Guidance

Residential Support Scheme (RSS) data return 2023 to 2024: guidance for completing the digital form

Updated 14 October 2024

Applies to England

1. Introduction 

This document aims to help you complete the digital collection form for the Residential Support Scheme (RSS). 

Use this form to report how you used your RSS allocation provided by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in the 2023 to 2024 academic year (1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024). 

Institutions administering RSS funding are required to complete and submit an annual return to provide us with data on expenditure against allocation and to confirm the number of students supported. This requirement forms part of our contractual terms and conditions for RSS.  

The data return will be analysed and used to reconcile RSS funding. We will recover any unspent funds as they cannot be carried forward to future years.  

More information on RSS is detailed in the ‘Residential Support Scheme 2023 to 2024 academic year’ guidance. 

2. Who is this publication for 

The guide is for the further education and sixth-form colleges designated to deliver specialist provision who have received RSS funding in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. 

3. When to complete your submission  

The deadline to complete your return is 5pm on Friday, 25 October 2024.  

Submissions can be amended up until the deadline. It will not be possible to grant any extensions to the deadline. 

4. Accessing the form  

Access the RSS 2023 to 2024 data collection digital form to complete your return.  

4.1 Before you start   

Before you start the submission process, please ensure that you have:  

• a DfE Sign-in account 
• the total RSS you have spent 
• the total number of students you have supported with RSS 
• reasons for any over or underspend 

4.2 DfE Sign-in 

Sign in to your DfE Sign-in account 

Follow the below steps to access your DfE Sign-in (DSi) account: 

1. Access the RSS data collection digital form and, when prompted, enter your DfE Sign-in credentials (your username and password) for authentication. 

2. Choose the organisation for whom you are completing the form for – this is only required if your DSi account is linked to several organisations. 

3. The next page will display the details we hold about the institution you selected when you signed in. This will show the name, address and URN or UKPRN of the institution, as well as the name and email address of the person who signed into the account. 

4. If these details are correct, select ‘Continue’ to go to the next page. 

5. if you believe these details are incorrect, please contact the Customer Help Portal and we will investigate. You can still proceed with your submission. 

Your account must be connected to the institution you are completing the form for. You do not need to add any services in DfE Sign-in, it is used only for authentication. 

If you do not have a DfE Sign-in account  

You will need to create one by following steps 1 to 5 below:  

1. Select ‘create a DfE Sign-in account’ on the DfE Sign-in page. 

2. Enter your name and email address (use a valid business email address that contains your name). 

3. We will send you an email to verify your email address; copy the code from this email and paste it into the box on the verification page. 

4. Create a memorable password that is at least 14 characters. A good way to create a secure and memorable password is to use 3 random words. You can use numbers, symbols and spaces. 

5. Sign in using your new credentials, and request access to the organisation for which you would like to submit the form. 

Adding an organisation to your DfE Sign-in account 

To add a new organisation to your account, follow the steps below: 

1. Login to your DfE Sign-in account. 

2. Select ‘Organisations’. 

3. Select ‘Request access to an organisation’. 

4. Enter the URN or UKPRN of the organisation you would like to add. 

5. Select the organisation from search results. 

6. Select ‘Confirm’. 

Your request will be sent to the approver of that organisation.  

An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It’s usually an administrator or a senior manager. 

For security reasons, you will need the authorisation of one of your organisation’s approvers before you can access the form. 

Once your request to access an organisation has been approved, you can follow the steps outlined under the ‘Sign in to your DfE Sign-in account’ section to complete the form. 

4.3  If you need further assistance   

For problems using the DfE Sign-in service, use our DfE Sign-in help service to request assistance. When raising a support request, select ‘other.’  

If you encounter problems accessing the form, use our Customer Help Portal. 

5.  Complete the form  

Once you have authenticated through DfE Sign-in and are in the form, you will find a ‘save and continue’ button on each page which will take you to the next page. The form will retain information you have saved if you sign out or if you leave it open for an extended period. You can resume your submission when you sign back in. 

Once you have submitted the form, you will be advised of next steps and will receive an email confirmation of your submission. This email will contain a link to download a PDF copy of your submission – this link will expire after 6 months so you should download a copy as soon as possible. 

You can edit and resubmit your form until the submission deadline. 

5.1  Your details  

We will show you the information we hold about the organisation you selected when you signed into your DfE Sign-in.  

5.2 Your RSS funding for the 2023 to 2024 academic year 

The page will confirm the funding details that we hold about your organisation. It will show the amount of RSS funding allocated to you in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. The page will also display the number of students that we expected to receive RSS funding. This was based on information submitted by your organisation as part of the RSS application process. 

These figures have been displayed to remind you of the funding and expected student numbers for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, before you return your actual numbers delivered. 

5.3 Total RSS you have spent  

You are asked to confirm how much you spent on RSS in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. 

If you enter zero (0) because you have not spent any of the RSS funding in the academic year, then you will be taken directly to the ‘Reasons for variance’ page. 

5.4 Total number of students you have supported with RSS 

You are asked to confirm how many students you supported with RSS in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. 

You will not see this page if you entered zero (0) when we asked how much you spent on RSS. 

5.5 Reasons for any variance on spend 

You will be asked for a short explanation of why your actual spend, or actual number of students supported, is different from the funding details provided for the academic year. 

This question is optional; however, we would appreciate you completing it where you have supported different volumes to those expected. This will provide us with more information and reduce the need for us to contact you for further information. 

5.6 Declarations page  

You must complete the declarations. You will not be able to submit your form without completing this section fully. 

5.7 Submission summary 

The summary page allows you to check your answers before submitting the form. You can change your answers using the ‘Change’ link that appears next to each data entry. 

You can also save this summary by selecting ‘Save summary as PDF’ before you submit. Alternatively, you can download it by following the steps below: 

1. On the summary page, select ‘File’ and then ‘Print’. A new window will open. 

2. From the dropdown menu, select ‘Save as PDF’. 

3. Select ‘Save’. 

We cannot accept a PDF summary of your answers as proof of submission. You must still submit the form. 

You must select ‘Submit’ at the bottom of this page and you will receive a unique reference number for your submission to be processed. 

5.8  Confirmation  

The final page confirms your submission and shows a unique reference number. Please make a note of this reference number. 

You will then be sent a confirmation email to the email address that you logged into DfE Sign-in with. This will contain a link to download a PDF of your submission, which is valid for 6 months from the date of your submission.  

5.9  Amending your submission 

You can make changes to the form and resubmit until 5pm on 25 October 2024. To do this, you will need to sign back in and resubmit your form. 

We cannot grant any extensions to the deadline. 

If you make a second submission, we will take the details of the most recently submitted form and disregard previous versions. 

You will receive a new unique submission reference for an amended submission. 

6. Enquiries  

If you have read this guidance and have questions, contact us via the Customer Help Portal.