Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 6 December 2023

Published 6 December 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: submit your in year spend report if you have 16 to 19 tuition funding in academic year 2023 to 2024  

The form opens on 3 January 2024 at 9am. It is important that you complete and submit your return as this is part of your funding requirements.  

After the closing date for returns we will consider whether there is scope to increase some institutions’ allocations as we did in academic year 2022 to 2023. If we do, only institutions that have submitted a return and forecast spending 100% of their allocation will be eligible to receive additional funding. 

If you are forecasting spending 100% of your tuition fund allocation and believe you could deliver more tutoring within this academic year if your allocation was increased, please indicate this on your form. 

We will publish guidance to help you access and complete the form at the same time the form goes live. The submission deadline is 5pm on 26 January 2024. We will write to you again as a reminder.  

You can read more information regarding the tuition fund and conditions of funding on GOVUK.

2. Information: updated provider data self-assessment toolkit

We have released an updated version of the provider data self-assessment toolkit (PDSAT). The new version allows users to run the 2023 to 2024 funding year reports. The tool can be accessed online and as well as through the link on the PDSAT section of GOV.UK.

PDSAT is regularly updated to incorporate the latest LARS data and changes per the specification from ESFA.

For further information, please use the ESFA online form.

3. Information: free short courses from the Teacher Mentoring Programme

As part of the government backed Teacher Mentoring Programme, Cognition Learning Group has launched a new range of free online short mentoring courses, funded by the Department of Education (DfE).

Whether you are a mentor, mentee, or someone who oversees or coordinates mentoring within your organisation, the new short courses will help consolidate and build on your existing mentoring knowledge.

To access the courses, simply follow the below links, create an account, and start your training:

1. Getting ready to mentor - An introduction to mentoring in the FE sector
2. How to be an effective mentee - For practitioners already working with a mentor
3. How to lead effective mentoring and coaching schemes - For those in leadership or managerial roles overseeing mentoring and coaching programmes in FE.
4. How to coordinate mentoring and coaching programmes effectively - For those who oversee the coordination of mentoring in their organisation.

4. Information: eligible settings can request a free portrait of His Majesty The King

This is a reminder for all eligible settings to request their free portrait of His Majesty the King Charles III. 

The government launched a voluntary scheme inviting all state-funded schools, colleges and maintained nursery schools in the UK to receive one free portrait of His Majesty The King to celebrate his reign earlier this year.

Eligible settings can now request their free portrait, with the deadline for requests by Friday 2 February 2024.

Request a free portrait for your setting.

Trusts can order portraits on behalf of their schools. Please refer to the FAQs for details or any specific questions about the portrait and the scheme itself.

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

5. Your feedback: complete the Apprenticeship Workforce Development programme sector-wide survey

On 14 November the Education and Training Foundation launched their next training needs analysis survey, giving those involved in the delivery of apprenticeships the opportunity to further shape the Apprenticeship Workforce Development (AWD) programme.

The DfE-funded AWD programme, initially launched in 2021, supports staff at all levels and roles delivering apprenticeships across further and higher education settings to deliver high-quality provision.

The survey is crucial in helping ETF and their delivery partners, Association of Colleges (AoC), Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), Strategic Development Network (SDN), and the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and SQW, to understand the challenges currently facing those supporting the delivery of apprenticeships, with a strong focus on supporting providers to drive up quality and achievement. Views from the survey will shape the training resources and support.

We would be very grateful if you could complete the survey by 5pm on the Friday 14 December 2023.

To find out more about Apprenticeship Workforce Development, and to access current, fully-funded CPD offered via the AWD programme, visit the ETF website.