Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 7 June 2023

Published 7 June 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: prepare to complete your year-end statement for the 2022 to 2023 NTP grant

All organisations that received the 2022 to 2023 NTP grant are required to complete a year-end statement, which will be available at the start of September. This is a mandatory return, and you must complete the form, even if you did not use any of your NTP funding.

To prepare for the form opening in September, we encourage schools to submit clear and accurate records of all tutoring that has been delivered in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. This should include:

• how much your school spent on tutoring – this should be the total amount you spent on tutoring (the portion funded by the NTP grant and the contribution from your school)
• how many hours of tutoring your school delivered – this should include every hour delivered per pupil (for example, if you delivered a 15-hour course to 3 pupils, you would count it as 45 hours)
• how many pupils in your school have received tuition – if pupils received tutoring in multiple subjects, you should only count each pupil once

Schools can continue to use this year’s NTP funding until 31 August 2023. This can include tuition delivered in the summer term and the school holidays to help pupils prepare for the next academic year. Any unspent funding will be recovered.

2. Action: reminder about cyber incidents and data

Recent high-level incidents have again highlighted the need for schools to ensure that they are prepared if they are impacted by a cyber incident.

Schools should review any data sharing agreements or data communication, referring to useful guidance provided by the ICO to help schools understand roles and responsibilities when working with data.

For extra protection there is the NCSC ACD (Active Cyber Defence) for schools and more general information from the NCSC on cyber security for schools and from the DfE’s cyber standards.

Following any breach, cyber criminals may attempt to exploit the situation and send suspicious emails to victims. You must be alert to these types of attempts and report any suspicious emails to your IT provider and relevant authorities.

3. Information: year-end funding claim for 2022 to 2023

The year-end funding claim window will open at 9am on Thursday, 8 June 2023.

Please submit your year-end funding claim by 5pm on Tuesday, 13 June 2023. The claim form will be available on submit learner data. The funding claims user guide is available to help you complete the form.

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:

• grant funded – ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, community learning, 19 to 24 traineeships and national skills fund Level 3 adult offer (Level 3 Free Courses for Jobs))
• grant funded – advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB)
• 16 to 19 education

Once you have submitted your year-end funding claim on submit learner data, you will also be able to view it on Manage your education and skills funding.

You must not enter any adjustments relating to the earnings boost in your funding claim, we will do this after you have submitted the claim. Your indicative reconciliation statement will include the earnings boost that we have calculated.

If you have any queries, please use the ESFA help centre to contact us.

4. Information: National Tutoring Programme guidance and funding allocations for the 2023 to 2024 academic year

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) has published guidance for schools and funding allocations for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

From September 2023, schools can use the NTP grant to contribute to 50% of tutoring costs. This is a higher subsidy than was previously communicated and is intended to enable more schools to deliver tutoring. Schools are required to meet the remaining costs using pupil premium or other core school budgets.

Schools are encouraged to use the 2023 to 2024 calculator tool to plan and track tutoring.

Register for an NTP webinar to find out more:

• Tuesday, 13 June 2023 from 12:30pm to 1:15pm
• Thursday, 15 June 2023 from 12:30pm to 1:15pm

5. Information: 16 to 19 tuition fund allocation for 2022 to 2023

We have published the 16 to 19 tuition fund allocation for the academic year 2022 to 2023 on GOV.UK.

The fund provides targeted small group tuition in English, mathematics and other subjects where learning was disrupted because of the pandemic and is available to all 16 to 19 providers.

Detailed guidance about the 16 to 19 tuition fund can be found on GOV.UK.

6. Information: book a one-to-one chat to discuss your school’s buying needs – spaces available on 15 June 2023

Schools Commercial Team is offering the opportunity for a free, virtual one-to-one conversation with a member of the team, to see how we can support you.

You can speak to us about anything you like to help you make informed buying choices for your school.

There is no pressure or obligation to take any of our recommendations forward following the conversation.

Book your one-to-one conversation now.

7. Information: Free funding available for National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders

In our latest Buying for schools blog post, Alistair Guest from DfE’s NPQ Policy Unit talks to Dave Ellison-Lee, Director of Education at RISE multi-academy trust about his experience of the department’s support for teachers and leaders to develop their expertise.

8. Information: sign up for our national professional qualification (NPQ) webinar – Tuesday, 13 June 2023

Did you know that National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are fully funded by the government and for each teacher or leader in your school who takes an NPQ this academic year:

• state-funded primary schools with one to 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £800
• state-funded primary schools with more than 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200
• state-funded secondary schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational settings with one to 600 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200

Schools Commercial Team is hosting a webinar to give you all the information you need about NPQs for the teachers and leaders in your school. Sign up now for more detail and a chance to ask questions.

9. Information: risk protection arrangement (RPA) members – book your place on this regulatory mock trial

The Department for Education, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson, has developed a bespoke training seminar, ‘The Regulatory Mock Trial’.

This 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.

Places are for RPA members only and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis:

• 9 June 2023
• 7 July 2023

10. Information: user research opportunity – view all local authority allocation statements in one place

We are developing a ‘signed in’ view of allocation statements for local authorities. You can help us shape the digital service by joining a feedback session.

Sessions will take place online using Microsoft Teams and will last up to 60 minutes.

There will be an opportunity to take part in further research as the work progresses.

To express interest in taking part, please fill out this form.

11. Information: Buying for Schools webinars – book your place now

Are you a school business professional who buys goods and services for your school?

We host regular webinars on how using our approved frameworks could help your school get value for money. Click on the links to find out more and book your place:

• buying electricity and mains gas for your school through West Mercia Energy
• buying electricity and mains gas for your school through ESPO

You can find the full programme of webinars for the summer term on the Summer 2023 webinar page. Visit the page to find out more and book your place.

12. Reminder: school capacity survey 2023

The school capacity (SCAP) survey is an annual data collection of school capacity, pupil forecasts and planned capacity changes. Local authorities must complete the return for all mainstream and special schools in their area including academies, free schools, UTCs and studio schools.

The department uses the data to support a range of funding, policy and operational decisions, so it is important the data is accurate.

The SCAP 2023 survey opened on 5 June 2023. Your local authority may contact you to confirm current school capacity or planned capacity changes. If so, you should work with them to accurately report capacity data. Academy capacity in SCAP will usually be based on the capacity recorded in the school’s funding agreement but should reflect the latest position if subsequent changes have been made.

Further information on reporting academy capacity is available in the SCAP guidance.