ESFA Update academies: 9 June 2021
Published 9 June 2021
Applies to England and Northern Ireland
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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. Reminder: grant assurance
If you have received any DfE grant funding, you must return a grant assurance certificate which confirms that you have spent the funding in line with the intended purposes of the grant.
Information on how to complete your grant assurance certificate can be found within your original grant offer letter.
In addition to the standard grant assurance certificates, this year some programmes will be carrying out additional sample checks to increase the department’s financial assurance and reduce the risk of financial irregularity, particularly on grants which only require self-certification.
If you have received a grant in 2020 to 2021, you may be contacted to provide further evidence of spend. We will provide further guidance to those asked to provide additional grant assurance evidence.
3. Reminder: coronavirus (COVID-19) no recourse to public funds: free school meals additional pupil premium claim form
The coronavirus (COVID-19) no recourse to public funds: free school meals additional pupil premium claim form is now live.
The deadline to submit your claim is 17:00hrs on 30 June 2021.
We’ve published guidance to help you complete the claim form.
You can read more guidance for schools and local authorities on school meals arrangements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
4. Action: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund applications and assessment processes
Ahead of applications starting to be received and assessed for help from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, we ask that providers remind themselves of the funding rules in the bursary fund guide to ensure their processes reflect them.
The guide is clear that both types of bursary funding are designed to help students overcome the individual financial barriers to participation they face.
Providers must ensure funds go to those who genuinely need them and reflect the needs each student has, which will vary depending on individual circumstances. Providers must not award any student a fixed or flat rate of funding without an assessment of the actual needs they have.
The guide includes a checklist for assessing bursary applications and a ‘do’s and don’t’s’ summary of key rules which institutions will find helpful.
5. Information: recruiting teachers from overseas under the new immigration system
European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 – including teachers – can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme in order to continue living, working and studying in the UK. The deadline is 30 June 2021.
Overseas nationals arriving in the UK from 1 January 2021 come under the new points-based immigration system. Teachers arriving from this date, including those from the EEA and Switzerland, need to apply for a visa. Schools may need to become visa sponsors if they want to recruit teachers who are not UK or Irish nationals.
Find out more by reading guidance for schools about recruiting teachers from overseas.
6. Information: supporting overseas teachers
If your school is recruiting international maths, physics and modern foreign languages teachers, DfE is trialling a new acclimatisation service to give them the knowledge and skills they need to flourish in English classrooms. We will provide teachers with pre-arrival support, a two-day virtual acclimatisation training event, support throughout their first term and a further training and networking event with other international teachers. Schools are asked to appoint an in-school mentor, who can also access training to support your international teachers.
If you are interested in signing up for this service, or for further information, please visit GOV.UK or email international.teacherrecruitment@education.gov.uk.