Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 15 November 2023

Updated 16 November 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: reporting unspent 16 to 19 Bursary Fund and free meals in further education funding

You must contact ESFA each year to report the amount of unspent 16 to 19 Bursary Funding and/or free meals in further education funding that you are holding outside of the one year carry forward rule.

For academic year 2023 to 2024, this means you need to inform us of the total amount of any unspent funds (that you haven’t previously reported to us) from any year up to and including the 2021 to 2022 academic year. We encourage you to do this as soon as you are aware, however you must tell us no later than 31 March each year. We will recover all unspent funds.

When you know you have funds to return, you should contact us using our online enquiry form. When you make contact, it is helpful if you specify the amount of funding being returned, whether it is bursary fund or free meals in further education and which year the funding is from. This is particularly important if funds for more than one year are involved.

We will send further reminders as the academic year continues.

2. Information: good practice guide on academy trust reserves

We’ve published a good practice guide on academy trust reserves.

This sets out our expectations for how academy trusts should manage their revenue reserves and define their reserves management policy.

We know there has been demand for further advice to the sector on this aspect of financial management, and we have consulted with the sector in compiling this guide to ensure it gives the assurance from ESFA trusts were seeking.

3. Information: Academy Finance Professionals November National Event 

Join our national virtual conference on Thursday 30 November 2023 from 10am to 12:30pm.

This is our 3rd national conference with guest speakers:

• David Withey, ESFA’s Chief Executive Officer, who will share his vision and how the agency can support the sector
• Paul Rickeard, CEO of the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Academy Trust on falling pupil numbers and financial management
• Tom Goldman, funding policy lead on school funding 2024 to 2025 and beyond
• Tanya Arkle, Deputy Director of ESFA Schools Resource Management (SRM) with an update on the SRM programme

There will be an opportunity at the end of the conference to ask questions to a panel of experts from across the department.

If you would like to ask a question in advance, please complete this form by 23 November 2023.

Please register now to guarantee your place.

4. Information: Risk Protection Arrangement 2024 to 2025 price confirmation

The cost of the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) is reviewed annually to ensure breadth of cover and value for money are balanced. We can confirm that the RPA deduction for 2024/25 will be £25 per pupil:

• from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 for local authority maintained schools (LAMS)
• from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 for academies

Members don’t need to take any action as your 2024 to 2025 membership will renew automatically on 1 April 2024 for LAMS and 1 September 2024 for academies at the new price of £25 per pupil. Where members take the decision to leave the RPA, you will need to provide 3 months’ notice prior to the end of your membership year by contacting [email protected].   

The RPA continues to offer excellent value for money and all schools classified as public sector schools can join – sign up and join today. If you have any questions or would like more information, contact [email protected]

If you are looking to review your insurance, check out the benefits of RPA membership in our latest blog post on the Buying for Schools blog.

5. Information: International Fraud Awareness Week

The 12th to 18th November is International Fraud Awareness Week.

The week-long campaign encourages business leaders and employees to proactively take steps to minimise the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education.

In ESFA, we take our responsibility as guardians of public money seriously, having our Counter Fraud Strategy embedded throughout the agency.

Our strategy of ‘Prevent, Detect, Deter and Protect’ supports our key objectives; to minimise our fraud and error losses, maximise our prevention and detection and maximise our recoveries and redress.

The foundation of our strategy is to ‘Protect’, that is to protect ESFA, its assets, colleagues, the sector and ultimately the public purse, to give certainty, support and assurance that taxpayers money is used for its intended purpose. This means protecting every pound so that it is spent on education and skills, to have the greatest possible impact, ensuring all learners can realise their potential.

During the week, we encourage everyone to promote fraud awareness and have a conversation about the importance of countering fraud.

Information and resources can be found on the official International Fraud Awareness website.

For more information or if you would like the Counter Fraud Team to support you please contact: [email protected].

6. Information: are you looking to buy cleaning or catering services for your school?

If your cleaning or catering contract is coming up for renewal, there are several DfE approved frameworks offering a quick, simple and competitive route to buy.

The Schools Commercial team is hosting two free webinars with a focus on DfE approved cleaning and catering frameworks, to help you make an informed choice on the best deal for your school. Click on the links to find out more and book your place:

• Buying catering services for your school
• Buying cleaning services for your school

You can find the full programme of webinars for the remainder of the autumn term on the Autumn 2023 webinar page. Visit the page to find out more and book your place. 

7. Information: have you got your ticket for the Schools and Academies Show on 22 November?

It’s not too late to register and join the DfE Schools Commercial team at the Schools and Academies Show, Birmingham NEC on Wednesday 22 November.

The team will be hosting a 40-minute panel session at the show:

• 13:35 – 14:15: The power of School Business Professional networks when buying for your school or trust (Business and Finance theatre)

You can also speak directly to the team and join our mini sessions at the Government Education Village:

• 09:50 – 10:10: Crime, fire, and health and safety – things to consider in your school
• 10:20 – 10:40: Help, I’m not a procurement expert!

Registration is free for schools, multi-academy trusts and the wider public sector.

8. Information: apply for a free framed portrait of His Majesty The King

On 1 April 2023, the Cabinet Office issued a press release to announce a new scheme to allow public authorities across the UK to apply for a free, framed portrait of His Majesty the King to celebrate the new reign.

The Cabinet Office have now launched the voluntary government funded scheme.

Secondary schools, free schools, state funded special schools, non-maintained special schools and FE colleges are eligible for receiving a free portrait.  

The supplier organisation chosen to operate this scheme is Cubiquity Limited. Eligible settings can request their free portrait by using the supplier’s website. The deadline to request the free portrait is Friday 2 February 2024.

Please refer to the FAQ document for any specific questions about the portrait and the scheme itself.

Further details will be provided in due course for public bodies that do not fall within scope of the scheme but wish to purchase a portrait or any authorities who would like to purchase additional portraits.

Any queries relating to His Majesty The King’s portrait scheme should be directed to [email protected].