ESFA Update academies: 3 November 2021
Published 3 November 2021
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2021
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1. Final reminder: academies land and building collection tool (LBCT)
Thank you to those trusts that have submitted their land and buildings collection tool (LBCT) return. For everyone else, this is a final reminder that the deadline for submission is Tuesday 9 November 2021.
The return must be completed by all academy trusts with at least one open academy on 31 August 2021. If you have any church-owned land and you’ve not yet spoken with your local diocese, you should do so as possible to agree review of your submission before the deadline.
Please visit our LBCT GOV.UK page where you will be able to view the summary guidance, the optional LBCT workbook along with the link to the online form.
Our GOV.UK page also has information about our Microsoft Teams calls for all LBCT form users. These calls are now daily until the deadline from 10:30am to 11am.
2. Action: register for the academy finance professionals November event
Our next academy finance professionals (AFP) event takes place on 25 November 2021 from 10am to 1pm on the theme of funding.
Sessions include:
- ESFA’s priorities – speaker: John Edwards, Interim Chief Executive of he Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
- schools and high needs funding in 2022 to 2023 and beyond
- pupil premium – funding and reporting
- implementation of the direct national funding formula (NFF)
There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the event.
Register now for the AFP event.
3. Information: the view my financial insights (VMFI) tool has now been updated
We have updated the VMFI tool with the 2021 academy trust budget forecast return data.
You can log in now to view the refreshed metrics and download your updated Summary of Finances. VMFI provides you with enhanced analytics into the financial position and performance of your school, alongside comparisons to the 30 most similar schools.
We are also holding training webinars which will feature a demonstration of the tool and provide the opportunity to ask the team any questions. You can sign up using the links below:
4. Information: teachers pay grant (TPG) and teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG) allocations for 2021 to 2022
We have now published the allocations for September 2021 to March 2022 for teachers pay grant (TPG) and teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG).
As explained in the national funding formulae (NFF) policy document, from the 2021 to 2022 financial year most of the TPG and TPECG has been paid through the schools and high needs national funding formulae, instead of as separate grants. The high needs operational guide 2021 to 2022 sets out how local authorities should distribute this to high needs settings and explains the additional DSG condition of grant relating to this funding.
In the 2021 to 2022 financial year, we will continue to provide maintained nursery schools, school nurseries, sixth forms, 16 to 19 schools, non-maintained special schools and new special and alternative provision free schools which opened after 1 September 2020 with TPG, paid separately to core allocations.
This grant funding for maintained schools is paid to local authorities, who will be required to pay it to individual schools. Funding for new special and alternative provision free schools (excluding non-maintained special schools) is aggregated and paid at local authority level, for local authorities to distribute according to local circumstances.
Allocations for the full 2021 to 2022 financial year are published on GOV.UK.
5. Information: PE and sport premium allocations and conditions of grant 2021 to 2022
We have now published the allocations for PE and sport premium 2021 to 2022 together with the conditions of grant for maintained schools, academies and non-maintained special schools (NMSS).
6. Information: RPA members – asbestos management workshop
As part of our risk management support, the Department for Education, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson are hosting a webinar on asbestos management. This workshop will focus on:
- a background in respect to asbestos risk, including types of asbestos and the law
- management arrangements encompassing a case study, outlining the consequences of failing to comply with the law
Please select the best date for you to read more information and register:
7. Information: RPA members – Regulatory Mock Trial
The Department for Education, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson, has developed a bespoke training seminar, ‘The Regulatory Mock Trial’.
The workshop has been designed to assist governors, trustees, directors and members of Senior Leadership Teams to understand the challenges they face in implementing compliant health and safety management systems, enhance the prospects of avoiding enforcement action and improve the school’s defensive capabilities where a prosecution is pursued.
Reserve your place for the mock trial on 9 November 2021 9am to midday. Places will be limited and will be allocated on first come basis. There will be a reservation list, and should your circumstances change, and you are no longer able to attend it is crucial we are notified to enable another RPA member to attend.
Select this link to see an extract of the trial footage.
8. Information: do you hire supply teachers and agency workers for your school?
Don’t miss this opportunity to find out more about the DfE approved Hiring supply teachers and agency workers framework. Come along to this DfE and CCS webinar – its free to register. This DfE led session will outline the benefits, including details of how this will help save money on temp-to-perm fees and explain how schools can access framework.
The session takes place on 16 November 2021 from 2pm to 2:45pm.
For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.
9. Information: adapting schools to water risks and a future climate – free COP26 session
As part of the ‘Adaption, Loss and Damage’ themed day at COP26 on Monday 8 November 2021, DfE’s Water Strategy team will be hosting two sessions from Glasgow entitled ‘Too wet or too dry – adapting schools to water risks and a future climate’.
- 1.30pm to 2pm: session 1 for school leaders
- 2.15pm to 2.30pm: session 2 for school pupils and teachers
Subscribe to the DfE YouTube channel to watch these events from your classroom.