Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 2 August 2023

Published 2 August 2023

Applies to England

1. Reminder: adult funding carry-in allocations for the 2023 to 2024 funding year

We will shortly be reviewing data to support any requests for increased carry-in allocations for the below funding streams:

• ESFA funded adult education budget procured carry-in
• apprenticeship carry-in

• 16 to 18 traineeships carry-in

• 19 to 24 traineeships carry-in

We will use R12 data to validate requests. It is therefore important that you submit accurate data at this point.  You must include all learners that start prior to 31 July and will continue in to 2023 to 2024 funding year. The R12 data return deadline is 4 August 2023.

You must complete the business case form if the allocation amount for 2023 to 2024 is insufficient. For more information, please see the 19+ allocations webpage or contact your territorial team lead if you have any queries.

2. Information: financial assurance - monitoring post-16 funding for 2023 to 2024

We’ve published the post-16 monitoring guidance for the 2023 to 2024 funding year. This describes the areas that we will be focussing on next year to ensure that data is as accurate as possible and funding is correct.

We will re-publish the FRM06 report – continuing learners from last academic year who do not appear in this academic year’s ILR and will review this in conjunction with FRM27 - continuing or completed learning aims that are now reported as withdrawn on or before 31 July of the previous funding year.

We will no longer publish the following reports, however we will continue to review some data internally to support policy and systems development:

• FRM21 – Loans learning not being reported by the Student Loans Company

• FRM42 – Work experience over 300 hours not recorded as core aim

• FRM49 – T Level programmes not recorded against an approved T Level funding band.

3. Information: backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training allocations and conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year

We’ve published the backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training allocations for participants who have undertaken ECF mentor training in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

These allocations include both payments for the mentor in their first and second year of training. We have also updated the ‘Payments’ section of the conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. We will pay the 2022 to 2023 allocations to local authorities for maintained schools in July and academies directly in August 2023.

A payment will be made in autumn 2023, to ensure all eligible schools and organisations not captured in the summer 2023 payment window will be paid in-year.

If you think your school or organisation meets the eligibility criteria, but has not yet received a payment as indicated on the published grant allocations, please contact your training provider to check that your training engagement confirmation has been submitted to DfE.

If you do not have a training provider or if you have any queries, please contact [email protected].

4. Information: funding for time off timetable for early career teachers and mentors who participated in the national roll-out of the early career framework reforms allocations and conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year

We’ve published the funding for time off timetable for early career teachers and mentors who participated in the national roll-out of the early career framework (ECF) reforms’ allocations for eligible participants who undertook year 2 ECF training in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. We have also updated the ‘Payments’ section of the conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. We will pay the 2022 to 2023 allocations to local authorities for maintained schools in July and academies directly in August 2023.

A payment will be made in autumn 2023, to ensure all eligible schools and organisations, not captured in the summer 2023 payment window, will be paid in-year. If you think your school or organisation meets the eligibility criteria but has not yet received a payment as indicated on the published grant allocations, please contact your training provider to check that your training engagement confirmation has been submitted to DfE.

If you do not have a training provider or have any queries, please contact [email protected].

5. Information: Skills Bootcamps funding and performance management guidance for financial year 2023 to 2024

We have now published the Skills Bootcamps funding and performance management guidance for financial year 2023 to 2024, covering wave 3 contracts and the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) competition that closed 24 February 2023 (Jaggaer projects 7338 and 7698).

These set out the funding and performance management rules that apply to all suppliers with:

• a contract to deliver Wave 3 Skills Bootcamps and/or
• a contract to deliver Skills Bootcamps in digital skills which were awarded from the procurement launched by the Department for Education (DfE) in January 2023, and which are funded by  DfE via ESFA.

If you have any questions, please contact us using our enquiry form.

6. Information: Skills Bootcamps procurement opportunities update

The Skills Bootcamps Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is open in Jaggaer until November 2028 and suppliers can apply at any time to register to be a Skills Bootcamps provider.

Once registered, providers can be invited to bid in a call-off competition. The latest call-off competition for Skills Bootcamps launched on 29 June and closed on 28July. This competition will help us ensure that we are offering a wide range of skills training across the country, including in digital, construction, HGV driving, sales marketing, engineering and manufacturing, business administration and education and early years.

The DPS allows us to react quickly when local and national skills gaps are identified.

We do not have a confirmed date for when another call-off competition will be launched but we will notify all providers of future opportunities when we are able to.

Skills Bootcamps are also procured and delivered via local areas. Suppliers may therefore wish to contact Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), local authorities or local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to explore opportunities to deliver Skills Bootcamps in local areas. These are separate to the DfE call-off competitions.

7. Information: Skills Accelerator Pilot evaluation report

The Skills Accelerator Pilot evaluation report, commissioned to evaluate the local skills improvement plan (LSIP) trailblazers and strategic development fund (SDF) (LSIF predecessor) pilots, has now been published. Providers may find the report useful when formulating their LSIF bids.

8. Information: summer GCSE and A/AS level results 2023

To support FE sector enrolments awarding organisations have confirmed the summer GCSE and A/AS level results should be uploaded and be available by 25 August 2023.

This will ensure the Personal Learner Record (PLR) will be populated with this summer’s achievements. This can reduce provider burden and is available to the FE sector to access on LRS.

9. Information: IfATE’s revisions status report July 2023

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has published its latest revisions standards report.

The revisions status report:

• shows apprenticeships that are being revised
• provides a brief overview of the revisions planned for each apprenticeship
• states the stage that each revision has reached

Read the report on the IfATE website.

10. Your feedback: volunteer to take part learning aims user research

You’re invited to take part in a confidential online survey about the “Find a learning aim” service.

ESFA is looking at how it can support colleges and training providers in finding learning aims with appropriate funding for free courses for jobs. This research will take place throughout 2023.

If you are a user of the “Find a learning aim” service and have an interest in taking part, please fill in this short survey on UserZoom.

If you have any questions about the research, please contact us.