Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 3 August 2022

Published 3 August 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This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date.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. Information: funding guidance for young people

1.1 Individualised learner record (ILR) funding returns guidance

We’ve published our guidance for 2022 to 2023 and updated annex E in our guidance for 2021 to 2022.

This is to help institutions make accurate data returns to funding auditors or their ILR R13 and R14 returns to us in autumn 2022.

In annex E we remind institutions that all audit errors on their first data return for any appointed funding auditors are reviewed by the National Audit Office. We expect institutions to check their data to minimise reported errors.

1.2 Funding regulations for post-16 provision

We’ve updated our 2022 to 2023 guidance making it clear to colleges that students aged under 14 are ineligible for post-16 funding.

2. Information: adult funding allocations for the 2022 to 2023 funding year

We’ve updated the technical guidance and issued the remaining 2022 to 2023 allocations for:

• non-procured apprenticeship carry-in
• 16 to 18 traineeships without 16 to 19 revenue funding through market entry contracts

Please make sure you have access to Manage your education and skills funding so that you can view your allocation statement. You can request a new role through the Identity and Access Management Service or by asking your organisation’s super user.

Contract authorisers and/or managers will receive an email confirming when your allocation statement is available to view. We will then update your funding agreement. We advise you to promptly sign your agreement to ensure you can submit data and payments are made on time.

3. Information: financial assurance - monitoring post-16 funding for 2021 to 2022 amendment

We’ve published an amendment to the financial assurance monitoring post-16 funding for 2021 to 2022 guidance.

We will make 2 previously internal reports into external reports from R12 (17 August 2022) through the dashboard, these are:

• FRM43 – 16 to 19 study programme learners with no planned learning hours, who are not identified as requiring additional learning support through either an education, health and care (EHC) plan or self-identified LLDD and health problems
• FRM69 – Proportion of planned EEP hours is greater than or equal to 50% of the total planned hours and learner is not recorded with high needs

To help you submit accurate data you will be able to review these reports and if required, correct your data, in time for the R14 hard close.

4. Information: financial assurance - monitoring post-16 funding for 2022 to 2023 publication

We’ve published the 2022 to 2023 financial assurance monitoring post-16 funding plan, setting out the areas we will be focussing on. There are 4 new reports, available through the dashboard, from R04:

• FRM38 – Learners undertaking English and/or maths within AEB when they have already achieved their legal entitlement
• FRM49 – T Level programmes not recorded against an approved T Level funding band
• FRM50 – T Level programmes with a planned duration of less than the minimum of 2 years (653 days)
• FRM65 – Total work experience hours for the T Level industry placement are below the minimum for the specialism

We will no longer publish the following external reports, but will continue to review this data internally, contacting providers where we have concerns relating to a higher volume of learners:

• FRM02 – Duplicate learning aims being delivered at 2 or more providers
• FRM03 – 16 to 19 funded learners who are also funded elsewhere

5. Information: Funding Information System (FIS) tool 2022 to 2023

FIS is a desktop application designed to help learning providers to prepare their ILR files for submission into Submit Learner Data.

FIS contains validation rules and reference data and generates reports so providers can ensure the accuracy of data before submitting their files to Submit Learner Data.

The FIS 2022 to 2023 tool can be found on the Submit Learner Data Funding Information Service Tool and associated guidance documents on GOV.UK.

6. Information: adult education budget (AEB) funding rules 2022 to 2023 HGV offer

In version 1 of the AEB funding rules for 2022 to 2023 we said that the HGV offer was under review and that we would communicate the outcome before the start of the academic year.

We can now confirm that this offer has been extended for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. This means that where eligible learners are undertaking one of the approved level 2 qualifications that prepare them for HGV licence acquisition, we will pay for the costs of the learners’ medicals and HGV licences.

We have updated the 2022 to 2023 AEB funding rules to reflect these changes.