Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 7 December 2022

Published 7 December 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This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date.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: schools funding 2023 to 2024, additional funding announced in the autumn statement

The Government has published further high-level information on the allocation of the additional £2bn funding to schools in 2023 to 2024, that was announced in the Autumn Statement. The press release on this announcement can be found on GOV.UK.

Both maintained schools and academies will receive additional funding through a new grant, from April 2023. The detailed funding methodology and funding rates for the allocation of the additional funding will be published before Christmas.

2. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) historical claims for unclaimed years

This message is for all academies in relation to NNDR.

Academies can submit historic claims for previously unclaimed years. This applies to financial years 2017 to 2018 up until 2021 to 2022, which have not been claimed for.

Claims can be submitted on the academies NNDR service.

Claims can be submitted up until 31 January 2023.

ESFA will not, under any circumstances, accept claims for previously unclaimed years after this deadline.

3. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) new claims for 2022 to 2023

This message is for academies opted out of the new NNDR process, you can check if you still need to submit your own NNDR claim.

Academies that remain under the current NNDR arrangements because their billing authority has decided to not implement the new payment process for April 2022, should submit new claims for 2022 to 2023 by 31 January 2023.

Claims can be submitted on the academies NNDR service.

ESFA will not, under any circumstances, accept new claims after this deadline.

4. Information: academies national non-domestic rates (NNDR) adjustments to previous claims

This message is for all academies in relation to NNDR.

All academies and trusts can adjust previously paid NNDR claims for 2017 to 2018 to 2021 to 2022 using the academies NNDR service.

Claims can be submitted up until 31 January 2023.

ESFA will not, under any circumstances, accept adjustment claims after this deadline.

5. Information: additional capital funding to improve energy efficiency

The Department for Education has announced £500 million of additional capital funding this financial year for schools, sixth form colleges, Further Education (FE) colleges and designated institutions to help improve energy efficiency.

This funding will provide £447 million for schools and sixth form colleges and £53 million for FE colleges to spend on capital improvements to buildings and facilities, prioritising works to improve energy efficiency. Where they judge this is not appropriate based on local circumstances, schools and colleges have discretion to spend this on other capital projects.

The department has published guidance for schools and colleges on sensible steps for reducing energy use and small-scale works to improve energy efficiency, which can be implemented relatively quickly.

Details, including eligibility, individual allocations and links to the guidance on energy efficiency, are available here:

• School capital funding
• FE capital funding

6. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) 16 to 19 tuition fund in-year spend reporting guidance (formerly referred to as mid-year report) 2022 to 2023

How to complete the COVID-19 16 to 19 tuition fund 2022 to 2023: in-year spend report guidance has been published. Institutions in receipt of 16 to 19 tuition funding in 2022 to 2023 will be required to complete this return.

The in-year spend digital form will be live from 4 January 2023. The submission deadline is 11:59pm on 23 January 2023. We will write to you again as a reminder.

You can read more information regarding the tuition fund and conditions of funding.

If you have any questions about the contents of this article, please contact us via the ESFA help centre.

7. Information: join a free DfE School Resource Management webinar training session

We have launched the third series of free to attend School Resource Management training webinars. Over 4000 people accessed the last series and 97% stated they would recommend this to others.

The new series of webinars will cover the below themes:

• how to use integrated curriculum financial planning (ICFP)
• benchmarking typical financial and curriculum metrics
• budgeting and annual cycles
• strategic financial planning
• securing best value from your procurement of common goods and services
• strategic estate management
• HR planning

These webinars are aimed at school business professionals, headteachers, the senior leadership team, curriculum leads, governors and trustees, estates staff and HR staff at both maintained schools and academies, trusts and local authorities.

Don’t miss out! Register on the School Resource Management website.

8. Information: buying energy for your school

Two new DfE-approved energy frameworks are now available on Find a Framework:

• flexible electricity framework
• flexible gas framework

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

9. Information: are you looking at buying catering services for your school?

The DfE approved Outsourced Catering Services framework offers the provision of catering services for all education establishments, including ‘holiday food programmes.

If you would like to know more about this framework join this free Buying catering services for your school webinar and see how using our approved framework could save you time and help your school get value for money. Click on the link to find out more and book your place.

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

10. Information: this year’s Academy Finance Professionals Power Hours summary

Thank you for continuing to support the Academy Finance Professionals Power Hours.

2022 has been a packed year with sessions on:

• related party transactions
• academies financial reporting
• Budget Forecast Return
• funding
• Schools’ White Paper
• cyber security

We also facilitated two virtual networking events. These have been led by sector finance professionals and given the opportunity to share ideas and good practice, make new contacts and network with peers.

Our final event of 2022 was the national event on 24 November 2022 where you heard from David Withey, ESFA CEO, Cabot Learning Federation and sessions on the autumn spending review, funding in 2023-24 and regulation and compliance.

Feedback from these events has included:

• ‘This is exceptionally useful - for me, seeing that others have the same questions and concerns is very reassuring. It is also good to have a way to ask those questions. I would most definitely attend these again.’
• ‘Super impressed!’
• ‘Excellent sessions thank you’.
• ‘Information packed event, very relevant to my role.  Interesting to hear from others in a similar role and have the opportunity to ask question.’

Please see the AFP video library here for recordings of the sessions in 2022.

10.1 The AFP group need your help

We really value your feedback to develop the Academy Finance Professionals programme. Please help shape future events by completing our short questionnaire by 14 December 2022.

11. Information: changes to how qualified teachers overseas can have their teaching qualifications recognised

We’re changing the way teachers who qualified overseas can have their teaching qualifications recognised with Qualified Teacher Status in England.

We’ll begin our rollout of this new approach from 1 February, starting with applications from teachers from:

• Countries eligible under current rules - the European Economic Area, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
• As well as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India, Ghana, Hong Kong, South Africa, Jamaica, Singapore, and Ukraine.

This is because we know many people from these countries already teach in England, or are interested in teaching in England.

From 1 February these teachers must demonstrate they meet new eligibility criteria. You can read more about this change and the eligibility criteria in our policy paper.

Under this new system, teachers with fewer than two years’ experience will undergo statutory induction.  Later in 2023, we’ll roll the service out to all countries.

We’re also introducing these policies:

• a new relocation payment for overseas nationals coming here to teach or train in languages or physics. Further details on eligibility will be announced in the new year
• an extension of bursary and scholarship eligibility to all overseas nationals who train to teach in physics and languages. These trainees will not need to be eligible for student finance to access a bursary or scholarship.