ESFA Update academies: 9 September 2020
Published 9 September 2020
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2020
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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. Action: submit your budget forecast return 3-year 2020 before the deadline
Thank you to all the academy trusts that have already submitted their BFR3Y return.
If your academy trust hasn’t submitted your BFR3Y yet, the deadline for submission is Tuesday 29 September 2020. You can find out more about the BFR3Y on our BFR3Y guidance page.
You may be preparing your BFR3Y using the Excel workbook, but we recommend you access and complete the ‘Overview’ section in your form as soon as possible. This is to make sure that all users details are up to date and there are no access queries.
Throughout the BFR3Y collection window we have been holding weekly Q&A sessions for academy trusts. If you would like to take part, please see the guidance page for the details of the upcoming sessions.
3. Information: requirement to publish salaries on trust websites
The Academies Financial Handbook 2020 (AFH) introduces a new requirement that trusts must publish on their website ‘the number of employees whose benefits exceed £100k, in £10k bandings, as an extract from the disclosure in its financial statements for the previous year ended 31 August’ (AFH 2020, 2.32).
While the handbook came into effect on 1 September 2020, we do not expect trusts to action this requirement using retrospective financial statement information. Instead, extracts from the 2019/20 financial statements should be published following the submission deadline in January 2021.
4. Information: Keeping Children Safe in Education
On 1 September Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2020 came into force; it is available on GOV.UK.
Schools and colleges must have regard to it. This version replaces both KCSIE 2019 and the ‘for information’ version published on 17 June 2020.
We have made changes in three circumstances. Firstly, where legislation has required it e.g. reflecting mandatory Relationship Education, Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education from September 2020. Secondly, where we have helpful additional information that will support schools and colleges protect their children e.g. mental health, domestic abuse, child criminal and sexual exploitation and county lines. Finally, important clarifications which will help the sector better understand and/or follow our guidance.
A full breakdown of the changes are included at Annex H of the guidance.
It is important that all school and college staff are alert to the fact some children will have suffered harm during lockdown. As well as exposure to things like domestic abuse, online harms and radicalisation children could have broader welfare and or mental health concerns. Part 1 of KCSIE provides all staff a basic understanding of what to look out for what to do if they have a concern. If possible, schools and colleges should provide designated safeguarding leads (and any deputies) more time in the early weeks of the new term to support children and staff.
KCSIE part 1 is also available to view in 11 community languages.