Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 8 January 2025

Published 8 January 2025

Applies to England

1. Action: The first time request form for obtaining an advanced learner loans contract is now available

The first time request form for obtaining an advanced learner loans contract is now available on the advanced learner loans facility requests GOV.UK page. 

Completed request forms must be sent to us via the customer help portal before 5pm on Monday 20 January 2025.

If you have any queries, contact us using the customer help portal.

For further information on the performance review of loans, please refer to the advanced learner loans funding rules: 2024 to 2025.

2. Information: Changes to the administration of the Care to Learn and 16 to 19 schemes from the academic year 2025 to 2026

We highlighted the forthcoming change to the Care to Learn (C2L) delivery model in a previous ESFA Update.

This means institutions will be responsible for managing C2L applications from students rather than the national student bursary support service.

New responsibilities for you include:

• developing a C2L application form so students can apply
• developing processes for your relationship with students’ childcare providers and ensuring childcare provision complies with the funding rules (including evidence of Ofsted registration and checks that the child is continuing to attend childcare)
• submitting funding claims to the Department for Education (DfE) to draw down funding. There will be 3 claims windows, with one primarily for end of year reconciliation. The first claim window will run from September to mid-November 2025
• maintaining auditable records for the scheme

We will pay 5% on top of the total amount claimed per student, to contribute to the additional administrative costs.

The same claim windows will also apply to the bursary for defined vulnerable groups (16 to 19 schemes).

We will publish the funding rules for the 2 schemes in early April 2025 and will continue to provide more information in future Updates.

If you need any support, use our customer help portal.

3. Information: Further education free meals per meal rate increase for the academic year 2024 to 2025

In the 4 December 2024 issue of ESFA Update, we confirmed an increase to the per-meal rate for free meals in further education, from £2.53 to £2.58 for 2024 to 2025, backdated to the start of the 2024 to 2025 academic year. 

Revised allocation statements have been made available on Document exchange to confirm the increase. You will receive the additional payment in February 2025.

4. Information: Outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform

On 12 December 2024, the government announced the outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform. We:

• will retain 157 qualifications in the system (alongside T Levels and A levels), that were due to be defunded, to support learners and the economy
• will not be applying the previously proposed rules of combination. It should be for colleges and sixth forms to work with students to devise the best mix for each individual
• have provided certainty to education providers, students and their parents and guardians to make the position clear up to 2027
• have confirmed that T Levels are the primary technical route for 16- to 19-year-olds, being based on the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need and including the much-valued industry placement

You can read more detail on the outcome of the review and the route-by-route outcomes.