Inform October 2021
Updated 18 January 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-inform/inform-october-2021
1. Information: Qualification Achievement Rates 2020 to 2021 updates to supporting documents
We have now updated the Traineeship Qualification Achievement Rates Technical Specification 2020 to 2021 to include the table showing the breakdown of the fields we will include in your traineeship QAR data set.
Alongside this update, following feedback from providers, we have also provided clarification across the business rules and technical specifications including:
- update to the contact details in the event of any queries in relation to QAR
- correction to omission that pass and retention rates will not be calculated for Traineeships
- correction to omission of T Level and T Level Transition Programme aims we exclude from QARs
These documents provide technical information about how we produce the QAR dataset and should be read alongside the business rules, which explain the methodology for calculating QARs for 2020 to 2021 and can be accessed on qualification achievement rates 2020 to 2021 on GOV.UK
The next QAR data release will be provisional data based on your final R14 data return expected in January 2022. At that stage, provisional data cannot be amended as the R14 data return is final.
We would therefore encourage providers to continue to review the in-year QAR dashboards based on R12 available now via View Your Education Data.
These provide indicative QARs for apprenticeships, education and training and traineeships and the opportunity to identify and resolve potential data issues prior to the ILR R14 hard close on 21 October 2021.
Please review your ILR data before you make your final R14 submission. You will not be able to amend your 2020 to 2021 data after the R14 hard close.
2. Action: final funding claim for 2020 to 2021
The final funding claim window will open at 9am on Monday 25 October 2021. Please submit your final funding claim by 5pm on Tuesday 2 November 2021. The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data.
Once you have submitted your final funding claim on Submit Learner Data, you will also be able to view it on Manage your education and skills funding.
Your principal or a delegated authority must also sign your final claim digitally on Manage your education and skills funding by 5pm on Wednesday 3 November 2021.
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
The claim form will be pre-populated with your R14 ILR and Earnings Adjustment Statement (EAS) data and will be available from 9am on Monday 25 October 2021. If you have any allocations or delivery related to non- ILR deliverables then you will need to enter actual delivery figures from your own records (please retain relevant evidence which we may request to support your claim).
If you have any exceptional adjustments to enter on the claim form, then you will require prior agreement from the ESFA, any claim should also be supported by relevant evidence, which we may request. Any unauthorised exceptional adjustments will be disallowed.
You will not be able to complete the claim form after the deadline on Tuesday 2 November 2021. Your delegated authority has an extra day to sign the final claim on Manage your education and skills funding the deadline for this is Wednesday 5pm 3 November.
For more information, please see the 2020 to 2021 funding claims guidance. The user guide to help you complete the form will be available on GOV.UK.
We will publish your 2020 to 2021 final reconciliation statement on Manage your education and skills funding by end of November 2021.
If you have any queries please use the ESFA help centre to contact us.
3. Information: 2020 to 2021 final reconciliation statements
The reconciliation statements will be available for you to view on the Manage your Education Skills and Funding service by the end of November 2021.
This will set out the final position for the 2020 to 2021 funding year and will inform you of funding that you will be required to repay (if applicable) or over delivery funding that we will pay. We will make over delivery payments and recoveries from December 2021.
If you have submitted a business case for AEB and this is successful, we will make adjustments to your final reconciliation statement to reflect this.
Final Reconciliation Statements are published following submission of a final funding claim for the following funding streams:
- ESFA AEB – Adult Skills and Community Learning – grant-funded
- ESFA AEB – 19 to 24 Traineeships – grant funded
- ESFA AEB – Adult Skills Learner Support – paid-on-profile (AEB procured)
- ESF AEB – 19 to 24 Traineeships Learner Support – paid on profile (procured)
- Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB) – grant-funded
Full details of the reconciliation process can be found on GOV.UK.
If you have any issues when completing the claim form, please use ESFA help centre.