Inform September 2021
Updated 18 January 2022
Applies to England
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1. Information: 2021 to 2022 In-year Growth for 16-18 Traineeships
We can confirm that the 16-18 traineeship in-year growth introduced in 2020 to 2021 for institutions with a 16-19 study programme allocation, will continue into 2021 to 2022.
The underlying principle of guaranteeing growth funding (subject to a traineeships growth cap) remains unchanged if an institution has both:
delivered above its overall 16-1 study programme allocation and increased its traineeship delivery.
There are minor changes to how the process will operate, please see traineeship in-year growth for more details.
2. Information: Financial Assurance: Monitoring post-16 funding for 2021 to 2022
We have published the post-16 monitoring plan for the 2021 to 2022 funding year. Following user feedback, we have combined the monitoring plan and our reports dashboard user guide into a single piece of guidance in HTML format.
This means you can now find all the information on each report in a single space; it also means that you do not have to wait until we release the R04 reports in December to see the relevant guidance.
While the first dataset for the year will be published after R04 (December), this year we will also publish School Census data within the monitoring dashboard in the following spring, enabling a comprehensive in-year analysis of young peoples’ funding for the first time.
We are developing a support offer for providers that submit the School Census and have not previously been directly engaged by monitoring and will communicate this in the autumn.
3. Information: Learner Entry Tool 2021-2122
The Learner Entry Tool (LET) helps smaller learning providers who do not have a data management system, to create individualised learner records (ILR) files in the right structure for uploading to the Submit Learner Data site.
LET 2021- 2122 is now available for download from the Learner Entry Tool page on Submit Learner Data.
Supporting user guides and documents can also be found on: Set up your ILR and collect data with the Learner Entry Tool - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
4. Information: ILR File Merge Tool 2021-2122
The File Merge Tool allows learning providers to combine ILR .xml files ready for upload into Submit Learner Data or Funding Information System (FIS).
File Merge 2021- 2122 is now available for download from the File Merge Tool page on Submit Learner Data.
Supporting user guides and documents can also be found on GOV.UK
5. Information: Funding Information System (FIS) Tool 2021-2122
FIS is a desktop application designed to help learning providers to prepare their ILR files for submission into Submit Learner Data.
FIS contains validation rules and reference data and also generates reports so providers can ensure the accuracy of data before submitting their files to Submit Learner Data.
The FIS 2021-2122 Tool can be found on the Submit Learner Data page: Funding Information Service Tool and associated guidance documents is available GOV.UK.
6. Action: Apprenticeships Fire It Up Campaign – Removal of Advert and Music Track
As a result of ongoing work to integrate Government Communications for young people about education, training and work, the Department for Education will no longer run the Fire it Up advertising campaign.
Instead, future communications will focus on promoting all the options available to young people at post-16 and post-18 to help them make an informed choice about their future.
As a consequence of this change, we will not be renewing the license for the Busta Rhymes ‘Fire it Up’ music track used in the apprenticeships TV advert.
The current licence runs out in September and we can no longer feature the advert or music on any channels promoting apprenticeships.
If you currently use this we would be grateful if you could stop doing immediately.
The blue feather logo which accompanied the campaign is still approved for use on all materials, as is the campaign photography which can still be used on digital platforms (but not in print).
If you have any questions about using the Fire It Up campaign brand or assets please contact Marcomms.Mailbox@education.gov.uk
7. Action: qualification achievement rates (QARs) 2020 to 2021:
The R12 in-year Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs) dashboards are now available via the View Your Education Data portal.
Alongside the dashboard, we also provide data extracts to show achievement rates, pass rates and retention rates to match those in the QAR dashboard.
The data extracts identify the learners expected to complete or that actually completed over the multiple funding years used to produce the QAR dataset for 2020 to 2021.
If you have any QAR queries, please reference the data from the data extracts and complete the data query form which can be downloaded from GOV.UK.
This can then be submitted via our online enquiry form, selecting the QAR query type, and assigning the query to ‘ESFA Business Operations QAR’. To note, as QARs were not published for 2019 to 2020, this hybrid end year is not included in the data extracts.
This in-year release provides 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.
Guidance for reviewing data based on the common data issues that arise is available on the qualification achievement rates 2020 to 2021 webpage.
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.
8. Information: Preparing your final ILR return for 2020 to 2021
The deadline to submit your final ILR return for 2020 to 2021, R14, is 6pm on Thursday 21 October.
We recommend that you submit your data as early as possible and that you check your validation and funding reports, available on Submit Learner Data.
Providers leaving their submissions until the last minute run the risk of not having made an accurate submission by the deadline to guarantee payments.
Submitting your data early will increase your chances of correcting any problems before the deadline. We have published some guidance to help you correct the most common data problems in the 2020 to 2021 ILR. This guidance will be expanded as we approach R14. We have also published some helpful information on the ESFA Help Centre.
You can contact our Customer Service team for assistance on specific issues and support not covered by this guidance.
Issues may take some time to resolve and it may not be possible to clear those raised very close to the deadline, so we strongly recommend that you take prompt action to ensure your return is correct and complete.
You can contact us by using our enquiry form.
9. Information: Office for Students 2020 - 21 data checking tool
The Office for Students data checking tool for 2020-21 ILR data was made available to all OfS registered providers on 5 August 2021, with the final outputs made available on 26 August 2021.
To note, the ILR data checking tool is only available to providers who do not submit the HESA Student or HESA Student Alternative returns.
The tool provides outputs designed to improve the quality of your final ILR data submission.
The OfS regards engagement with the tool as an essential part of providers’ data quality processes.
More information about the process can be found on the OfS website
If you have any further queries please email ilrdata@officeforstudents.org.uk.
10. Information: Office for Students training videos on HE records in the ILR
The Office for Students have prepared training videos covering the return of data for Higher Education students in the 2020-21 ILR R14 and these videos are now available from their website.