ESFA Update local authorities: 9 November 2022
Published 9 November 2022
Applies to England
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1. Action: split sites funding: changes to how this is funded
From 2024 to 2025, DfE is planning to change the way split sites funding is determined following our consultation, Implementing the direct national funding formula. We will be implementing a split sites factor within the schools National Funding Formula (NFF), with a national eligibility criteria replacing the current local authority-led approach. The final design of the formula remains subject to the outcome of the consultation.
Local authorities will be required to return data to us through the authority proforma tool (APT) for 2023 to 2024 on schools that meet our split sites eligibility criteria. You will receive this as usual in December 2022.
We have sent guidance to local authorities outlining the process and eligibility criteria to give you additional time to review it before the usual APT return’s deadline in January 2023. We would encourage you to engage with academies and voluntary aided schools in your area as soon as possible.
2. Reminder: autumn schools census 2022 closed 2 November
The 2022 autumn school census date was Thursday, 6 October. The deadline for approved submissions was Wednesday, 2 November.
The school census data will be used to finalise funding allocations. It is important that you check the accuracy of your schools’ returns before you approve them.
Our post-16 interactive census tool can help you understand how schools’ data is used to calculate 16 to 19 funding, in support of schools with sixth forms.
For the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the school census will be collecting data about all tuition provided through the national tutoring programme (NTP).
Full guidance to help with completing the census is available on GOV.UK.
If you have any queries about the school census, please use our service request form.
3. Information: 2021 to 2022 Final reconciliation statements
Thank you for submitting your 2021 to 2022 final funding claim.
Following on from this, your reconciliation statements will be available for you to view on the Manage your Education Skills and Funding service by the end of November 2022. This will set out the final position for the 2021 to 2022 funding year and will inform the funding that you will be required to repay (if applicable) or over delivery that we will fund.
Final reconciliation statements are published following submission of a final funding claim and calculated in line with the funding rules for the following funding streams:
- grant funded - ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, community learning, 19 to 24 traineeships and national skills fund Level 3 adult offer)
- grant funded - advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB)
If you are required to repay funds back to us, we will schedule those repayments from December 2022 in discussion with you.
If you have any queries, please use ESFA help centre to contact us.
4. Information: one school’s experience of using the Get help buying for schools service
DfE’s Get help buying for schools service is available to support you with buying goods and services for your school.
Kieren Done is a School Business Manager at St Ambrose College, a grammar school in Altrincham, Manchester with around 1000 pupils. Kieren recently used the Get help buying for schools service to buy audit services for his school.
In our latest Buying for Schools blog post, Kieren shares his experience of using Get help buying for schools and how it could help you with your buying too.
5. Information: buying liquid fuels for your school
Three new DfE-approved frameworks are now available on Find a Framework:
If you need support with buying liquid fuels for your school, contact the Get help buying for schools service.
6. Information: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school
Are you responsible for buying goods and services for your school? The Schools Commercial Team (SCT) within the Department for Education is leading on the Buying for Schools programme; delivering services to support schools to buy goods and services.
The team are hosting free webinars on how using our approved frameworks could save you time and help your school get value for money. Our autumn programme will start up again mid-November with the webinars listed below.
Click on the links to find out more and book your place:
- how the Get help buying for schools service can support your school buying – 15 November
- The Risk Protection Arrangement - an alternative to commercial insurance – 15 November
- buying ICT for your school – 22 November
- buying professional services for your school – 23 November
- hiring supply teachers and agency workers for your school – 23 November
You can find the full programme of webinars for the remainder of the autumn term on the Autumn 2022 webinar page. Visit the page to find out more and book your place.
7. Information: update on the release of Provider data self assessment toolkit (PDSAT) online
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are no longer able to release Provider Data Self-Assessment Toolkit (PDSAT) online, as initially intended at the end of November. Our transformation plan to stagger the release in 2 phases to assist providers with R04 obligations was dependent on external, third-party, penetration testing being completed to a strict deadline.
We are now aiming to release PDSAT online as a complete product in a single phase, including the sampler, in mid/late December, and will continue to provide updates over the coming weeks.
Providers who do have R04 obligations should maintain their focus on the quality and accuracy of their data returns in line with their normal practices.
This is the final week that pre-registration for PDSAT online will be available, registrations closes as planned on Friday 11 November. Providers can pre-register by completing this form click here and non-providers can pre-register by completing this form click here.
All pre-registrations will be reviewed by ESFA. Registrants will receive notifications of acceptance or rejection once ESFA have reviewed, post the closure of the pre-registration phase on Friday.
Anyone that does not pre-register, or who is rejected at the pre-registration stage will still be able to register a request for their own login at any time once PDSAT online goes live.