Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 8 November 2023

Updated 9 November 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: reporting unspent 16 to 19 Bursary Fund and free meals in further education funding

You must contact ESFA each year to report the amount of unspent 16 to 19 Bursary Funding and/or free meals in further education funding that you are holding outside of the one year carry forward rule.

For academic year 2023 to 2024, this means you need to inform us of the total amount of any unspent funds (that you haven’t previously reported to us) from any year up to and including the 2021 to 2022 academic year. We encourage you to do this as soon as you are aware, however you must tell us no later than 31 March each year. We will recover all unspent funds.

When you know you have funds to return, you should contact us using our online enquiry form. When you make contact, it is helpful if you specify the amount of funding being returned, whether it is bursary fund or free meals in further education and which year the funding is from. This is particularly important if funds for more than one year are involved.

2. Reminder: don’t forget to complete the termly delivery conversations survey

Termly delivery conversations are being led by the Department’s regional further education teams, with a selection of FE providers. They will support providers to share their experiences of delivering the 4 priority programmes which are:

• Apprenticeships
• Skills Bootcamps
• Higher Technical Qualifications
• T Levels

Real-time information about delivery challenges and barriers to growth will be vital to the design and future direction of these programmes, as well as our long-term reforms.

We have introduced a brief 10 minute survey, to complement termly conversations. So we have the best insight possible from delivery plans for individual providers. If you haven’t already done so, please submit your response as soon as possible.

As well as affording valuable data from all providers, responses will support better, more informed and more personalised conversations with selected providers.

We will send further reminders as the academic year continues.

3. Information: December 2023 college financial statements submission

Today we’ve released an updated finance record (FR) for submission alongside college financial statements by 31 December 2023. The template is available via GOV.UK, along with details of how the FR and other documents can be submitted.

The template is broadly the same as last year, with the main changes being to align the FR with the College Financial Forecasting Return (CFFR). The Guide tab provides detailed guidance on how to complete the template and more information about these changes.

Please note we will only accept submissions that have been signed off by the accounting officer.

If you have any issues with completion or submission of the return, please use the ESFA enquiry form, selecting College Financial Returns as the query type.

Colleges must complete and return the following financial accounts documents for 2022 to 2023 by 31 December 2023:

1. A signed copy of the audited annual report and financial statements for the college corporation/college group
2. Audit committee’s annual report
3. External auditor’s management letter (including the corporation’s responses to the findings raised)
4. Finance Record – the updated template requiring 2022 to 2023 outturn year financial information, per above
5. Audited, signed accounts of all non-dormant subsidiary companies (if any)
6. Optional additional evidence, such as short period accounts for dissolved colleges; documentation to support moderation requests

Any college that has concerns about meeting the 31 December deadline should speak to their DfE Place Based Team contact as soon as possible.

4. Information: a new resource hub to support Mental Health Leads in schools and colleges

A new online resource hub has been launched by Anna Freud. Commissioned by the Department for Education, Anna Freud have collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts to produce this new hub for mental health leads and other education staff.

The hub will support schools and colleges to embed and sustain a whole-school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. It offers practical resources and tools from trusted organisations, including senior mental health lead training providers, all under one roof, further supporting mental health leads to continue to develop their role and better support the children and young people in their setting.  

The hub has been designed in consultation with a wide range of sector and professional bodies, including the Association of Colleges, to ensure it is suitable for different setting types and age ranges, including colleges, distinguishing between the bespoke needs of a varied workforce.