Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 18 October 2023

Updated 20 October 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: 2024 to 2025 high needs place change process 

The high needs place change notification process for 2024 to 2025 is now open until 10 November 2023. Schools and colleges should contact their local authorities about their high needs places for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.  

We have published guidance on the high needs place change process. 

We have also published the spring 2022 census data for high needs pupil numbers in special academies and free schools, and the place numbers for 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024. You can use this to inform local discussions about commissioning arrangements for 2024 to 2025.  

2. Action: 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024 digital form  

The 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024 opt in/out digital form second window is now live.   

The deadline for your submission is 11:59pm on 20 October 2023.  

We’ve published guidance to access and help you complete the form.    

You can read more on the 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024 webpage. 

3. Reminder: final funding claim for 2022 to 2023 

The final funding claim window will open at 9am on Tuesday 24 October 2023.  

Please submit your final funding claim by 5pm on Friday 27 October 2023. The claim form will be available on submit learner data. The funding claims user guide is available to help you complete the form.  

If you have any exceptional adjustments to enter on the claim form, you will require prior agreement by the ESFA. The claim should be supported by relevant evidence, which the ESFA may request. Any unauthorised exceptional adjustments will be disallowed. 

Your principal or delegated authority must sign your claim digitally on Manage your education and skills funding by 5pm on Tuesday 31 October 2023.  

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:   

• grant funded - ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, community learning, 19 to 24 traineeships and national skills fund Level 3 adult offer (Level 3 Free Courses for Jobs))  
• grant funded - advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB) 
• 16 to 19 education   

Once you have submitted your year-end funding claim on submit learner data, you will also be able to view it on Manage your education and skills funding.  

You must not enter any adjustments relating to the earnings boost in your funding claim, we will do this after you have submitted the claim. Your reconciliation statement will include the earnings boost that we have calculated. 

If you have any queries, please use ESFA help centre to contact us. 

4. Reminder: autumn school census 2023  

The 2023 autumn school census date was Thursday, 5 October. The deadline for returns is Wednesday, 1 November.  

The school census data will be used to finalise funding allocations. It is important that you run and check your reports carefully to ensure the data submitted is correct. Submitting inaccurate data risks your funding allocation being lower than it should.  

Based on issues that schools have previously had, we suggest you particularly check that:   

• pupils previously in early years provision have their status changed from part-time to full-time  

• pupils arriving into reception are recorded correctly and not showing as ‘guest’ pupils  
• dual registered pupils are correctly recorded  
• school lunch taken is recorded correctly  

• if you are a primary academy in London, you do not record all pupils as FSM unless they have a valid claim  

• T Level students are recorded correctly 

For academies with sixth forms, our post-16 interactive census tool will help you understand how your data is used to calculate your 16 to 19 funding, along with the post 16 funding reports in COLLECT: these include a new report on T Level student data.   

Full guidance to help with completing the census is available on GOV.UK.  

If you have any queries about the school census, please use our service request form.  

5. Information: 16 to 19 and adult revenue funding allocations for 2023 to 2024 

We have published the 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for academic year 2023 to 2024 on GOV.UK. 

The publication covers schools, academies and further education institutions funded by ESFA for 16 to 19 year olds and 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan. 

We have also published the adult, apprenticeship and traineeship funding allocations for academic year 2023 to 2024 for training providers. 

The publication covers the funding values for colleges, training organisations and employers with an adult education budget, apprenticeship, advanced learner loan or traineeship contract for 2023 to 2024. 

We publish both sets of allocations data annually in the interests of transparency. 

6. Information: submitting your audited financial statements for 2022 to 2023 

We’ve published our guide to submitting your audited financial statements for 2022 to 2023. You should read the guide before completing the online form and uploading your documents. 

You must upload your audited financial statements, auditor’s management letter and your annual summary internal scrutiny report within the accounts’ submission coversheet.  

All academy trusts that had a signed funding agreement and had an open academy at any point during the accounting period to 31 August 2023, must submit audited financial statements, auditor’s management letter and annual summary internal scrutiny report) to ESFA. This includes free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges (UTCs). The deadline for submitting accounts is 31 December 2023. 

7. Information: academy finance professionals (AFP) virtual networking event 

Would you like the opportunity to meet virtually with other finance professionals to share ideas and good practice? 

Join the next AFP event on Thursday 9 November 3pm – 4.30pm 

This networking event is led by sector finance professionals and is a great opportunity to make new contacts and network with your peers. 

Sessions will be hosted by specific trusts and cover: 

• Recruitment and retention of staff – Bourne Education Trust 
• Financial planning – The Link Academy Trust 
• MAT growth and budgets – Embark Multi Academy Trust 
• Alternative and Special Educational Needs provision – Olive Academies 

You will have the chance to join two different sessions on the day. Please come ready to ask questions, highlight any issues and utilise the experience from your peers for support. 

Register now to guarantee your place. 

8. Information: help with automating your accounts return 

Speed up completing this year’s accounts return, produce your draft financial statements and partially complete your BFR24 by automating your 2022/23 financial data.  

To use automation, check your trust is able to use this functionality and that your auditor is happy to review automated data. You can review the help and information on our webpage which includes guidance and webinar and Q&A dial in dates 

In addition, if this is the first time your trust will be using automation, we are offering 1-2-1 session with you and your auditor. If you are interested, please complete the form and we will get back to you to arrange a session. 

9. Information: York, Lincoln, and Wakefield school business professional (SBP) roundtables – spaces available 

Are you responsible for buying for your school or trust?  

There are spaces available at our York, Lincoln, and Wakefield roundtable events. If you are based nearby and would like to join colleagues from across your region to network, share your procurement issues and priorities, and find out more about the free procurement support available from the DfE, book your place now: 

• York – Tuesday 7 November, 12:30 – 16:30 
• Lincoln – Tuesday 14 November, 12:30 – 16:30  
• Wakefield – Thursday 7 December, 09:00 – 13:00 

10. Information: free contract management training for schools and trusts 

DfE are launching a new cohort for the Contract Management Foundation Training in autumn 2023.  

This free Cabinet Office Foundation Level training will provide schools and trusts with the fundamental principles of contract management.   

It is a flexible, online learning programme suitable for anyone responsible for buying goods or services for their school or trust, not just those in a specific commercial role.  

For further information and to express an interest, please send your name and job title to [email protected] 

11. Your feedback: opportunity to feed into the Academy Trust Handbook 2024 is closing 

A reminder to academy trusts and interested parties to complete the ATH survey before Friday 27 October 2023 for their feedback to be considered as part of the academy trust handbook review for 2024. 

The survey was created after feedback from the Academies Finance Professionals power hour.

Academies Finance Professionals power hour

The survey will remain open after this date.