Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 8 May 2024

Published 8 May 2024

Applies to England

Action: Prepare to submit your year-end statement   

As we approach the end of the fourth and final year of the national tutoring programme (NTP), all organisations that received a 2023 to 2024 allocation should prepare to submit a year-end statement in September 2024. 

To help you prepare, we encourage you to download our calculator tool to plan and track your tutoring. Watch the video below for a quick demonstration of how to use the calculator tool.

this video  

Make sure that your contact email address on get information about schools is correct, as we will use this to email you important information about any funding recoveries. 

Information: Section 151 officer assurance return 2023 to 2024 

The deadline for submitting the section 151 (S151) officer assurance return for 2023 to 2024 is 5pm on 24 May 2024.  

For more information, and instructions on completing your return, read the local authority section 151 officer assurance return 2023 to 2024 guidance.  

For any queries, email [email protected].  

Information: ESFA 16 to 19 Bursary Fund and Care to Learn guides for 2024 to 2025

Our student financial support scheme guides set out the funding rules for the different schemes. We review and update them annually and we have recently published the guides for the 2024 to 2025 academic year for: 

• 16 to 19 Bursary Fund
• Care to Learn

Review the updated guides and remind yourself of the funding rules which apply to each scheme to ensure that you understand them, and that your processes and documentation comply with them, including audit requirements. 

For the Bursary Fund, we would like to highlight 2 key points:  

1. You must assess the needs of all individual students when you award funding. This means you must award each student support based on their actual participation needs, not make flat or fixed rate payments to students that do not reflect the actual costs they face.

2. You cannot carry forward bursary funding for more than one year. For the academic year 2024 to 2025, that means you must tell us the total amount of any unspent funds (not previously reported) from any year up to and including the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Information: 2024 to 2025 new wave 4 T Levels

In February, ESFA published the indicative funding bands for the 2024 to 2025 new wave 4 T Levels. These funding bands have now been confirmed as correct, and therefore there is no change. 

You can find the funding bands and further information in the 2024 to 2025 T Levels funding guide on GOV.UK.  

Information:  Buying for Schools – new blog posts on social value and transforming public procurement

The Buying for Schools blog is run by DfE’s schools commercial team. We’re here to support people who buy for schools and trusts, in particular complex buying such as energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), catering and cleaning.  

In our latest blog post, Kevin Draisey, Head of Procurement Operations for Get help buying for schools, updates on the new transforming public procurement (TPP) e-learning now available for procurement practitioners in schools and multi-academy trusts. 

You can also find Stacey Speakman’s blog post on social value. Stacey is a Commercial Lead for Get help buying for schools, the DfE’s free procurement service for schools and trusts, and in her recent blog post Stacey explains what social value is and how schools and trusts can benefit from it. 

Your feedback: National non-domestic rates user research sessions now available   

Can you help us improve the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) claims service for billing authorities?  

We are looking for volunteers from billing authorities (including those local authorities who are also billing authorities) who are implementing the centralised payment process to take part in user research.

Gathering feedback on your experience and testing new design ideas with you will help us to improve the digital form and ensure the service meets your needs.  

Your participation would involve attending a virtual interview through Microsoft Teams that will last approximately one-hour. If you would like to take part, or if you have any questions, please email our researcher, [email protected].   

Please share this invitation with colleagues who are also responsible for handling NNDR claims in your organisation.