learner Support for AEB Procured (Adult Skills and 19-24 Traineeships) – paid-on-profile
Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding service.
For colleges due to submit the integrated financial model for colleges (IFMC) at the end of February, please ensure figures in the mid-year claim are used to inform the financial planning you are currently undertaking.
If you have any queries about this please contact your territorial manager.
4. Information: school resource management adviser (SRMA) evaluation report
We have published an evaluation report of the schools resource management adviser (SRMA) pilot that deployed 72 SRMAs to academy trusts in 2017 to 2018.
The report explains how SRMAs helped academy trusts identify £172 million in savings to benefit pupils.
We have also published a new guide outlining the work we do with academy trusts and local authorities preventing financial failure in schools and academies.
5. Information: Early Years Foundation Stage reforms – consultation and early adopters invitation
The consultation on reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage is open until Friday 31 January 2020. We would very much welcome your views on our proposals.
On Monday 20 January 2020 we invited all primary and infant schools and academies to voluntarily implement the forthcoming reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage a year early in the academic year 2020 to 2021.
We are inviting schools to participate at this early stage so that you have the necessary time to consider and prepare for early adoption, and so that the government can be ready to support early adopters once final policy decisions have been made following the conclusion of the consultation. Please complete a short survey by Friday 7 February 2020 to sign up as an ‘early adopter’.
For more information on the early adopter year please contact EYFSReforms.EarlyAdopters@education.gov.uk.
6. Information: new research report on school business leadership
Last week a new research report was published on School Business Leadership, which found that:
- professional development and workload are intrinsically linked and more must be done to ensure school business professionals can develop as manager and leaders while maintaining a reasonable and sustainable work-life balance
- the profession continues to be predominantly female (87%) and white (96%) so more needs to be done to attract and develop a diverse workforce
- there is an ageing workforce profile, the sector much think strategically about succession planning.
To learn more, you can read the report on the Institute for School Business Leadership website.
7. Information: building safety advice
The Department for Education (DfE) wish to draw the attention of building owners to advice published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 20 January 2020, as part of its Building Safety Programme (BSP).
This consolidated note is written for owners of multi-occupied residential buildings, and brings together in a single document and supersedes the existing BSP Advice Notes 1 to 22.
The consolidated advice, which sets out the actions that must be taken, can be found on GOV.UK.
8. Your feedback: apply to join the DfE Star Chamber scrutiny board
DfE is currently seeking applications for membership of the Star Chamber scrutiny board from suitably qualified and experienced individuals based in schools.
This advisory board helps the DfE review data collection proposals to ensure that they are possible, necessary, good value and as quick and easy to complete as possible.
Membership of the board would provide an opportunity for head teachers, senior business managers or other data specialists and to influence and understand the necessity for the data burden placed on schools, and offers personal and career development