Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 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This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2022

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date.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: updated high needs benchmarking tool

We have published an updated version of the high needs benchmarking tool.

Local authorities can use this tool to assess their own level of need, spend and pattern of provision against those of neighbouring local authorities (both geographically and statistically) and national trends. Analysis of the data on the tool will help inform local authorities’ future plans and prompt local discussion of how current spending patterns might need to change.

This version of the tool includes new section 251 data (2019 to 2020 outturn), special educational needs (SEN) data for January 2020 and provisional high needs national funding formula allocations for 2021 to 2022.

The population figures have been updated onwards from 2017 using more recent estimates and projections.

The statistical neighbours for local authorities have been updated in line with those published on 1 April 2021.

We also plan to update the management plan template which incorporates the HN benchmarking tool. We will keep all local authorities informed of when we release the next version.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

4. Information: local authorities planning calendar for the 2021 to 2022 financial year

We’ve published the local authorities planning calendar for the 2021 to 2022 financial year.   The calendar includes important dates for payments, publications, and local authority actions in the 2021 to 2022 financial year. 

5. 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 the week commencing 10 May 2021.

6. 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. 

7. 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 residing 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. 

8. Information: national professional qualifications for teachers and leaders

From September 2021, a reformed suite of national professional qualifications (NPQs) will be available for teachers and leaders who want to develop their knowledge and skills in school leadership and specialist areas of teaching practice.

This reformed suite will ensure these qualifications continue to offer the best possible professional development opportunities.

On 31 March, the Department for Education announced the lead providers who will deliver these NPQs to future participants:

• Ambition Institute
• Best Practice Network (home of Outstanding Leadership Partnership)
• Church of England
• Education Development Trust
• Harris Federation
• Leadership Learning South East
• Teacher Development Trust
• Teach First
• UCL Institute of Education

Scholarship funding to support participants to access the reformed suite of NPQs is planned from September 2021 and details will be confirmed in due course.

If you would like to receive direct updates from the department on the reformed NPQs, please fill in this form.

9. 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.