Correspondence

ESFA Update academies: 31 January 2024

Published 31 January 2024

Applies to England

1. Action: submit your school resource management self-assessment checklist

The school resource management self-assessment checklist is now open for academy trusts to complete and return by Friday 15 March 2024.

All academy trusts with an open academy on Sunday 31 December 2023 must submit a checklist.

2. Information: backfill payments for time off timetable ECF mentor training – January 2024 payments

We have published the revised allocations for the backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training. This is for participants who have undertaken ECF mentor training in both the 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 academic years. These allocations include all corrective and sweep up allocations up to December 2023.

Please ensure all relevant actions are completed on the Department for Education’s (DfE) ‘manage training for early career teachers service’ page and that your training provider has also confirmed participant engagement on the training programme with the DfE.

If you feel your school has met the conditions of grant but did not receive a funding allocation, then please email [email protected] with the teacher reference number (TRN) for that teacher.

3. Information: funding for time off timetable for ECTs and mentors who participated in the national roll-out of the early career framework – January 2024 payments

We have published the revised allocations for the funding for time off timetable for early career teachers (ECTs) and mentors who participated in the national roll-out of the early career framework (ECF) reforms. This is for eligible participants who undertook year 2 ECF training in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. These allocations include all corrective and sweep up allocations up to December 2023.

Please ensure all relevant actions are completed on the DfE’s ‘manage training for early career teachers service’ page and that your training provider has also confirmed participant engagement on the training programme with DfE.

If you feel your school has met the conditions of grant but did not receive a funding allocation, then please email [email protected] with the teacher reference number (TRN) for that teacher.

4. Information: publication of revised allocations for the NQT grant for 2021 to 2022 for those schools requiring an amendment to their original induction grant funding

In November 2023, we identified a number of schools requiring an amendment to their original induction for newly qualified teachers (NQT) during COVID-19 grant funding allocations. This resulted in either an additional payment being made, or a clawback of payment action being taken.

We have now published the revised allocations for the newly qualified teachers grant for 2021 to 2022 and those schools who were affected by these amendments can view their corrected grant funding allocations.

Please note, this grant is now withdrawn, and we will not be undertaking any investigative work after 1 April 2024.

If you feel your school has met the conditions of grant for a teacher who completed their induction at your school between summer 2021 and spring 2022, please email [email protected] with the teacher reference number (TRN) for that teacher and proof of school employment at the time of their induction.

5. Information: Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) members – book your place on this Regulatory Mock Trial

The DfE, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson, has developed a bespoke training seminar, ‘The Regulatory Mock Trial’.

This workshop has been designed to assist governors, trustees, directors, and members of Senior Leadership Teams to understand the challenges they face in implementing compliant health and safety management systems, enhance the prospects of avoiding enforcement action and improve the school’s defensive capabilities where a prosecution is pursued.

Places are for RPA members only and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Book your place on the workshop – Tuesday 13 February 2024

6. Information: Academy Finance Professionals February Power Hour – HMRC VAT

Join us on Thursday 22 February from 3pm to 4pm, to learn more about VAT partial exemption and its application to academies. HMRC VAT specialists will present an overview of:

• business and Non-Business Calculations
• step-by-step of the Partial Exemption obligations
• useful guidance
• how to contact HMRC

There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the event.

Sign up now.

7. Information: invitation for schools to participate in user research on designing 2 new DfE services

We are designing 2 new services, and we need to ensure that they meet the needs of school leaders, school business professionals and Information Technology (IT) leads. The services are:

1. Plan technology for your school – a self-assessment tool that gives schools a better understanding of their technology needs. It provides recommendations and actions to support technology planning.
2. A service that will bring together guidance and services from DfE into one easy-to-navigate place, saving you time.

We’d like to speak to school leaders and school business professionals, as well as anyone involved in the planning, implementation and decision making for technology. The user research sessions will take place in February, March and April 2024.

If you would like to take part, please complete this survey

You will receive a payment of £40 if you take part in one of these sessions.  

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

8. Reminder: the academies accounts return deadline has now passed

The deadline to submit your trust’s accounts return has now passed.

Thank you to all trusts who submitted their trust’s accounts return before the deadline. If you have not submitted your accounts return, please make every effort to do so immediately.

If you are having difficulties completing or submitting the form, please see our guidance on GOV.UK or send us a query using the online enquiry form. Please select the option ‘Academies financial returns/IDAMS’ and provide your trust’s UPIN.

9. Reminder: mid-year funding claim for 2023 to 2024

The mid-year funding claim for 2023 to 2024 opens at 9am on Thursday 8 February 2024.

Please submit your mid-year funding claim by 5pm on Tuesday 13 February 2024. The claim form will be available on submit learner data. The funding claims user guide is available to help you complete the form. 

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

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

The 16 to 19 delivery section of the funding claim only needs to be signed off for your final funding claims. For 16 to 19 delivery, you do not need to take any action for mid-year or year-end funding claims.

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

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