Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 7 April 2021

Published 7 April 2021

This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2022

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date.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. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.

Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.

2. Action: a new Document exchange service is now live

ESFA Information Exchange will no longer be accessible after Friday 30 April. 

A new Document exchange service is now live. 

We’ve automatically given ESFA Information Exchange users access to the new service. 

We’ve also uploaded any 2021 to 2022 academic year documents to it. 

ESFA Information Exchange users should now: 

• access the new Document exchange service using their existing DfE Sign-in credentials

• follow the steps on the DfE Sign-in help page in the unlikely event of any access issues

• read the guidance for information about how to use it

• use the new service to view, manage and submit documents, rather than ESFA Information Exchange

• view, download and save any older documents they wish to keep from ESFA Information Exchange before 23:59 on Friday 30 April 2021

Any documents not downloaded and saved before 23:59 on Friday 30 April 2021 will no longer be accessible from ESFA Information Exchange. 

If you need help with DfE Sign-in, access our help page.

If you have any other questions, please contact us.

3. Information: the College Collaboration Fund is due to open again for applications

The College Collaboration Fund (CCF) is a one-year national program of competitive grant funding open to all statutory further education (FE) colleges.  

The CCF aims to support colleges to:

• collaboratively address shared quality improvement challenges
• capitalise on good practice and sector expertise including that developed through emerging new ways of working in response to COVID-19
• produce resources and learning to share with the wider FE sector

CCF was launched in February 2020 with a total funding envelope of £5.4m and 20 Projects involving 71 colleges in total were successful in applying for a grant of up to £500k.  

The CCF is to be continued for the next year 2021 to 2022 and the total funding envelope remains at £5.4 million.  All spend and activity supported by CCF will have to be completed by the 31 of March 2022. 

The continuation of the CCF builds on the previous round and its predecessor the Strategic College Improvement Fund (SCIF).  

Applications will open on 19 April and close on 21 May 2021. DfE will make applicants aware of the outcome of their application from 22 July. 

Further information including guidance and the application form will be available on the 19 April on GOV.UK.

If you have any questions, please contact College.Collaborationfund@education.gov.uk.

4. Information: Advanced Learner Loans – launch of the 2021 to 2022 application service

The 2021 to 2022 Advanced Learner Loans application service will be available from 28 June 2021 for learners who wish to start eligible qualifications from 1 August 2021 funded with a loan.

Updated Learning and Funding Information letters for 2021 to 2022 will be available on GOV.UK from week commencing 10 May 2021. 

5. Information: adult funding allocations for the 2021 to 2022 funding year

We have now issued ESFA funded adult education budget, 16 to 18 traineeships (for providers without 16 to 19 funding) and advanced learner loans allocations for the 2021 to 2022 funding year. 

We have published a timeline so that you know when to expect information from us. We have issued your allocations through Manage your education and skills funding and will shortly publish guidance to explain how we have calculated your allocation. 

Please make sure you have set up one of the following roles on Manage your education and skills funding so that you can view your allocation statement: 

• contract authoriser 
• contract manager 
• contract user 
• data returns and claims authoriser 

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 have received an email confirming that your allocation statement is available to view. 

6. Information: adult education budget (AEB) West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) postcode file

To support the devolution of the AEB to the West Yorkshire Combined authority (WYCA), we have published a one-off file detailing the postcodes that the WYCA will be responsible for funding for starts from 1 August 2021. 

You can use this data file to support learner enrolment and aid your assessment of which learners will be funded by the WYCA, based on where each learner is likely to be resident at the start of their learning.  

We have used postcode information which the Office for National Statistics published in February 2021. 

We will follow this up shortly with a full postcode dataset covering all funding bodies in England including the WYCA, at which point we will remove this dataset. 

You can find out more on our AEB devolution page. 

7. Information: latest apprenticeship funding rules

We have published version 5 of the ESFA apprenticeship funding rules for 2021 to 2021.  

These documents set out the rules for apprenticeship funding, including the evidence required to support it and apply to apprenticeship starts from 1 August 2020. 

These rules are being published following the publication of the April 2021 policy changes and will reflect these changes. They should be read alongside the apprenticeship response to coronavirus (COVID-19) as some of these flexibilities are continuing. 

The changes we have made are detailed in the summary of changes which can be found on the apprenticeship funding rules page on GOV.UK. 

8. Information: new guide for training providers – how to deliver high quality apprenticeships

A new guide for training providers giving step-by-step advice on how to deliver a high-quality apprenticeship is now available online.

This guide, informed by the sector and various quality bodies, is for all providers delivering apprenticeships at any level. It sets out all the minimum requirements and the building blocks required to support the delivery of high-quality apprenticeships for newer providers. It also supports the continuous development of more experienced providers by updating them on the latest requirements and highlighting good practice.

It includes links to more detailed guidance on specific topics, such as off the job training, ‘gateway’ and end point assessment. These will be updated as further resources become available.

We will be seeking further feedback in due course to inform new resources and subsequent versions of the guide. If at any time you would be happy to share your thoughts, please email apprenticeships.qualitypolicy@education.gov.uk.

Similar resources will follow for employers, end-point assessment organisations and apprentices, reflecting that successful apprenticeships are based on a strong partnership between the provider, employer and apprentice.

9. Information: help promote the Lifetime Skills Guarantee with our Plan for Jobs toolkit

From 1 April, adults in England who are 24 and over and do not yet have A levels, an advanced technical diploma or equivalent, can now take their first full Level 3 qualification for free.

Eligible adults can choose from almost 400 qualifications, to help them gain access opportunities and get a better job.

The offer is part of the government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs, helping adults develop the skills to succeed in work throughout their lives, and supporting businesses to find or develop talented people of all ages to fill skills gaps.

As a further education provider, we would like to share the Plan for Jobs communications toolkit with you. This sets out detail of the new level 3 offer for adult learners and should be useful when communicating to your stakeholders and learners about this offer.

We would particularly appreciate your support with the following:

1. Support the announcement on the launch of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee’s Level 3 offer on your social media and owned channels by using the using the messaging and example social posts in this toolkit.
2. Use the #LifetimeSkillsGuarantee and #PlanForJobs hashtags in your social posts and online media.
3. Share and like social media content about the scheme on our partner channels, such as the National Careers Service, Job Centre Plus local accounts and HMG local accounts.
4. Let us know how we can support you with your social activity in the weeks and months to come.

Thank you for your ongoing support in developing these offers. DfE alongside trusted partners including the Association of Colleges will be providing more information on the level 3 offer to the sector over the coming weeks and months.

10. Information: Women’s health - Let’s talk about it

The government has launched a 12 week call for evidence to better understand women’s experiences of the health and care system.

The call for evidence will form the basis of a landmark government-led Women’s Health Strategy, to improve the health and wellbeing of women across England and place women’s voices at the centre of their care. By better understanding women’s experiences, the government can ensure key parts of the health service are meeting women’s needs as they should be.

Everyone aged 16 and over is welcome to contribute to the call for evidence, as well as people who live with and care for women, organisations with experience of providing services for women and those with an expertise in women’s health are also encouraged to share their views.

The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey which is quick to fill in and easily accessible from people’s mobiles. This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 30 May 2021.

We’d be grateful if you could share the consultation widely with your networks to ensure wide-ranging and diverse views are reflected. Social media assets are available to support sharing with your audiences and we also encourage you to use the #TalkWomensHealth hashtag when posting on social media.