ESFA Update local authorities: 9 June 2021
Published 9 June 2021
Applies to England and Northern Ireland
© Crown copyright 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-9-june-2021/esfa-update-local-authorities-9-june-2021
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. Information: school resource management user group
We are inviting colleagues in local authorities and maintained schools to join a focussed user group to help shape the future strategy for school resource management (SRM) over the next 3 years.
Please complete this form to register your interest by 17 June to be considered.
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. Reminder: year-end forecast funding claim for 2020 to 2021 – window open
The year-end forecast funding claim window opened at 9am on Tuesday 8 June 2021.
We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone, and time and resources are under strain. However, we will require you to submit an accurate year-end claim as this will enable us to inform you of your indicative reconciliation figure prior to final claim submission in October 2021.
Please submit your year-end funding claim by 4pm on Friday 11 June 2021. The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data.
You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through:
- grant funded – ESFA adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, community learning, 19 to 24 traineeships and COVID-19 skills offer)
- learner support for ESFA AEB procured (adult skills and 19 to 24 traineeships) – paid-on-profile
- 19 to 24 traineeships 2020 procurement - learner support – paid-on-profile
- grant funded - Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB)
- 16 to 19 education
Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding.
You can get further help with ESFA services.
5. 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.
6. Information: special free school funding adjustments published
We have uploaded a breakdown of the 2021 to 2022 funding adjustments we will make to the dedicated schools grant to reflect the inclusion of place funding for special free schools at the ESFA Document Exchange.
You can find it in the Document Exchange, ‘Documents you’ve received from ESFA’ view.
Read ‘Special free school adjustments: a guide for local authorities’ for information on how the adjustments have been calculated.
7. 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.
8. 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.